16 December, 2006

Something is stealing my birdfeeders!


I keep putting out the little green metal woodpecker seed holders, and something is stealing them.I go out and they are in the other part of the yard,empty of course.I have tried different things to keep them up on the stand, but they are too smart for me . .. anybody have ideas,send em on! I think I still have a raccoon,or a very savvy,and strong squirrel....
A couple of weeks ago, it sleeted/snowed/iced over here.For Texas, it was great to me, I love seeing it snow, and I got to stay home one day, watching the squirrels,birds scarfing up the seed and corn I threw out, several times that day.It was cold for here,23 degrees,but the thing about it here,it doesn't stay.
The birds were hanging out under the glider, you know it's cold when they do that.

18 November, 2006

Squirrels are taking over the world!


I think that the squirrels are taking over the world. No, it's true! You should see my backyard sometimes, it's full of them, they are foraging for food, rounding up winter treats, and generally wreaking havoc on my yard, and as a plus for them, messing with the dogs' heads.
I love watching their antics, they play,they run, they just tore up the birdfeeder! As I have said, I put out two different feeders just for them, and you think they would use them? No way. So, I have resorted to squirrel free feeders, only to find that while they may be squirrel proof, they are defintely not racoon proof.The little beggars are competing for food now. And my fish population in the pond is dwindling fast.... I started out with a dozen goldfish( I figured some would come to this end) now, I'm down to 4.I guess those are the real swimmers.

12 November, 2006

Possums and snakes and squirrels,oh my...

Something , for the last two nights, has stolen the woodpecker feeder and food I had put out. I come out, and it is on the ground,having had the chain chewed off and the large block of suet and seed GONE. Now this is not the little suet cake, it is the big hummer,that should last a few days. I suspect the squirrels again. Not that they don't have food in their food holders,a feeder full of seeds and nuts, and a corncob type thing. The little beggars are beginning to tick me off.Ungrateful devils! Demented furballs! So I fix the feeder ,and put more in.
Is this part of my controlling nature? Probably so.
It could be raccoons,but sadly, I found one out by the pond 3 days ago.I called animal control ,they'll let me know if it is rabies.Made me nervous, I have found a couple of birds, frogs and one squirrel out there in the last two years, but I figured it was the cats that people let run the neighbor hood that had gotten to them. I don't see the cat winning the fight with a raccoon.
I think I may get my webcam on it ,maybe I can find out what is doing this.Maybe I don't want to know, this is the house that had a four foot ratsnake in the window the first week I moved in. I am trying to set up a wildlife habitat,but really.....

10 November, 2006

My squirrel girl Sallie Mae.

This dog vibrates at the thought of catching the squirrels in
the trees.She's thinking about the odds of getting the camera here.
Sallie has learned how to let herself out the plantroom door, so I
have to keep it locked when they are out there with me....

Gardening and wildlife as therapy. Not.

First of all, let me tell you, I am an animal lover, I have lots of em. I have 3 rescue dogs,and 2 cats,a pond of fish and a betta I upscaled into a 5gal tank because I felt sorry for him.
So it's not as though I hate animals, I just try to keep them out of each others food, which brings me to this .I have birdfeeders,lots of them, and I have squirrel feeders, several of them. Now,you think, that everyone would play nice and be happy,but these squirrels are downright evil.
Where I lived before I bought the old house, I didn't have squirrels, maybe they didn't like that part of the country or something, but I never saw one. This house had been sitting closed up for a while,and it is old(1925),and does have alot of hiding spaces,the attic,the addon rooms,the workshops( I tore one down ,it was infested with things I won't describe on here) and I guess that may have ticked the squirrels off, being kicked out of their domain.Since I moved in, I have had visitors at night in the attic, my poor dog at the time would sit up and growl at the ceiling in the middle of the night.It sounded like there was a party going on at the time,and we were living below it.Incidently, the first night here, one of the trees in the front yard took out the street's power lines, it was a great storm,and I woke to the neighborhood little old men walking up and down in front of my house looking and pointing at my tree.Buddy and I stayed in the back part of the house for most of that day, I thought it better not to be in front of the windows. You just never know.
Back to the squirrels.....