I have two birdfeeders in my back yard, and I enjoy watching my feathered friends partaking of my largesse.  Squirrels are a problem.  I like them too, but they consume birdseed at a prodigious rate, and I cannot afford to feed the entire squirrel population in my neighborhood.

Both my feeders were advertised to be squirrel-proof.  One of them sits on a pole with a barrier that prevents squirrels from reaching the feeder.  The other feeder was accessible, but a wire cage prevented a squirrel from getting to the seed.  Seed was added to the feeder through the top, and the top’s cover was held in place by several metal clips.  Unfortunately, over time, my back yard squirrels learned how to bend these metal clips up (not easy) and open the feeder top.  I then tried to supplement the clips with strapping tape, but that worked only a short while.  Soon I discovered strapping tape littering my back yard.

At that point I purchased another feeder.  This one had a screw-on top, and I believed it to be absolutely squirrel-proof.  I soon discovered otherwise. Two days in succession I discovered that the new feeder was completely emptied of seeds, even though I had seen no birds approach it.  I was mystified.  Yesterday I found the screw-on top to my new feeder lying on the ground.

If I could identify the culprit I would recommend him for the rodent hall of fame.  Indeed, I would nominate him for a honorary degree from Harvard or MIT.

He is my backyard genius.