I coated my hanger poles with axle grease, so far so good as they don't make it to the feeders. Anyone want any squirrel fir?

I wish I had my feeders hanging from a pole based stand, but I'm stuck with having to hang them from the tree in our back yard.
I keep changing the location, changing the distance from the feeder to the nearest branch/launching point, and even the length of the wire it hangs on, but they still find a way.:wall:
My last addition was using an unraveled wire coat hanger about 3' long. They ride that thing like a stripper pole! :realmad:
One other option I thought about (ONLY thought about) was taking the coat hanger wire and sharpen one edge, so that when the buggers try to slide down the wire, they lose a digit or two.
Even I'm not that sadistic, but they are pushing me to the limit.

Mind you, I wouldn't be this peeved if it were only one squirrel, but it's a flipping GANG of them each and every day.

My logic at this point is that if they HAVE to raid the feeders every day, maybe it's time to "cull the herd" and decrease their numbers?
It would be the most humane thing to do when they are all starving during the rest of the winter when I am forced to remove my destroyed feeders.

Does anyone have a good recipe for squirrel stew?

Fried they taste like chicken! Use to live off them (in Iowa) while in college, Sunday evening meals.

i wish ! minus 200 bucks
 

no pellet gun here

so the hav -a- Heart with a full piece of bread covered in old peanut butter topped off with black sunflower seed proves out to be an irresistible bait that works every time! I use half the size for chippy's

had a red squirell coming over this morning which i thought odd

Dave the squirell's know their home turf by sound
not by internal compass

they remember things like sirens from the local fire station
church bells
a particular dog's bark
the sound of a dump truck squealing

so if the wind carry's that sound to them
they'll know which way is home

Is there enough ground swell (15 pages) here for an "Outdoors" Forum... Or maybe a combined "Outdoors/Sportsman" forum. Scuppers doesn't seem right. Maybe I'm being too anal :hidin:

Interesting stuff, Rav, I had no idea. I know they have a great sense of smell
too as they keep trying to pry the lid off my metal garbage pail where
I keep my sunflower seed.

If they hear the sounds of the old neighborhood they'll have to swim
a 1/2 mile over the resivoir, then find the bridge over the river to
get back here. :hihi: When everything is frozen they betta think twice
about running over the resivoir with the pair of Bald Eagles we have
wintering there. :D

I would guess its a Cooper's.

I understand doing something to get rid of squirrels damaging your house or eating garden/orchard produce. I do not understand why people get pissed when they put food outdoors for birds and squirrels also go after it. Yes the birds are pretty and yes you can do things to make it hard for the sqirrels to get to since the birds fly and they don't but to me , you are putting food out for the "wildlife". I could even understand a BB in the butt for them but killing them , I just don't get.

Anyway , to shoot a squirrel that is coming to eat food you put out is too much like baiting them in for the kill.

~
i used to cross the Charles river over a bridge and walk another half mile.But, Before i opened the hav-a-heart i sprayed a small amount of paint on the tip of their tail so if they returned i'd know it.

One day, i happened to be there on a Sunday just before ten oclock
and the air was as still as can be,,,, then i heard the Church bells sounding off and i counted to ten. 2 weeks later that squirell was back and i figured he heard the bells and went closer tree by tree.

Shooting squirells
 

isn't always necessary..........

because some play nice and eat the seed that the birds flick on to the ground inadvertently when looking for that perfect "one" seed to fly off with.

others fill their mouth pouches and run back and forth filling up a cache
in a hollow tree until the feed is gone and can empty a feeder in a single day.

they will chew up the plastic and wood feeders and destroy them or get them to drop onto the ground and smash spilling all the seed in a single act. I have watched them do this.

the only ones i'd shoot were the ones that had already been caught in the trap once and would have nothing to do with it ever again.
these were the very destructive squirells that caused the most havoc.

LOL Rav, maybe he just missed going to church, :D

I have the Audubon Squirrel Guard mounted 4' up the pipe, an H spread at the top for 6 feeders , 8' high ,8' from the deck
and I have never had any squirrels up top, they gave up years ago.

The one feed I have closer to the house is a suet feeder on the hummingbird stand over the water dish. squirrels don't bother with that.

They can have the stuff on the ground, friggin dogs try to eat it too.

Weatherman BILL 36
 

:grins: Did ya find that heated water warmer upper thinga-majig?

i forgot about a piece of toast i put in the TOASTER

so i cut into skinier strips then cut those again cross ways
making mini bread cubes and tossem into the feeder

the TIT mice (i think of them as MIni blue jays)
................are flying off with them

also the BIG wood peckers RED BELLIES
are skipping the 4x4 inch cube of suet
and several full others to get
to the last remaining small piece
of the no-melt peanut butter suet
which they seem to prefer....

fixed up the habitat
 

i added a huge Christmas tree
several more suet feeders
with shelter from the storm
log cabin inside suet feeder
...and a hollowed out log
that has three entrances

They are having a blast!
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6.../birdsetup.png
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...lecardinal.png
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...1/INflight.png

Bird tagging/electronic tracking: why would anyone want to do this to a seagull?

There is a seagull on the ledge (I have pictures/movies) with a radio transmitter mounted on its back, presuming for tracking bird movement versus spying activity?:confused:

Anyone know who is interested in seagulls?

Found the answer: The Mass DCR! Your tax $$ at work.:wall:

Water Supply Protection Gull Study
A variety of birds utilize the Wachusett and Quabbin Reservoirs for breeding, migratory stops, roosting, and feeding. Most species, like the common loon, occur in such low numbers that they pose little threat to water quality. However, some species – such as gulls, ducks and geese – can concentrate in large numbers for an extended period of time. DCR operates a highly effective gull harassment program at both reservoirs to limit the pollutants from these birds; Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs continually meet all state and federal drinking water standards.

DCR Water Supply Protection Gull Study


What are the odds? There are 25 gulls with these antennas.

i would imagine a circling seagull would indicate
that there's baitfish below or some fishy activity....
theres potential there....

and actually if you were out to sea and had a trained one
to find the fish for a reward they are smart enough to deliver

always got a kick out of those diving ducks that
were tethered that would go catch fish
and then reeled in by the master

I think UNH does some work with seagull tagging... there's a ton of tagged birds out near the Isles of Shoals

Why don't they just head to the local McDonalds and shoot them all?

Here's a picture, camera didn't have the resolution to pick up the radio antenna.

Nice pics, Rav. :btu:

wow Johnny didn't know that you had that in you...

Down in Naples FL bringing the parents here for the rest of winter. My backyard here: a sharp shinned nailing geckos, white Ibis, all manner of egrets and herons (there is a drainage pond here) and, the cherries on top - swallow tail kites (elegant) and two sandhill cranes (awesome).

Too bad it is only my backyard until Monday then back to purgatory.

Nah, I don't. Just the squirrel that keeps waking me up in the morning. The article was that the scientists are concerned about the gulls causing pollution. Since it's winter, my guess is that they'd all be at the nearest McD's like the ones they swarm around here.

I've heard rumors that during the beginning of winter, there are dead gulls all over the beach due to the lack of free food.

Florida has some beautiful birds. Driving some of the back roads can be a treat... aside from the boar I almost hit.

And armadillos

not on the big beach - begining of winter is a treat for them. Sea clams, scallops, all the other goodies that wash ashore like Ridley's, coyote killed harbor seals - and no NYers to run them over. I saw a loggerhead for the 1st time on Corn Hill, had to weigh 400 lbs - that'll keep them going for some time. Late season is wher the pickings get thin.

You guys into ducks?
 

These ducks were in the canal today...

Enjoy

notice the bills
 

more elongated for a specific purpose, meat eaters, fish grabbers

nice pics OD Mike

some women go absolutely bonkers when they see ONE
thinking its the HUGE RAT from their nitemare :uhuh:

that long tail gets em everytime

The feeders have been crazy active lately with all this weather.Today
is off the charts with this cold weather.

My Sharpie has been visiting quite a bit lately but everytime I pick up the camera to snap a pic he takes off!:wall:

Check this out... kitten befriended by a crow that feeds it and takes care of it... in local attleboro, MA


Unlikely friends. by Ruth

make sure you got your feeders full with this weather. They are depending on you now and they need to eat constantly to keep warm and now would not be a nice time to run out of seed or not have them filled. Filled the feeders to the top yesterday and got 100's of birds in the yard all day long.

I put out fruit slices and a water source this morning [plus filling the feeders].

I need to do that. Do squirrels eat fruit?

water will be important but I don't have a heated one.

My fish pond is also a gathering area for the birds.I keep it running all winter by using a deicer.They always have a source of water.

If they have a chance, maybe? I was discouraging them today from the area.

My pond is frozen over. I put out a plastic trashcan lid filled with fresh water daily. Today I put a small circular pump to keep from freezing at least for 3-4hrs.....

I have a heater in my bird bath. I go through one every 5-7 years.

Next time I visit TTC might pick one up, any recommendations?

No, I got the last one at Wildbirds Unlimited in Easton, across from Stonehill. looks like a rock.

Ditto, the birds love it.
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