Bird Watching

This morning when we woke up there was a little dusting of snow on the ground.  This past week we had also just filled our birdhouse for the first time this winter, so the girls are often watching at the window to see the birds that come to feed at the house.  However, this morning we got a show from a squirrel in the yard of a house behind us.

 

At first, we were just impressed that he was able to sit on the ends of the very small tree branches without falling.

Then we were all laughing when he lunged for the bird feeder and held on.  He munched on some seed for a little bit from this position.

        Then he hung on the bird feeder upside down and ate most of his meal.  The birds around the feeder didn’t seem too happy with him, and after a few mouthfuls of food, he’d stare the birds down, move his mouth as if he were chattering something to them, then he’d keep on eating.  I think I know how that conversation went!

             

I remember my grandfather, PB, telling us stories about the squirrels and raccoons that would scheme ways of getting the food out of his elaborately hung bird feeders.  His feeders would seem like they were almost hovering in the air, yet somehow the squirrels would find a way to get to them.  I remember one story in particular where PB was was trying to outsmart a raccoon I believe.  Engineer vs. Rodent – your bets would be on the engineer to win.  He had created these birdfeeders that hung out far away from trees and the deck and the only way to access the feeders (so he could put food in them) was through a pulley system he rigged.  He tells the story that one morning he came in to the glass door at the deck only to see a raccoon sitting on the deck using hand over hand to pull the feeder on the pulley system toward him so he could get the bird feed.  Smart little rascals!