Are you frustrated with squirrels at your bird feeder? Are they getting into squirrel-proof locations?
You’re not alone.
This spring Mark Rober was frustrated that squirrels were getting into his new bird feeder so he bought a better one, and then an even better one, and they still got in. So he decided to build a squirrel obstacle course to see just how agile these critters are. In the process he actually got to know each squirrel. And he made a video.
Watch as the squirrels are foiled and challenged and then …. well, you’ll just have to watch. The video lasts 20 minutes. If you don’t have that much time watch the first 3 minutes. I bet you’ll be hooked. 😉
(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the captions to see the originals. Embedded video by Mark Rober)
What a hoot! Thanks so much for sharing this video, Kate. Nice to start off the day smiling!
very funny. the squirrel olympics
I loved this so much Kate! Thank you, super fun for a Friday!
Kate, this was wonderful! Squirrels are so clever. The only solution (probably temporary) for us is to hang the feeder at the end of a branch, on a long hook with a PVC pipe over it, six feet off the ground and six feet away from anything else. Now that I’ve learned they can jump up to 12 feet(!) it won’t take long for them to figure this out. They’re so enjoyable to watch that we don’t mind if they do clean up under the feeder. Blue jays and woodpeckers spill a lot of seed looking for just the right tidbit to take away. Have a great weekend.
So funny. Thanks so much for sharing!
My solution is to hang one bird feeder that is easy for the squirrels to get into — the one that has large openings where they can actually sit and feed — and that way they leave the rest of my bird feeders alone!!!