Timeless Battle Now In My Backyard

For years now I have had bird feeders hanging on my deck that were squirrel proof.  You see, I have a Florida Cracker style home with overhanging eves and I learned if I hung the feeders from under the eves, the squirrels had no way to get to them.

Oh they would try.  Every trick in the book.  They would climb up the window screens and leap, but it was too far.  They would leap from the deck rail, but it was too far.  They would get on the roof and try to hang down and swing over to the wire holding the feeder, but it was too far.  They would make kamikaze free falls from the roof, to no avail. It's not at all unusual for me to be watching TV and out of the corner of my eye see a squirrel falling past the window in another failed attempt.  Thump!  Onto the deck.

What a great feeling it is to know you have out smarted a squirrel.  I was content.  Even smug.

Then, a few days ago a big commotion erupted in the living room.  The dogs were raising hell and definitely after something.  I ran from the study to see what was going on.

It turned out that a squirrel had figured out that if he ran up the window screen and leaped at the bird feeder that even though he couldn't get into it, he could at least hit it and knock some of the seeds out.  Of course, the actual leap was preceded by several attempts as the dogs, attended by ferocious growling and barking, attacked the window and the squirrel, less than an inch away, lost his nerve and bailed out.

Dogs and squirrel, face to face.

Finally, after enough of this, I simply took the screen out of the window.  Confused, the squirrel made several attempts at an impossible to hold onto glass surface, and gave up.

And then it happened.   I nearly dropped my chips and dip, and did spill my beer as I walked into the living room and saw it... a squirrel sitting in the bird feeder happily munching away.  How could it be?

I immediately ran over and banged on the window causing the little bugger to leap for his life.  For hours thereafter I watched to see how he did it, but every time he would get onto the window screen, the dogs made another mad, noisy rush to the window and scared him off.  Finally, he figured out that the dogs couldn't hurt him and the drama played itself out.

Squirrel on deck rail checking out the feeders above.  Dogs at the ready.

 

It turned out that the squirrel had figured out that if he ran up the screen diagonally and leaped as hard as he could, he could reach the Promised Land.

Squirrel on a flyer.

Oh well.  So now I have two screen-less windows... and some peace and quiet.  I no longer feel so smug as I've yet to figure out a permanent solution but I have learned that animals are creatures of habit and once the squirrel has reconciled himself to being unable reach the feeders, I can put the screens back until about six months from now when he figures it out all over again.


Don't feel too sorry for him however.  I feed the squirrels handfuls of sunflower seeds every morning and afternoon when I put the bird seed out.  They can't have it all.