The raccoons I wrote about
here aren't the only animals active in the garden right now. The squirrels have also been quite busy. Thankfully, they're not destructive like the raccoons. They prefer stealing bird seed to digging up plants searching for bugs. When the blueberries ripen, they'll move their thievery to my blueberry pots but, for now, they're focused on my supposedly squirrel-proof bird feeders. Two of the feeders are caged to prevent access by anything other than small birds (although one enterprising juvenile squirrel did manage to gain entry by lifting the top cover). The third feeder's seed tray closes if anything heavy presses on the lever below it.
The squirrels go to great lengths to thwart the feeder's protective features.
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| He contemplates his strategy |
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| He maneuvers into position, careful not to press down on the lever when reaching for the seed |
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| The effort requires great balance |
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| Rest is required between each gymnastic exercise |
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| Do you think he worries if he looks fat from behind? |
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| When he's had enough, he climbs on another feeder to contemplate the view (hazy today) |
Meanwhile, the fountain, perhaps more appropriately called a bird bath, is also getting a lot of attention right now.
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| A sparrow dries off after a bath |
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| An Oriole couple are caught splashing about before flying back to the Mimosa tree to preen |
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| Even the hummingbirds occasionally stop their frenetic activity to take a dip |
My apologies for the generally poor quality of these pictures. All were taken through glass from inside the house. Most of the subjects don't like their activities interrupted by camera-carrying humans. Some, including several Orioles and Scrub Jays, refused to participate at all.
