Tag Archives: feeding

Are grey squirrels territorial?

Posted on April 10, 2012 by admin| 4 Comments

The reason I ask is I have only seen at the most three squirrels at a time feeding from the seeds under the bird feeders in my backyard, and I was wondering if there was any way to know if these are always, or at least mostly, the same three squirrels coming back over and over and over, living nearby, or do I have ten, twenty, a hundred different squirrels coming from all over the neighborhood to feed from the feeders day after day. I don’t mind them coming, they do no damage to the feeders or the birds. I just want to know, if I name them for fun, am I always seeing the same Larry, Moe, and Curly Squirrel?

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Are the squirrels in my yard going to die if we stop feeding them?

Posted on February 25, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

About 5 years ago, my Dad bought a squirrel feeder. Over the years, a pretty large family of squirrels has been feasting on the corn cobs we put out there. We place a new corncob in the squirrel feeder everyday. It has become routine.

Recently, my Dad lost his job, and our family can no longer afford the cost of feeding these squirrels. It costs $6 for a bag of 10 corncobs, and every ten days, we have to buy another bag! It’s just too much money.

My Dad thinks that we have started a process that MUST continue. Otherwise, the squirrels will die, because they have become dependent on our consistent food supply. I told my Dad that he was crazy, because squirrels have a ‘natural instinct’ and I believe that they will find another food source if we stop providing one for them. But my Dad does not believe me. He is ready to provide food for these squirrels until the end of time. But what happens when he can’t provide food for us?? We are in the same situation as those squirrels, basically.

Am I wrong in thinking that the squirrels may have a chance of surviving if we stop providing them with a regular food source? Has anyone else had this problem?

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What can I do about invading Grackles?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by admin| 1 Comment

I have an infestation of what I think are Grackles. They come in huge flocks of 40-50 birds and they wreak havoc on my bird feeding stations. In a couple days time they devoured both seed feeders and a couple of suet cakes. Essentially they are scaring away other species of more desireable birds. It has been a long time since I seen my Nuthatches and Chickadees. First I stopped the invading squirrels with a baffle but now these Grackles are taking over. I may try using some safflower seeds, a bit more expensive but I am curious about the results of using it.

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Bird feeding and dogs? Please help.?

Posted on December 24, 2011 by admin| 3 Comments

I have a few feeders in my yard. My neighbors yard backs up to mine. There is a fence inbetween. She has 2 dogs in an inclosed area in her yard. She is telling me that because I feed the birds, her dogs are getting sick. They are getting some sort of parasite from the bird droppings (she won’t tell me the name of the parasite). She wants me to stop feeding the birds. I love feeding the birds and don’t want to stop. She has 2 large, bushy trees in her yard. A lot of birds get in her trees and apparently the poo all over her yard. I guess what I want to know is: Is this my fault? Would it make a difference if I stopped feeding the birds? Can anyone tell me the name of the parasite? She just came over and accused me of throwing peanut shells in her yard because her dogs pooed out some shells. I told her the squirrels probably left the shells. Is she crazy or should I stop? I will add that I have taken down 4 feeders and changed seed to one that some birds won’t eat.
The feeders are up in my yard. None of them hang over into her yard. The birds do poo in my yard. Her problem is that the birds fly from my feeders into her trees and then poo in her yard. My thought was that even if I didn’t feed the birds, wouldn’t there still be birds in her yard and in her trees. She can’t expect no birds in her yard, regardless of what I do. I don’t think she is lying, I just don’t know if this is all my fault or not.
The feeders are up in my yard. None of them hang over into her yard. The birds do poo in my yard. Her problem is that the birds fly from my feeders into her trees and then poo in her yard. My thought was that even if I didn’t feed the birds, wouldn’t there still be birds in her yard and in her trees. She can’t expect no birds in her yard, regardless of what I do. I don’t think she is lying, I just don’t know if this is all my fault or not.

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Feeding Squirrels – what should i do?

Posted on February 18, 2011 by admin| 6 Comments

i understand the cons of feeding squirrels but i feel the pros outweigh it. my neighbor seems to think i am the cause of her rodent problems and yelled at me yesterday and threaten to call the city on me. i checked and it’s not illegal to feed them. I don’t leave table food out, it’s all high quality feed and it’s in a feeder at the back end of my yard. my neighbor has set up mouse trap to kill any chipmunk/squirrels/etc. that get on her property. i don’t agree with what she is doing but i can’t tell her what to do so i don’t feel she has a right to tell me what to do either! i am not the only one feeding in the neighborhood and my feeding is not the cause of her problems. i really don’t want to start a war but i don’t see why i need to change my lifestyle to accommodate her. i want to continue to enjoy my home/yard but it’s hard now cuz of her. what should i do? give in? continue to live my life the way I want to live it? Serious comments please! thanks!
if she agree to stop killing then i will stop feedubg but she will continue to kill so what’s the point? am i putting innocent lives in the line of fire? i could be but with or without me, the squirrels will find their way to her property. note, i don’t put out 3 meals a day for them, it’s only occassionally whenever i have time to get out there so i don’t see how they will be “dependent” on my food and “can’t survive” on their own.
i called the city – it is not illegal to feed at all – there are just guidelines to follow (no food on the ground and feeder has to be 4ft above ground). there is no point talking sense into her, i tried and she yelled and screamed for 15mins and shut the door on me. she has been complaining to other neighbors about it too and i feel i am being unjustly “ganged up” on. The point is, i am sorry she is having problems with rodents but i am not the cause of her problems so i shouldn’t be blamed for it. i already have to taped up all the windows facing her home so i don’t witness her “murdering” the critters…what else can i do? last i checked, i am the one paying for the house, not her!

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Are grey squirrels territorial?

Posted on January 8, 2011 by admin| 4 Comments

The reason I ask is I have only seen at the most three squirrels at a time feeding from the seeds under the bird feeders in my backyard, and I was wondering if there was any way to know if these are always, or at least mostly, the same three squirrels coming back over and over and over, living nearby, or do I have ten, twenty, a hundred different squirrels coming from all over the neighborhood to feed from the feeders day after day. I don’t mind them coming, they do no damage to the feeders or the birds. I just want to know, if I name them for fun, am I always seeing the same Larry, Moe, and Curly Squirrel?

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Pig Head/Squirrel Attack! Time Lapse Forensic Decomposition Study 720p HD

Posted on December 24, 2010 by admin| 25 Comments

120-day time lapse of a pig head decomposing, with help from a surprising variety of animals. 1080p HD Stock footage available at JCMDI.COM V06905a This footage was shot as part of a taphonomic study of the impact of environmental conditions on blunt-force bone trauma. The head specimen shown was purchased from a commercial meat plant and then subjected to 120 days of environmental exposure while being photographed every 3 minutes over a 120 day period. Those 51000+ images were then “thinned-out” so that only the 3100+ images showing significant change remained for this version of the video. While larger predators were prevented from entering the study area so as to avoid them carrying-off the specimen, smaller animals had free access. One of the biggest surprises was how voraciously the Ground Squirrels stripped the remaining tough skin, long after the insects had finished with the soft tissue. Also captured in this sequence are lizards, toads, mice/rats, and a variety of birds. Not suprisingly, nothing is wasted in nature . Studies like these help law enforcement forensic experts learn more about natural processes and environmental effects on tissue and bone, ultimately aiding in identifying human remains, cause/time of death, and may even help solve old cold cases.

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