DEBORAH CROMBIE: I love my garden, especially all the pots on the deck and patio. For years, I complained about the squirrels. As we have a huge old native pecan tree, we might as well have a giant sign flashing SQUIRREL BUFFET!
We learned to use safflower seed in our birdfeeder rather than sunflower or mixed birdseed, because squirrels won't eat safflower. I gave up planting bulbs in the beds because the squirrels just dug them up. I put powdered garlic and cayenne pepper and everything else anyone recommended in my pots, to no avail, and cursed the squirrels daily.
Then my husband made friends with a squirrel. He originally bought a bag of in-shell peanuts in an attempt (unsuccessful so far) to attract the neighborhood flock of crows. Then he started talking to the squirrels when he was doing outside chores, and if one came closer, he'd toss it a peanut.
After months of enticing, one squirrel started to come when he called, and eventually, take peanuts right out of his hand. He named her Tikka.
I can feed Tikka now, too, although the first time I felt her little claws on my finger I jumped and dropped the peanut! Most mornings she'll find me when I'm watering, appearing suddenly behind me. When she disappears for a while we worry about her. This summer we think she had kits (that's what squirrel babies are called, and their nests are called dreys) and she was definitely eating for more than one!
We've learned a lot about squirrels the last year or so since Tikka has been visiting us regularly. My biology/animal behavior nerd is out in full force! I would love to be able to put a tracker on her and discover her nest!
She is a fox squirrel, which is bigger and better adapted to urban neighborhoods than the gray squirrel. They normally have two litters a year, one in winter/early spring and one in midsummer, and the average litter is two or three kits.
Here's Tikka eating a handful of sunflower seeds on our deck railing. You have to admit, she's pretty cute.
As for my pots, mostly I just sigh.
Dear REDs and readers, do you have any wild friends?
No friends with the wildlife. Of course, the only wildlife that I'm aware of has been nocturnal visits from a skunk that occasionally walks through the carport.
ReplyDeleteHow adorable 🥰 Squirrels are cute. I’ve wondered if it’s safe to feed them.
ReplyDeleteLiving in the San Francisco Bay Area, I remember seeing deer 🦌 roam in the hills. Regarding wild animals, I saw them at the zoo. I’ve Seen lizards, newts and snakes at the science museum. As a child, we visited the animal farm where they had wild animals. I’m trying to recall if it was pigs or goats. I remember seeing ducks.