The following series\u00a0of photos where shot over the course of three different days in our backyard. \u00a0Cyndie and I have worked hard to create a backyard oasis for ourselves, but also the critters that scamper and fly too. \u00a0They provide hours of entertainment. \u00a0We have enjoyed the blue\u00a0jays and their fondness for peanuts lately. \u00a0Every Saturday & Sunday we put out about 2 lbs scattered over 3 locations. There is always one that arrives ahead of the rest and stashes as much as he can in the tall grass; once the other five arrive, he is off to consume the hidden stash while the rest vi for the balance. \u00a0The blue jay’s have stiff competition for those peanuts and time is of the essence. \u00a0At any given time throughout the day there is 10-12\u00a0grey and 1-2 red squirrels milling about. \u00a0The blue birds pile in for a drink a few times throughout the day. \u00a04 to 5 crows often fly in for a visit; they do nothing but sit on a tree branches, watch all the\u00a0commotion below and then fly off. \u00a0All the while dozens of sparrow zoom from spot to spot where the squirrels have scattered seed from feeders above. \u00a0We have a pair of pileated woodpeckers that frequent our backyard. \u00a0They have a few favorite dead trees in the woods just beyond the backyard. \u00a0They are beautiful, but very\u00a0destructive. \u00a0I put out two suet plug feeders and they shredded them both over the course of a couple of days.<\/p>\n
The grey squirrels spend most of their time taking turns grabbing peanuts or sunflower seeds from the feed hopper in the squirrel hut while\u00a0evading the ever-hostile red squirrel who is seemingly always on the offensive. \u00a0The squirrel hut was born out of necessity. \u00a0The feed was drawing unwanted attention from deer and coons. \u00a0That was easily fixed by making fine-mesh\u00a0wire\u00a0cage with a roof mounted on pedestal with a locking door with access in the rear only large enough for squirrels (and birds) to go in and out of. \u00a0Inside the hut is a baby pig feeder<\/a> filled with peanuts or sunflower seeds or both. \u00a0Needless to say, the critters freaking love it.<\/p>\n As much as I enjoy watching the\u00a0squirrels and their crazy antics, I don’t like the mess they make and the damage they cause to our bird feeders. \u00a0This is precisely why I have never paid much for a bird feeder. \u00a0A\u00a0recent addition to our bird feeder compliment\u00a0has them all flustered. \u00a0My lovely and thoughtful wife Cyndie presented\u00a0me with a Squirrel Buster Plus<\/a> feeder for our wedding anniversary. \u00a0I absolutely love this feeder; the squirrels not so much. \u00a0I have since added two Squirrel Buster Mini’s<\/a> to the mix with the same result. \u00a0I am very impressed with these feeders and we are going through a lot less of the expensive feed as a result. \u00a0Our squirrel’s ninja-like skills are no match for these feeders. \u00a0They are quite smart and very persistent though. \u00a0We have a half-dozen other smaller feeders on dual shepherds hooks that the squirrels have no issue accessing. \u00a0I have yet to try the Vaseline trick, but it sure looks funny. \u00a0Not so great of a solution in cold temps though. \u00a0Over time, I expect\u00a0to change out all the other feeders for squirrel buster models<\/a>.<\/p>\n