I really enjoy feeding the birds. It's still new to me, less than a year in. I enjoy watching them through the different seasons, with their babies, and seeing new and different birds showing up.
But of course, putting out food attracts more than just birds. There's the chipmunks, who can do no wrong in my eyes, and the squirrels. Okay, squirrels are annoying, but you don't have much choice but to put up with them. Especially at this time of year, many of the squirrels are obviously nursing like this one. They seem to just eat what they need. Everyone is just trying to get by.

We have two feeders in the back, one's a hummingbird feeder, and this one that the squirrel is sitting on.

Sizzle playing one of her favourite games, get the squirrel to run back up the chain. I think she inherited her grandmother Netta's hunting instinct.

When a squirrel gets caught out on the ground and can be treed, everyone joins in. Mother and daughter blue girls, Sizzle and Sugar (Sizzle in foreground), Mason (
tri) and Roxy (sable).
The turkeys will also eat under the feeders, which caused a problem in the front because they were tearing up the plants in the gardens. They claw at the ground when they eat, they're big, so they really do a lot of damage. So we had to enclose the garden out front with the most versatile of dog equipment, the x-pen. Since turkeys are as bright as a brick, and that's a compliment, they can't figure out how to get over the pen, so they stand outside it and stare at the seed on the ground. For once, something works. Every other critter and bird has no problem getting in or out. This does limit the bird pictures, as while I don't mind feeders in pictures, I draw the line at x-pens.
Ever since we started with feeding the birds, we've had to bring the feeders in every night, summer or winter, as otherwise raccoons get into them and not only empty them, but break them. It's a royal pain but has become just part of the routine.
Lately, we've been going through a ton of seed but the birds have actually been more scarce than at any other time of year (nesting). It didn't take too long to figure out where all the seed was going.
Raccoons, although nocturnal, are smart, so now.....we have an every day, daytime visitor. Because that's when the feeders are out.
This green feeder contains only black oil sunflower seeds, which she just stuffs into her mouth whole. Yuck! Can't be good going in, or coming out!
She sees me alright....
So time to really pack it back...
When she arrives, I have to go out and take the feeder in, she will empty the whole thing.
No problem for her, she'll just try out the two feeders close to the house, and no x-pen will stand in her way:
Either going in...
Or coming out.
So all the feeders have to come in when she shows up. They must be a stomach with eyes because they can eat an incredible amount in one sitting! (Like 10 turkey eggs!).
The animal lover in me is being truly tried. I'm starting to understand why farmers shoot them. I'm getting tired of the wildlife management involved just to feed birds! Then Terry mentions that a raccoon seems to have come out the loser with a car out front...could it be? Was....was it her? He thinks so, but...they kind of all look the same. He didn't tell me sooner because he thought I might be upset. Hey, as long as I didn't have anything to do with it...I am A-okay with fate. I don't mention that I've already suggested to her a few times that she go play on the highway. Truth be told, I'm all but singing out loud "ding, dong the witch is dead, the wicked witch..."
The following afternoon I hear a string of expletives coming from Terry who's in the vicinity of the kitchen window, and I know that she's baaaaaaccckkkk.