Nobody’s complained yet, so here’s another lazuli bunting shot, this time with grosbeak interaction. How often do you see the back of one? For that matter, how often do you see a lazuli bunting in the first place? This is only the second one I’ve seen in my life, and he’s been around for a couple of days. I’ve seen a female, too. I hope they’re smart. Our cat sieves juncos like a baleen whale.
The funny thing is, I switched from straight sunflower seeds to the cheapest mix Ace had, because I’m basically just feeding squirrels, and looky what I got. The damn squirrel makes me mad, though. I look outside and there he is, with his cheeks bulged out like golf balls. (You drive down to the hardware store and spend your own ten bucks, you little bastard!) At just that moment I remembered that .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle I inherited, so he’d better fall back. Between the squirrels and the raccoons, it’s getting kind of desperate here. The air horn doesn’t hold them off for long, I can tell you that.
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And the squirrel population will explode. I had a wrought iron shepherds hook holding a feeder that helped. I like the grosbeak in this shot for scale. Sweet little bunting.
I believe you. They’re getting bigger, too. I’ll have to do the hanging thing or blast ’em.
I ain’t saying it is ethical or not but a easy way to get them is a barrel with some water and a small block of wood with peanut butter on it.
Squirrels!
Nice looking birds.
At a house on a service call once I’m looking at this tray feeder the guy had on a post. Above this feeder he had another board with about three hundred nails in it facing up. He claimed this mediaeval torture device discouraged the devils from jumping down from the trees.
I’mm thinking, ‘givem em a week or so’……
I used the shepherd’s hook to hold a feeder too, but also had to grease the pole to keep the thieves from climbing right up it. I used Vaseline, and it was funny as hell to watch one try and get up it the first time! It would climb real fast for a couple of feet, then sliiiiide slowly down. It tried three or four times, then gave up and never tried again. Never had a problem with squirrels in my feeder after that.
The feeders from Droll Yankees are fun non-lethal options. See their video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8YZIhlWpS0
Hilarious to watch, but the Vaseline works fine and is cheaper 🙂
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