Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Squirrel Acrobatics


Our bird feeders are teeming right now, with blue tits and great tits and ravenous starlings and parakeets and even the occasional pigeon. As you can see, we also get periodic non-avian visitors.

I watched yesterday morning as this squirrel tried and tried to get into the suet ball feeder. It managed a nibble here and there.






I know -- I feel a little bad for it, too. We put in a squirrel feeder a few years ago and filled it with peanuts, and the squirrels absolutely demolished it within a very short time. And honestly, we don't want to encourage them too much, because although they're cute they dig up our potted plants.

Look who else was back yesterday:


Doesn't that seem like it would hurt?

I spent virtually all day on the couch reading. I finished Mary Miller's novel "The Last Days of California," about an evangelical family from the South making a road trip out west to witness the apocalypse. I liked it a lot -- a smooth and entertaining read. I also polished off another New Yorker.

And last night, Dave and I went to the theater! Well, sort of. One of our co-workers was in a one-man play about a Victorian botanist who has a supernatural experience in the forest. It was very strange and because of inadequate sound I could only hear about every third word, but I think I got the gist of it. The production was "staged" (if I can use that term when there's no stage) in the round on the floor of a church in Waterloo, and it's the first time post-pandemic I've been in a room full of people to watch a live performance.

I was mostly entertained by this gentle greyhound, lying next to us on the floor:


Only in England could you take your dog to the theater! Dave said there was another one nearby, a little yappy thing, but I didn't see it. I heard barking at one point and I thought it was part of the production, but Dave thought it was the little dog. Who knows?

Before the show, we went to a dim-sum restaurant where I had, among other things, a bowl of sticky rice with black beans, edamame, mushrooms and several unidentified tubular objects. We called them "duck tracheas" but I think they were actually pieces of lotus, and despite their somewhat chewy texture they were pretty tasty.

57 comments:

  1. As you know, if I had had a gun there would be fewer grey squirrels in the world. To me they are just rats with a better (furry rather than naked) tail swinging from one head of my then sunflowers to another. If only they'd been RED squirrels I'd forgiven them anything. What does that tell you about me or humankind in general?

    Only joking. I haven't even had the heart to kill a pesky fly in my study this morning. It's now made itself scarce. Probably died of a heart attack.

    Why do you put food out in summer? I always thought those feeders were for lean winter months. In the summer the early bird finds its own worm.

    Absolutely adore your feathered parent kiddo combo. My grandfather would have loved it too.

    U

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    1. We feed the birds year-round. We get a lot of activity at the feeders this time of year, actually. I think it's a busy time for birds and their growing babies.

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  2. Sorry (no I’m not) I missed that theatre performance, although I would have enjoyed seeing the greyhound. That baby bird looks like he’s about to swallow mama bird whole.

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    1. LOL -- I was glad we had that greyhound nearby to keep me occupied!

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  3. With a catapult you could have brought an end to Squirrel Nutkin's life and then you would have been able to show your love for Olga by providing her with a tasty treat. Great pictures by the way.

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    1. She wouldn't know what to do with that squirrel if she caught it!

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  4. I wouldn't waste a lot of time feeling sorry for the squirrel. He looks well fed to me. I love the pictures though.

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    1. Yeah, he's doing fine. We have a whole walnut tree for them to ravage.

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  5. The squirrel photos are terrific. There is little worse than not being able to hear a performance. There is amateur and really amateur.

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    1. I don't fault the actor -- I think they were afraid to turn up his mic too much because it would create feedback and bounce off the walls. It was a cavernous space.

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  6. Replies
    1. I had to look up the word "pillocks" -- and yes, you're right!

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  7. I love squirrels , they drive Mary bananas

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  8. My dad has an actual squirrel proof bird feeder & I thought we should get one! But we are VASTLY entertained by the squirrels, so I know we won't. We'll be eating bologna sandwiches before we quit feeding the birds & squirrels. Ha!

    And that dish sounds really good to me!

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    1. I am right with you. We would scrounge around for even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before we quit going down to feed the birds and over to the park to feed the ducks and squirrels. Have a great day!

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    2. There's a lot to enjoy about squirrels, that's for sure! We always get a kick out of them as long as they don't dig up the plants.

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  9. great pictures of the squirrel. I have one squirrel proof feeder but it's only for the smaller finer seed. sunflower seeds sort of clog it up. this winter I bought cracked corn and spread it out on the ground for the squirrels. it didn't keep them off the feeder completely but it did reduce their attacks.

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    1. Ours are squirrel-proof in that squirrels can't reach the food, but they sure try!

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  10. Another award-winning photo! That top one could be a painting. I just love it. That squirrel is a gymnast/contortionist.
    Okay. Once Dave had said, "Duck trachea" it would have been all over for me.
    Happy birthday to him!

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    1. It's amazing how agile squirrels are, and we get a good look at their long claws/paws/feet in these pictures. They can really hang on!

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  11. Completely forgot to acknowledge all the tits in your garden.

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  12. Squirrels are determined little creatures. I admire their drive.

    Dogs in the theater? That's a new one, though the greyhound seemed not to care about the production.

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    1. Yeah, it was a very mellow dog. I basically felt the same way, but I had to at least pretend to be interested.

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  13. Great squirrel photos. Such a wonderful sequence of its excellent acrobatic abilities.
    I love seeing the dog sleeping in the theater.

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    1. Me too! The woman (its owner) put her coat down on the floor so the dog could rest its head more comfortably.

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  14. I love the photos of the squirrel. They are very entertaining. We put some of the bird seed on the ground so that the small critters can eat too. That's a beautiful little greyhound. I think we should be able to bring our dogs with us when we're out. (as long as they can behave) It sounds like your evening out was very enjoyable. Have a super day, hugs, Edna B.

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    1. Quite a bit of seed falls out of our feeders, so the ground critters get some food too. I don't want TOO MUCH on the ground because that brings rats.

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  15. Squirrels are so persistent when they are trying to get to the food! Great photos! Glad you enjoyed your evening out!

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  16. the last photo of squirrel pants is so great, He is like a Potter character or Wind in the Willows. His facial expression the best I have ever seen on a squirrel. I have discovered that if I cram the posts with tightly growing flowers the squirrels can not get to the dirt, They have eaten our tomatoes, though. Nice that you got out for a real live play and Dim sum! Ahhhh we're alive!!

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    1. He does look like a story character, the way he's climbing the feeder! You're right that pots with lots of loose dirt seem to be more attractive to squirrel plundering.

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  17. I was chuckling as I scrolled down looking at those photos of the squirrel. He/she was providing great entertainment.

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  18. A Big Bowl Of Tripe - Yeah - Lovely Greyhound There - So Stoked You Two Were Out And About - The Toes Of That Limber Squirrel Are Amazingly Strong - What A Grip - Take Care Brother Reed

    Cheers

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  19. Lovely lot of photos.
    You could find something bad to say about any animal but they all deserve to live don't they. I like Squirrels but then I like Rats as well and am not bothered what kind of tail they have.
    Briony
    x

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    1. Oh, I would never harm a squirrel, or a rat if I could help it.

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  20. Hi all three of you .....those squirrels are beautiful little creatures but they are part of the rodent family. That's probably the reason they are so destructive. I have an acorn tree in my front yard and they will sneak over and eat the acorns and when my door open they will run. I laughed at myself one day telling them to not run away but eat as many acorns as their little tummies can hold. Less to be raked. (lol) I had thought about getting me a bird and squirrel feeder but it would be very chaotic living next door to this nature trail and park. It's no telling what animals would start to visit us if I did that.

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    1. Not only do they eat acorns, but they dig and plant the acorns, which produces more trees! So they serve that function in nature.

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  21. Love the birds! I like dogs and cats but am not always fond of their presence everywhere, especially the grocery store. (except for service animals)

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    1. We've found that Europeans (including the English, as much as some of them don't want to admit it) are quite accepting of pets in public places, as long as they're well-behaved.

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  22. That big dog was certainly relaxed! Those rodents have busy cousins here who like to climb my screens and entertain the resident feline.

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    1. I bet that's a lot of excitement for the cat!

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  23. I am happiest when I see wildlife playing, scrounging for food or just being wildlife in General. We had a family of racoons living close to the first apartment complex that I lived in with my boys in Austin. One crabby man reported them and they set traps out for them. They didn't bother us but sometimes did give us a start as they came down the stairs of another apartment and my son Nathan told me to just stand still and let them pass. The mama was really huge!
    I love your squirrel photos. They are great, you should enter them into a contest!
    Tell Dave Happy Birthday and I am glad that you had an evening out. I am sorry about the sound, but the photo of the greyhound was worth all the annoyances of the evening, or at least I sure hope so. Hugs xxx

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    1. I agree -- I always enjoy wildlife, as long as they don't get too attached to our garbage cans!

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  24. When we were renting a house in WA, we would buy 40 pound bags of deer corn, and fling it in to the back yard. Jim was recovering from and injury, and I was recovering from a foot surgery, so watching the squirrels provided free entertainment. We can't feed wildlife here, seeds bring pack rats, pack rats bring rattle snakes.

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    1. Did you get deer too? Linda Sue always has deer on her property in Washington, as maybe you've seen.

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  25. The squirrel reminds me of a gymnast on the parallel bars!

    Duck tracheas - LOL - great descriptiion

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    1. It IS a gymnast squirrel! Yeah, I laughed at "duck tracheas" all night. LOL

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  26. I think I might out number you with squirrels, but believe me, when it comes to tits you got me beat.

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  27. That squirrel is talented. I have an acrobatic frog at my blog.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Animals can be quite agile when it comes to reaching food!

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  28. I juat realised that our squirrels are a different breed, they are reddish brown and much more shy.

    I avoid going to the theatre mainly because I am so damn scared that someone will forget their lines. Much too live for me.

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