By Larry Hodgson
If you’re like me, squirrels are both friends, as you can have so much fun with their antics in the garden, watching them run from branch to branch, negotiate phone wires like tightrope walkers, chatter angrily at each other, etc., and ennemies, when they attack our vegetables, cut the flowers off our tulips and magnolias, strip tree branches of their bark and steal our tulip bulbs.
Bird lovers who set up feeders to attract their feathered friends often find squirrels particularly annoying, as they steal the seeds they put out and scare off the birds who no longer dare to feed on them, ruining their pastime. They often come to consider squirrels as nothing more than bushy-tailed bandits.
But here’s a funny video made by a novice bird watcher, Mark Rober, who, frustrated with his inability to prevent squirrels from raiding his bird feeder, at least decided to give them a good run for their money before they got their share of the seeds by having them go through a complex obstacle course.
Here is Mark’s video, over 20 minutes long.
Is there is a lesson here for the home gardener? Sure! You might as well learn to share your garden with the local squirrel population, as they’re always going to win!
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I watched the whole thing! Too funny and very persistent builder & squirrels. I have new appreciation for the little @#$&?!
Too funny, it’s like the game show Wipeout but for squirrels.
Thanks so much, that was really enjoyable – I’ll check out his other videos (here’s a link to his channel, in case it’s useful to other readers
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY1kMZp36IQSyNx_9h4mpCg
Larry, if you prefer not to link to other people’s social media on your blog, delete link and please accept my apologies.)
Maybe this’ll help me find a way to live more companionably with my local squirrels.
Also, I might be wrong, but is your first sentence intended to be “if you’re like me, squirrels are both friends and enemies”? If yes, you’re missing “and enemies”. If no, I guess I’m projecting my attitude to squirrels onto you!
Either way, thanks again.
Thankfully we only have a couple of squirrels who visit us once or twice a year but I do love watching their antics to get tiny seeds. Asks the question ‘who’s evolved?’ Obviously squirrels.
Certainly I can’t compete with them!
Rober is an amazing engineer, who is going a long way towards getting people interested in the profession. I love his work in booby-trapping package thieves during the holidays, lol! Google “glitter bomb” for hours of giggles.
Yes, I’ve seen some of his other “inventions”.
Nope. No like, no picnic table, no obstacle course, no welcoming mat. 🙂
What about a machine that gives off the odor of squirrel stew?
Thank you for the hearty laugh this morning.
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