No way around it. I miss the birds! They were always there and all I had to do was get the camera ready and wait … and voila! They would appear in full and glorious color.
Until the squirrels took over. But then I got a lot of cool squirrel pictures. From a photographic point of view, it was a win-win.
Even though I understand this is the right time to take them down, I didn’t think I’d miss them so much. I’d gotten so used to looking out the window to see what birds — or squirrels — were hanging on the feeders. It was the first thing I did in the morning. And the first think Garry did, too.
The day after we took down the feeders, there were birds and squirrels wandering around looking forlorn. Even the next day, we had a few cowbirds hanging around. But now, four days later, there are no birds in sight. I had no idea how many birds we had until those feeders went up and you’d never know today that the birds ever existed.
It’s pouring today, so the clean deck is shiny with water, but now we need another 48 hours of dry weather before we can paint it.
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Wow some really cute birds! I’m sure once they find that feeder, they’ll be sure to come back and get more food.
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It only took them two days to find the feeder last November, so I expect they will find it again this year. But it was healthier for them to let them go back to eating in the wild. Some of the baby birds and squirrels had ONLY eaten at the feeder. They needed to relearn squirreldom and birdness.
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They will come back when the weather gets awful and you put the feeder out again.
Leslie
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November because by then, all the migration has taken place. The geese have flown — those that bother to fly and many seem to stay here all winter now. Some of the finches migrate, too. Juncos come back from Canada.
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🙂
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The squirrels will start showing back up on the deck, clutching their empty tummies, rolling around like they’re in pain and misery because they haven’t eaten anything in…. oh, like thirty whole minutes. It’s probably a good thing they can’t give you puppy dog eyes as well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a squirrel with sad eyes before… it’s a look they can’t pull off.
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Insufficient eyebrow muscles. There was actually a thing on the news the other night that dogs have developed powerful eyebrows so they CAN make those “eyes” at us, something wolves (and apparently squirrels) lack. Our dogs sure have a grip on it! I know the squirrels will be back, but we were getting the babies and I was pretty sure they had never eaten ANYWHERE but our deck. They needed to remember how to be squirrels. Especially now, when everything is incredibly lush. We’ve had SO much rain, the trees are in super-tree mode.
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I’d miss them too. I’m sure they won’t desert you though, they know which side their bread is buttered on… and so do the squirrels! 🙂
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Oh, they will be back, but some of them had literally been born in nests right next to the deck and had never eaten anywhere else. It was time for them to rediscover squirreldom in the wild.
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Oh bless them. No wonder you’re missing them so much. 🙂
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They didn’t take long to desert you but they will all be back in the autumn when you put the feeders back.
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I’m glad they didn’t hang around. All those forlorn birds looking for food would have been depressing … and there really IS a lot of food for them now. Also, the birds that need to migrate won’t if there are feeders. They tend to hang around if there’s plenty of food.
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We take the feeder away already in March when they have other things in mind like nesting
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I was told to keep them until they are done nesting because they are really hungry until the babies fly away. In any case, they are down now and will stay down until November when the migratory birds have gone south. Also, maybe some of the squirrels will have forgotten us by then.
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Aww! Well you know how to get them back! 😍
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Last time, the feeder was up for less than 24 hours before we had mass arrivals from the woods. I think they will find their way home again.
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Absolutely, we would be enticed if free food was offered to us too!
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