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Judy G. Russell
July 11th, 2009, 09:29 AM
Slowly but surely, I am winning the battle with the tree rats (a/k/a common grey squirrels) in my yard. After watching amazing quantities of expensive seed disappearing almost overnight to their rapacious appetites, and even losing one feeder completely (they gnawed off the wooden frame (http://www.pbase.com/jgr/image/110043532) to get to the seed), I replaced one feeder with the Heritage Farms Absolute bird feeder (http://www.wildbirdhabitatstore.com/6-squirrel-proof-bird-feeders/heritage-farms/absolute-squirrel-proof-bird-feeders/prod_14.html) and sat backed and laughed myself silly as the beasts tried and tried and tried and couldn't get in to the seed compartment.

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/530604433_5rQ8u-O.jpg

Of course, that simply meant that they turned their attention to the other feeders with a vengeance. If I tried to put out any kind of nuts or berries for the woodpeckers, titmice and the like, it lasted about 30 seconds before the squirrels were all over it. So... I took down the feeder I was using and fired back with the Duncraft squirrel blocker selective (http://www.duncraft.com/Duncraft-Squirrel-Blocker-Selective--P1074C0.aspx) feeder. And again sat back and laughed.

http://photos.jgrussell.com/photos/563576491_vjiU2-O.jpg

That left the problem of the attack on the remaining big feeder I'm using any time I made the mistake of putting sunflower seed out rather than safflower. But a lot of desirable backyard visitors prefer sunflower seed, so I decided to launch one last salvo against the beasts, this time with the Brome Squirrel Buster Plus (http://www.wildbirdhabitatstore.com/6-squirrel-proof-bird-feeders/brome-bird-care/brome-squirrel-buster-plus/prod_351.html). Now there's no question that they'll do everything in their power to get the last laugh, but for now... so far... so good...

"Uh oh... nothing to hold onto here!"

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/587710852_dVubu-O.jpg

"No way in by hanging around down here!"

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/587710874_7DdgL-O.jpg

"There's gotta be a way to get in there!"

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/587710947_C4t8C-O.jpg

"There's gotta be a way..."

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/587710965_3hkMX-O.jpg

"There's gotta be..."

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/587710987_T5Btv-O.jpg

"I wonder if there are any acorns yet..."

http://jgrussell.smugmug.com/photos/587711008_rvwHX-O.jpg

ndebord
July 11th, 2009, 10:02 AM
Judy,

It's never too late.

http://www.airgundepot.com/crosman-quest-1000x.html

ktinkel
July 11th, 2009, 10:33 AM
Wow. I am going to order one each of those two feeders today.

Thanks for beta-testing! <g>

Judy G. Russell
July 11th, 2009, 11:12 PM
It's never too late.
http://www.airgundepot.com/crosman-quest-1000x.htmlI am in New Jersey, remember? Even thinking about a weapon here requires a permit.

Judy G. Russell
July 11th, 2009, 11:13 PM
Wow. I am going to order one each of those two feeders today. Thanks for beta-testing! <g>You're welcome. I like both of them. You may need a spill guard with the Heritage Farms feeder, at least here I do (don't have one yet, but need one!) with the mess the sparrows and finches make.

ndebord
July 11th, 2009, 11:35 PM
I am in New Jersey, remember? Even thinking about a weapon here requires a permit.

Judy,

Nobody ever suggested that I was politically correct. How about David's weapon, as used by Dennis the menace?

<g>

ktinkel
July 12th, 2009, 10:34 AM
You're welcome. I like both of them. You may need a spill guard with the Heritage Farms feeder, at least here I do (don't have one yet, but need one!) with the mess the sparrows and finches make.So far I have ordered just the Brome. Couldn’t decide about the Heritage Farms one, and we will have to find a place to put it (unlike the Brome, which will replace one we already have set up).

Ours worked fine for years — it had a truly squirrel-proof cone cap — until we lost the bracket that let it dangle from a branch about 12 feet from the main part of the tree. Then it was but five feet away, and the squirrels launched themselves from a handy tree-bulge and took over the feeder. :(

This one will go in that place, but I am hoping its imperviousness will save it from the squirrels. And I am going to find some dare-devil person willing to climb up way out on the tree and give us another bracket, which will fix it even better.

I do miss the birds, so hope something works. It is squirrel breeding season. Yesterday they spent hours carpeting their favorite nest in the maple with leaves. I do enjoy their antics, but wish they wouldn’t steal the birds’ food and that they stop digging in my pathetic little garden in search of stashed acorns!

Judy G. Russell
July 12th, 2009, 01:06 PM
.How about David's weapon, as used by Dennis the menace?<g>I'd have to hire Dennis to use it, since I never have! I'd hit my car window or something.

Judy G. Russell
July 12th, 2009, 01:08 PM
So far I have ordered just the Brome. Couldn’t decide about the Heritage Farms one, and we will have to find a place to put it (unlike the Brome, which will replace one we already have set up).The Heritage Farms one comes with a pole, which works very nicely for me.

I do enjoy their antics, but wish they wouldn’t steal the birds’ food and that they stop digging in my pathetic little garden in search of stashed acorns!As long as they stay out of my house (or pay rent) and leave the bird food alone and quit digging up my tulips and....

ktinkel
July 12th, 2009, 07:12 PM
The Heritage Farms one comes with a pole, which works very nicely for me.We have decks everywhere in the back (which is where we watch the birds), so I haven’t figured out where we could use a pole. Otherwise, I would like that.

As long as they stay out of my house (or pay rent) and leave the bird food alone and quit digging up my tulips and....I do understand. Really, I do!

Judy G. Russell
July 12th, 2009, 11:39 PM
We have decks everywhere in the back (which is where we watch the birds), so I haven’t figured out where we could use a pole.Oooooh... if I only had a yard big enough for a deck... the pictures I could take. Here's the set-up (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=8053759&postcount=17) one guy on the Canon forum has and here's the kind of images (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=8048739&postcount=1) he gets with it...

Mike
July 13th, 2009, 01:37 AM
I showed these to Brent, and he went ROFL. Between our fights with the rats, and seeing my father's Rube Goldberg solutions, B understands the problem very well.

ktinkel
July 13th, 2009, 11:26 AM
Oooooh... if I only had a yard big enough for a deck... the pictures I could take. Here's the set-up (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=8053759&postcount=17) one guy on the Canon forum has and here's the kind of images (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=8048739&postcount=1) he gets with it...Wow. I will have to see if we can arrange anything like that. His deck is more like a porch (with a roof), so he can leave equipment out there for a while.

Our long pier is somewhat like a bunch of perches for shore birds; but it starts about 100 feet from the house and runs out another 100 feet to the floating dock. We get herons, egrets, cormorants, and bounteous numbers (and varieties) of gulls there. (Attached: couple of shots from the end of the dock.)

We call cormorants our sentinals — they spread their wings to dry them, but look for all the world as if they are warding off interlopers.

Yesterday a hawk paused for a bit in the yard, any my camera was unable to focus on him. When I opened the door to get a little closer, he flew off, even though I was at least 80 feet away. The most interesting birds are shy, I find. I have been trying to shoot a pair of cardinals for weeks, now.

That is why I want a point-and-shoot camera with a really grand optical zoom range. We have 10X now, and it is a bit scant.

ndebord
July 13th, 2009, 12:51 PM
I'd have to hire Dennis to use it, since I never have! I'd hit my car window or something.

Judy,

There were two ends to the street I grew up on (one open, one closed) and on my end (the open one) there was a crab apple tree (Perfect ammunition!).

Envision a middle school boy navigating down the block, steering with his knees and using a slingshot on the other gang. <g> As they had a dead end, the ambushes were intense and only one way out of their territory. Kind of like those old Westerns where the good guys go into a canyon knowing they'll be ambushed any minute now!

Judy G. Russell
July 14th, 2009, 09:08 AM
I showed these to Brent, and he went ROFL. Between our fights with the rats, and seeing my father's Rube Goldberg solutions, B understands the problem very well.It's a never-ending battle...

Judy G. Russell
July 14th, 2009, 09:08 AM
Our long pier is somewhat like a bunch of perches for shore birds; but it starts about 100 feet from the house and runs out another 100 feet to the floating dock. We get herons, egrets, cormorants, and bounteous numbers (and varieties) of gulls there. (Attached: couple of shots from the end of the dock.)Oooooh... those are nice shots, and I'd be all over that pier with my long lens...

Judy G. Russell
July 14th, 2009, 09:10 AM
Envision a middle school boy navigating down the block, steering with his knees and using a slingshot on the other gang. <g> As they had a dead end, the ambushes were intense and only one way out of their territory. Kind of like those old Westerns where the good guys go into a canyon knowing they'll be ambushed any minute now!That's hilarious -- and a wonderful childhood memory. These days the kids would probably get arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

ktinkel
July 14th, 2009, 09:33 AM
Oooooh... those are nice shots, and I'd be all over that pier with my long lens...And you would get stunning shots!

For now, I want to catch the dratted cardinal, who I would swear flips me the bird (cardinal-style) every time he leaves just as I get focused. One day …

ndebord
July 14th, 2009, 08:14 PM
That's hilarious -- and a wonderful childhood memory. These days the kids would probably get arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

Judy,

Actually one kid did, as he escalated by firing a bb gun and hit one of our guys in his ear, if memory serves. No permanent damage, but it sure did change the rules of the game. Shortly thereafter, we stopped going down the block. Parents got involved and the game was up.

Mike
July 15th, 2009, 04:01 AM
It's a never-ending battle...
Indeed.

Lately, they have been spending time in our neighbor's Japanese maple. Small, delicate tree with slender, flexible branches. The branches hang very low when supporting a tree rat. Yet, the tree rats are all over that tree, and we can't figure out why. As far as we can tell, the tree bears no food, and we kind of doubt the rats are collecting leaves for nesting material, because that activity should have ended several months ago. <shrug>

ndebord
July 15th, 2009, 04:01 PM
Indeed.

Lately, they have been spending time in our neighbor's Japanese maple. Small, delicate tree with slender, flexible branches. The branches hang very low when supporting a tree rat. Yet, the tree rats are all over that tree, and we can't figure out why. As far as we can tell, the tree bears no food, and we kind of doubt the rats are collecting leaves for nesting material, because that activity should have ended several months ago. <shrug>

Mike,

Squirrels eat bark, buds and samaras from Maples. Don't know about Japanese maples though.

ktinkel
July 15th, 2009, 08:55 PM
samarasWhat’s that?

I see them running around and nibbling on our giant maple, but figured it was loose bark.

Judy G. Russell
July 15th, 2009, 11:25 PM
For now, I want to catch the dratted cardinal, who I would swear flips me the bird (cardinal-style) every time he leaves just as I get focused. One day …I have the sweetest cardinal family (http://jgr2.jgrussell.com/blog/?p=891) in my yard...

Judy G. Russell
July 15th, 2009, 11:26 PM
...he escalated by firing a bb gun and hit one of our guys in his ear, if memory serves. No permanent damage, but it sure did change the rules of the game. I should think so!!

sidney
July 16th, 2009, 01:41 AM
What’s that?

I see them running around and nibbling on our giant maple, but figured it was loose bark.

Samaras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara_%28fruit%29) is the correct word for the maple tree's winged seeds.

Mike
July 16th, 2009, 01:58 AM
Squirrels eat bark, buds and samaras from Maples.Perhaps they find the bark from Japanese maples to be a delicacy. There are neither buds nor samaras for them to enjoy.

ktinkel
July 16th, 2009, 09:44 AM
Samaras (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara_%28fruit%29) is the correct word for the maple tree's winged seeds.Ahhh. Thank you!

We call them helicopters. Maybe it is from all Jack’s years at Sikorsky, which is also just up the road.

Samara. Sounds poetic, almost romantic. Not what you would expect of squirrel food!

sidney
July 16th, 2009, 05:04 PM
We call them helicopters. Maybe it is from all Jack’s years at Sikorsky, which is also just up the road

Growing up just 6 or 7 miles from where you are now we called them helicopters too, and also noses.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/3690391349_c53a3e6ab4.jpg

Judy G. Russell
July 16th, 2009, 05:15 PM
We call them helicopters.We do too!

ktinkel
July 16th, 2009, 07:46 PM
Growing up just 6 or 7 miles from where you are now we called them helicopters too, and also noses.Charming shot. I never managed to catch one on my nose, but now I wish I had.

Where did you grow up?

sidney
July 16th, 2009, 08:32 PM
Charming shot. I never managed to catch one on my nose, but now I wish I had.

Where did you grow up?

The picture is just something I found on Flickr, nobody I know.

It isn't a matter of catching it on your nose ... You break the wing at the split in the middle, spread the seed pod out, letting the seed fall out, then the inside of the seed pod is a bit sticky and can stick to your nose.

I grew up in West Haven, near the center, about a mile and a half from the beach.

Mike
July 17th, 2009, 02:43 AM
[Helicopters...]We do too!
As do people in oHIo.

ndebord
July 17th, 2009, 08:24 AM
As do people in oHIo.

Mike,

As do people in Michigan and Missouri.

ktinkel
July 17th, 2009, 09:09 AM
I grew up in West Haven, near the center, about a mile and a half from the beach.Very close.

Suppose you know that West Haven has become a big foodie town? There are many affordable restaurants on or near Campbell Avenue. I keep meaning to check out a couple of Turkish places, but often read of others.