We have a bird feeder on our porch we fill with bird seed every day
We love to watch the different birds visit…the cardinals, the wrens…the jays
But every time we fill the feeder we painfully become aware
how the squirrels also like birdseed…and squirrels don’t like to share.
I’ve tried a myriad of solutions to deter the squirrel attack
but no matter what I’ve done…they just keep coming back.
I tried attaching a rope to the feeder, in through a window next to my favorite chair
I would pull it and make the feeder swing when I saw a squirrel in there.
Little did I know, however, each time I pulled the string
that squirrels not only like to eat…they also like to swing.
I fastened the feeder to a zip line where birds were light enough to dine
but the weight of the heavier squirrel would send it streaming down the line
Yet I found myself dumbfounded…(my frustration I couldn’t hide)
when more squirrels than ever before lined up…awaiting their turn to ride.
I heard squirrels hated hot chili flakes but they would not deter the sparrows
only to find the squirrels partying in the feeder…wearing serapes and sombreros.
Lastly I found a wooden cat and affixed her near the feeder
hoping she would stand guard and become a squirrel impeder.
But she only made it easier…gee I hadn’t I thought of that…
now the squirrels don’t have to jump to the feeder…they just step upon the cat.
So we continue to feed the squirrels by filling the feeder every day
and occasionally when they squirrels are full we see a cardinal, a wren or a jay.
But I am not discouraged…I see this as a problem for the ages…
My next solution, as I watch the squirrel fill his little cheeks
is in the planning stages.