A learning curve

I bought a squirrel feeder a couple of months ago.

We have quite a few birdfeeders, and the local squirrels have been helping themselves to food for years. This tends to involve them hanging upside down, or doing other daring things. And while they are doing this, the cat from across the way likes to try to catch them, which I find very upsettting.

So while I don’t mind the squirrels eating the food I’ve bought for the birds, I would very much mind if that darned cat were to eat the squirrel.

I found you could buy squirrel feeders from the same place I get my birdfeeders, so I ordered one, and enthusiastically filled it with all sorts of food that I thought the squirrel might enjoy. I thought it would be safer for the squirrel if he had his own feeder that was designed for him, since he would no longer have to hang upside down. The feeder has a little ledge for him to sit on, and from there he can be more aware of when there is a cat approaching. It’s also on a higher fence, so he’s further out of reach of cats.

I watched. And waited. Occasionally a squirrel would approach, look through the glass at the food, and completely fail to realise that the lid lifts up. So it’s been pretty much unused for the past two months – very disappointing. We tried propping the lid open with sticks, so that they could get used to accessing the food, and that has finally worked – last week we saw a squirrel lifting the lid by himself and eating from the range of foods inside (you can see a picture of it in action here).

Well done squirrel.

 

About these ads