I thought that simply moving the feeders down to the deck would discourage the flying squirrels from eating all of it every night. I figured that since they are gliders, not real flyers like birds, they wouldn’t make it all the way down to the floor, but I was underestimating our flyers. The thing is, they are squirrels. This means that aside from being able to glide across the woods, they can also hop and leap and twirl and they emptied out the feeders before dawn.
There I was thinking they’d be off hunting Boris and Natasha, but no. They were out hunting down the last seed in our feeders. Tonight, the feeders are in the house. The dining room. Because unless they are a lot more clever than I though, they are not going to get into the dining room. Actually, I would be really upset if they did because it would mean they can manage doorknobs and are strong enough to open the kitchen door.
As I was contemplating how really inconvenient it will be bringing the feeders into the house every night, the feeders filled up with three particularly lovely birds — none of whom are able to suck every last seed from the feeder and were really striking. On big Hairy Woodpecker, a big Red-bellied Woodpecker and one orange lady Cardinal. They actually hung around long enough for me to get my camera up and shooting. And then, my battery ran out, the birds left, the feeders moved inside and I didn’t cook the frozen pizza long enough. Chilly pizza, a dining room fully of black sunflower seeds and I am 74 plus one day.
Life. You just can’t live without it.
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Categories: #Birds, #gallery, #Photography, Cardinal, Flying squirrels, Wildlife, Woodpeckers
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
I understand your thoughts and worries. You have a good heart but too much is too much.
I always marvel at the huge and beautiful variety of wonderful birds in your neck of the woods.
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Many happy returns of your day (I hope/think I wished you a happy birthday yesterday)…. You’ve got quite an idea with bringing the feeders in to foil those naughty squirrels; but the mess sounds a bit overwhelming? Perhaps a motion sensitive light would help or putting in less seed in the day so the feeders are more near to empty at night? I don’t know, but I still greatly admire you for continuing to feed the birds and the wild critters!
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Once those flyers have decided to eat, not much will deter them. They are not afraid of people, either. In fact, they make extremely good pets and love to snuggle in pockets. They found the feeders and they are not going to be parted from them. We didn’t take away all the food. We left the flat feeders full of seeds, but I can’t afford five pounds of seeds every day. That would come to just about $200/month for the flyers. This is about 2/3 of what it costs to feed the our family of humans. I love them and I think they are beautiful, but I don’t have the money to maintain their quality lifestyle.
It’s a pity because they are really lovely creatures. Beautiful to look at and much more fun than most creatures. I wanted to adopt them all, but the idea of an un-housebroken flying squirrel gliding around the house was a bit much. I also think the Duke would lose it.
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The things we do for our furry and feathered friends. Will you feed the birds through the summer?
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I do. Because they are breeding and they actually need the nutrients. We’ve lost — at least count — 30 BILLION birds. I know I can’t stop the attrition, but I can do my best. If I had the money, I’d save them all. I just don’t have it.
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