Barney, the squirrel

As I let Beta outside, I noticed a yellow string, curiously leading from the patio way up into the live oak tree. Turns out one of my ever-so-helpful squirrels had decided to take a roll of yellow twine from the patio, and it unrolled as the squirrel climbed. I broke the string so as to retrieve most of it, but a significant part is now out of sight, perhaps a part of The Squirrel's nest.

A few days ago, I caught The Squirrel eating from a bird feeder that's attached with suction cups to a window. The squirrel had bounded from the ground to a window sill, then made an acrobatic leap to reach the feeder. Needless to say, Beta was not amused and attempted to go through the window to reach The Varmint Squirrel. I have a squirrel baffle on the pole-mounted bird feeder (which attracts all sorts of birds, including a mini-flock of ravenous pigeons), and that does work very well .. will now have to reconsider keeping the window feeder (which attracts small birds such as sparrows) stocked.

I also have a 3rd feeder which contains only peanuts, but I seldom remember to restock that one. The birds which feed there - blue jays and cardinals - often leave the shell intact and peck out the peanuts, so it's hard to tell at a glance that a restock is in order.