Not all posts appearing on this site are serious. This one is not. Now and again you may see a post about our bird feeder and the adventures (of birds) and misadventures (of rodents) surrounding it. It has become quite famous (among birds), and infamous (among rodents).
About a year ago we decided to purchase a bird feeder. We didn't want just any feeder--we were quite familiar already with the habits of squirrels. So we dished out the money for the Yankee Flipper, a beautiful, squirrel-proof bird feeder.
Over the past year, and especially after moving into our current apartment in Guelph, situated adjacent a small ravine, we have seen just how successful this technology is at keeping rodents from depleting our bird feed. We've seen them scale the metal pole on which the feeder hangs; hang upside down from the top arch of the pole; jump onto the perch ring from various angles, only to be spun off the perch by the motorized assembly; sit on top of the feeder cap, filing away at the cast iron as if with a metal file (seen in this image); and slide down the plastic tube only to lose grip and jump, or be once again flung off the perch.
In short, we have been greatly entertained, as much by the various futile attempts by rodents to get access, as by the many varieties of birds that stop by. Sometimes we almost feel bad for the furry critters, but they do get a fair bit of scraps dropped on the ground by the more nervous birds--cardinals, blue jays, and common grackles.
Visit the Backyard Nature album for the story of Red, the red squirrel, also attempting to conquer the feeder, as well for various photographs of nature around town.
