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I just had to share this. I know one of the biggest problems for people who put up bird feeders is finding a way to keep squirrels out of the feeders. They are tricky critters and seem to find ways over, around, or thru any obstacle we try to put in their way. Well, a year ago we found a Droll Yankees bird feeder that did the trick (http://www.drollyankees.com/hproducts/s ... l?Itemid=3). We put that up and sweet, squirrels were kept at bay. The bonus, at least for a while, was that the flocks of White-Wing doves were thwarted, too. (They've since figured out how to hold on and flutter/flap their wings to keep balanced while gulping down seeds whole.)

Anyway, fastforward to one night last week, when something finally figured out how to unhook the feeder from the carabiner I had it hung from, dropping it on the ground and making for "free for all". Well, I fixed them - yesterday I installed it with a locking carabiner, so they will have to unscrew the "locking" part before they can open the "flap".

So last night as I'm almost drifting off to sleep, I think I'm hearing some unusual background noise that, in my sleepy state, I thought was elsewhere in the house. Then, I come a little more awake, enough to realize it is not background noise, and not in the house. This brings me wide awake. It sounds like an angry animal, or more accurately pair of animals, and it is outside the bedroom... kind of in the direction of the bird feeder. It wasn't a cat fight. I started thinking possum or raccoon (we've seen both in the area). Grabbed a flashlight and shined it out at the tree - the leaves on the branch holding the feeder are SHAKING AND BOUNCING like crazy. And I continued to hear the angry sounds. I call my husband (he was still up), and we go into the living room with our lights and watch for a minute or two more. Then not one but two raccoons come down the trunk out of the tree. One goes over under the bird feeder (reaching up toward it like a little kid trying to get something that's out of reach) and the other "heads for the hills".

I want to go back to having problems with the squirrels, please.

LikesShinyThings wrote:I just had to share this. I know one of the biggest problems for people who put up bird feeders is finding a way to keep squirrels out of the feeders. They are tricky critters and seem to find ways over, around, or thru any obstacle we try to put in their way. Well, a year ago we found a Droll Yankees bird feeder that did the trick (http://www.drollyankees.com/hproducts/s ... l?Itemid=3). We put that up and sweet, squirrels were kept at bay. The bonus, at least for a while, was that the flocks of White-Wing doves were thwarted, too. (They've since figured out how to hold on and flutter/flap their wings to keep balanced while gulping down seeds whole.)

Anyway, fastforward to one night last week, when something finally figured out how to unhook the feeder from the carabiner I had it hung from, dropping it on the ground and making for "free for all". Well, I fixed them - yesterday I installed it with a locking carabiner, so they will have to unscrew the "locking" part before they can open the "flap".

So last night as I'm almost drifting off to sleep, I think I'm hearing some unusual background noise that, in my sleepy state, I thought was elsewhere in the house. Then, I come a little more awake, enough to realize it is not background noise, and not in the house. This brings me wide awake. It sounds like an angry animal, or more accurately pair of animals, and it is outside the bedroom... kind of in the direction of the bird feeder. It wasn't a cat fight. I started thinking possum or raccoon (we've seen both in the area). Grabbed a flashlight and shined it out at the tree - the leaves on the branch holding the feeder are SHAKING AND BOUNCING like crazy. And I continued to hear the angry sounds. I call my husband (he was still up), and we go into the living room with our lights and watch for a minute or two more. Then not one but two raccoons come down the trunk out of the tree. One goes over under the bird feeder (reaching up toward it like a little kid trying to get something that's out of reach) and the other "heads for the hills".

I want to go back to having problems with the squirrels, please.

A racoon can do amazing damage even to heavy mesh fencing to get to what it wants. My deer feeders are proof. What they can't chew or claw their way into they'll figure out how to open. Cute little animals.

puma guy wrote: A racoon can do amazing damage even to heavy mesh fencing to get to what it wants. My deer feeders are proof. What they can't chew or claw their way into they'll figure out how to open. Cute little animals.

Agreed. On all points. They are cute, but I know better than to tangle with one in person. I'll do the in-absentia battles, thank you.

Sounds like material for AMV ... Americas Funniest Videos or whatever the show is called

There wasn't a lot to see. But it might be justification for me to buy that night-vision camera.

A friend of mine had one for a pet years ago. It go into everything. The worst was when it figured out how to open pop-top cans. In one night it opened a case of coke and it was coated in the stuff. He also chewed through the water line on the toilet once and flooded the bathroom. After that I seem to remember it being in a cage most of the time I went there to visit.