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The Squirrel Feeder - Saga

with photos (below)

Welcome to this crazy little page of pics. I'm doing it to share the fun we've been having with Sally Girl and Peanut Willy, affectionately called Sally and Willy. And yes, they are the squirrels who have come to adopt us this summer.

What started the idea for a squirrel feeder was twofold. One, I was worried about them sitting on icy concrete steps to eat come this winter. I wanted to get them off the ice and somewhere warmer and safer. Our backyard fence was perfect because the southern sun keeps it warm, so I figured on making a feeder that attached to the support bar that runs across the mid section of the fence. The second reason I wanted to build a feeder was because I was concerned that Dagney might get her fingers bit by the crazy squirrels. I doubt that ever happens, but one never knows. As it is, when they are hungry, they climb up to the second story bedroom windows and actually get so noisy that they can wake Dagney.

I guess I should mention that after feeding them this summer that by now, when Dagney opens the back slider she had better have a handful of peanuts because Sally is right there waiting. She'll run up the side of the wall (on the stucco) and gets hip high hoping to get closer to the nuts in Dagney's hand. Dagney scolds her and tells her to get down, which Sally does, but she leaps into the house and stands on Dagney's feet and stretches up her calf, still hoping to get closer to the nut hand. Dagney tells her to "Be Nice" and hands Sally a peanut. Sally furiously works to get it in her mouth then is ready to take the second nut from Dagney. These are not shelled nuts, so it's like watching Sally stuffing her mouth with two fingers. You'll see this clearly on the photo called "d_sally_patio3.jpg" (the 10th photo). Willy hasn't mastered that technique yet. He's too busy eating everything and not concerned about hoarding in a stash for the winter. I guess he leaves that up to the little woman.

Sally is a furry ball of non-stop energy. From sunrise to about noon she is finding anything to bury for the winter's stash. We give them black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts (purchased in 25 pound bags and are roasted but no salt), dried corn, and we just tried a complimentry bag of dog food we got from Costco. They don't like it, so it's now feeding the neighborhood Magpies and Ravens. When it comes to peanuts she can get two, and an occasional third large nut in her mouth then scampers off to bury her find. It's quite entertaining to watch. She settles in for a well earned nap between noon and about 3:30pm at which time she repeats the extraordinary feat.

It's only October 4th and the last two mornings I've had to break the ice on the bird bath, which is actually seldom used by birds, but those squirrels drink a lot of water. And to top it off, Dagney loves the new feeder so well that she wants a larger one. A two story. She doesn't want either left out in the cold when the other is inside eating. We all know what I'll be doing this week after Dagney goes to work.

I hope you enjoy this story as it unfolds. I will be doing more and more photos as I can. And feel free to drop us an email telling us what you think of our latest project. If you want the plans for this feeder or the one to be built, let me know. They will be free through The Celtic Turtle Lady's website only.

Our email is Dyan@celticturtlelady.com