I have been enthralled reading Shirley's accounts of Red Squirrels visiting her garden. See
Shirl's Gardenwatch. It was interesting to see a simple suggestion of using a clothes peg to hold up the lid on a nut feeder until the squirrel got used to lifting the lid itself. Of course I had to try out the idea myself. Unfortunately we do not have the attractive native Red Squirrels in my part of the country. I have to make do with the imported Grey Squirrel.
First job, find the nut feeder I though I had. Long search, nothing. Then I remembered the one I had was plastic, well squirrel chewed and had a fixed lid. So, make one or look for something to convert. Another long search eventually turned up an old wooden nest box which I set about converting:
Now I have to wait for a squirrel to visit and find the new food stash and see what happens.
Cunning ingenuity!
ReplyDeleteSimon: Waste not, want not.
DeleteGreat job, John! I'm certain this will be a success when the squirrel notices it. I had a trail of peanuts on the sitting ledge to tempt it in also. Thanks for the mention. We too have been enthralled by our red squirrel visitors. I've been out the last few days so have been missing it but the nuts are going down, down, down. I've been told bey other family members that one squirrel has been doing some serious leg stretches to get to the food. I am tempted to let the feeder empty so I get to see it fully inside (which one has achieved). Very much looking forward to my breakfast by the window tomorrow to see how they have been getting on for myself.
ReplyDeleteShirley: Thank you. It may take a while as the home next door is in the process of changing hands and the new owners have been clearing much of the overgrown shrubbery from the front garden. This has reduced the number of wildlife visitors and the grey hasn't been spotted at all. The new feeder is very close to one spot it visits to find seeds I scatter for the birds so I'm sure it will get there without too much delay as the greys are very inquisitive.
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