Stop, thief!

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
10/24/2014 at 12:03 • Filed to: Rodents

My gf and I have a bird feeder outside our front window. Not because we love birds—it's because our cats are hilarious when they spot a bird. The seed has been disappearing rather quickly lately. Well look who I spotted on there today. Little bastard's cheeks were PACKED.

This actually isn't really a problem. My gf loves chipmunks, and the cats still went nuts for this guy. Maybe even moreso than they do for a bird.

DISCUSSION (35)

CalzoneGolem > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:06

You get birds that like that crap? Our local birds that that seed.

For Sweden > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:07

Something something Kanye West.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:09

I was listening to the country station on the way into work yesterday morning and they were interviewing Dirks Bentley over the phone.

He says at one point - guys i'm sorry but if I have to drop the phone for a minute there's a squirrel that keeps coming on my porch stealing the bird food my Fiance leaves out and if I see him I'm gonna get em with ma 12 gauge.

Radio guys joke, you're not going to shoot a squirrel with a 12 gauge there won't be anything left you should be using a .22 or something.

conversation carries on and a few minutes later HOLD ON THERE HE IS

in background "I'm gonna get em"

BANG

WOOHOO alright guys I'm back I got the little jerk

*Radio guys - did he just kill a squirrel on the radio?!?!?!?!*

$kaycog > CalzoneGolem
10/24/2014 at 12:10

Our local birds that that seed also.

Textured Soy Protein > CalzoneGolem
10/24/2014 at 12:12

This seed was purchased by mistake. My gf had been buying one particular kind of seed mix that we got all kinds of birds with. But neither of us knew much about bird seed, so she bought this the most recent time. There was a definite drop-off in bird traffic. We still get some birds with it, but less variety. Mostly just your basic sparrows. Apparently this is because of the lack of good stuff like black oil sunflower seeds, that the previous kind of seed we were buying had. We'll go back to the good stuff next time (which will probably be spring since we're in Wisconsin).

GhostZ > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:18

Honestly, I'd buy a bird feeder exclusively just so I could get squirrels to show up.

Svend > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:22

Here in the U.K. we have a problem with grey squirrels.

Taken from The Scotsman newspaper.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/environme…

"The UK's only indigenous squirrel species has been declining at an alarming rate since the introduction of its larger relative from the US in the 19th century.

The aliens out-compete the natives for food and pass on disease, resulting in greys replacing reds within 15 years of arrival in many places.

Recent estimates suggest numbers have fallen to around 120,000 in Scotland, which now hosts 75 per cent of the surviving UK population.

Squirrelpox has been blamed as a major factor in the decline of populations in England and Wales.

The report, by Professor Andy White from Heriot-Watt University and ecological consultant Dr Peter Lurz, assesses the likely future spread of the virus to help guide future conservation efforts."

Where I live had only a very small population of red squirrels and it was encouraged a few years back to kill any grey squirrel if seen.

http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/animal-facts/g…

The Old Man from Scene 24 > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:24

My cat goes nuts over the birds and other critters outside to the point that he sometimes forgets there's a pane of glass between him and them. He bounced off the sliding glass door so hard one morning I thought for sure he injured himself. Fortunately though, he is as thick-headed as his owner.

CalzoneGolem > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:25

Yeah sunflower seed is where it's at.

CalzoneGolem > $kaycog
10/24/2014 at 12:25

Do they the whole thing?

jariten1781 > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:30

Put up a peanut feeder and the squirrels/chipmunks will hang out there. Save money by getting raw nuts rather than roasted.

We run a peanut feeder to keep squirrels away, a platform feeder with sunflower seeds for song birds, a thistle feeder for finches, suet for woodpeckers, and a hummingbird feeder with sugar water (spring-summer only and hummingbird food is a waste of money).

Seed mixes don't normally save any money nor increase variety. If you look around you'll find that the birds just discard most of it to the ground trying to get to the good stuff (thus going through it faster). If I were running just one I'd go with sunflower only.

$kaycog > CalzoneGolem
10/24/2014 at 12:36

Sometimes, I don't proofread to see if I any words out.

CalzoneGolem > $kaycog
10/24/2014 at 12:37

Won thyme I proof red. Usually eye re-lie on spell Czech.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Svend
10/24/2014 at 12:38

are you sure we can't convince you to take a few more?

$kaycog > CalzoneGolem
10/24/2014 at 12:38

So I see.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > GhostZ
10/24/2014 at 12:39

seriously come on over, I can capture some for you in minutes.

I just moved almost 2 months ago and at my old house, i used to have to get the dog out on the leash to get them off my desk so I could grill.

They just aren't afraid of people anymore around here

Meatcoma > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:49

You need one of these.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 12:52

I don't need a bird feeder for these little fuckers to show up. They are little nuisances. At any given time I can go outside and there will be 4 or 5 running around the yard.

Textured Soy Protein > jariten1781
10/24/2014 at 12:54

Wow, quite the setup you have there. It sounds like...way the hell more effort than we're ever going to make on a bird feeder. But we will likely go with sunflower seeds only. There was consistently seed on the ground underneath the feeder this summer, so they're probably discarding it for the good stuff like you're describing. Also my gf's sister had mentioned a couple weeks ago that she goes with only sunflower seeds.

But we're definitely not going to do a bunch more feeders. We've got a townhouse and this is our one main front window. We got a big metal hook, stuck it in the ground, and hung this feeder from it. Like this:

Kinja'd!!!

Textured Soy Protein > Meatcoma
10/24/2014 at 13:02

Those are both excellent inventions, although I feel a little bad for the squirrel in the second one. Seems like a pretty big drop down off the deck.

I still laughed though.

jariten1781 > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 13:06

Yeah, we started small then got a huge population of birds and just sort of got into it. Now we get a guilt complex if we don't keep up because the birds hang out at the feeder staring in the window wondering where their food is.

Another trick if you do decide you want to keep squirrel/chipmunks away: Sprinkle the seed with whatever the spiciest powder is you can find. Birds aren't effected by capsaicin while rodents hate the stuff. We did it for a while and it works for a bit; problem is that it only works until it rains.

Textured Soy Protein > jariten1781
10/24/2014 at 13:22

My gf loves chipmunks, even though they're varmints, so I don't think we're going to try keeping them away. The only problem was they started burrowing around the base of the pole for the feeder. I filled in the holes with some soil and they haven't started digging again...yet. There's not really any room for more feeders on our little patch of a front lawn.

Meatcoma > Textured Soy Protein
10/24/2014 at 13:27

Yea, there is another vid like the top one where the squirrel holds on for like 5 minutes and when he falls off it looks like he's hurt but he's just dizzy as hell. Eventually he gets his shit together and leaves.

Svend > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
10/24/2014 at 13:28

Lol. No thanks. They are culling them at present so if your want any back, help yourself.