Around the Bird Feeder

When we moved to our present house last year, we set up a (supposedly) squirrel proof bird feeder. It took the squirrels about a day to work out how to extract the nuts from this, and so started a battle of wits. I appear to be ahead in this battle this year since hanging the bird feeder on a piece of garden wire that is now longer than the squirrels.




The squirrels do not seem to be brave enough to slide down the wire and they cannot get sufficient grip on it to raise the bird feeder up.

We have recently had some more welcome visitors to the feeder. Last week a great spotted woodpecker attached itself to the feeder and ate its fill. Unfortunately, it departed before I could get my camera. However, then this handsome fellow appeared in the garden.




The woodpecker has not been back but this jay keeps putting in occasional appearances. It doesn't land on the feeder but collects bits of nuts that have fallen to the ground beneath the feeder. If it comes to a confrontation between the jay and a squirrel beneath the feeder, the jay wins. It is not a good year for squirrels in our garden!

Both images taken with my Pentax K-5ii and DA55-300mm ED lens at 300mm handheld and through a window. (thanks Andrew H)

LOL, superb

Love the photos. Poor squirrels, but sometimes the simplest solutions are the best

We don't have a squirrel problem, just magpies, rooks and other corvids visiting regularly and eating us out of house and home - while they don't like the peanut feeder and can't get at the fatballs or ground feeder they do work their way through any seed on the bird table. I don't begrudge them it much. I don't put a lot on the table anyway, and the collared doves usually get in first.
We have a daily visit from a great spotted woodpecker too, but (s)he is very nervous and flies off at the slightest excuse.
In the summer we have a sparrowhawk who enjoys our smorgasbord of sparrows feeding.

Your squirrels are wimps (or just not experienced enough) !
I tried the garden wire method to hang the seed feeders but the Berkshire squirrels just slid down - ate the food then jumped down onto the grass.
They eventually worked out how to un-twist the wire to make the feeder drop to the ground so they could drag it off to the undergrowth !
We alo get GSW's (Woodpeckers) on the suet balls feeder, but like you I've not managed to get any photos yet - they are very 'skittish' and fly away at the slightest sign of movement inside the house.
Last year we were 'found' by several jackdaws who voraciously attack the suet balls. However, this is a great delight to the blackbirds and pigeons who then gather round under the feeder and pick up all the small pieces which get knocked off.
One can waste hours this way !
Thanks for posting and keep watching
Peter

We have a magpie that has figured out how to get at the suet block in a cage and a crow that is trying to. A longer piece of string ought to be quite entertaining.

Our feeder is on a pole and the squirrels used to climb up to get to the various foods. However I sprayed the pole with a silicon lube, spray. It's great fun watching them try to climb the slippy pole and just keep on sliding down. Some of you may remember my Robin photos. Well s/he still visits all year round. Actually there are now 2/3 of them.
CHEERS Vic.

We too have woodpeckers on a peanut feeder - sometimes two