The picture is actually from last spring -- these are the wild turkeys who live in the neighborhood and love the dropped apples from our tree. I saw them the other day, first time this fall, and the flock is even bigger than it was last spring. I counted thirty, all gathered around the crab apple tree, one so excited that he managed to fly to the top of the tree (a whole six feet), land on a branch, and chomp away at the crab apples above his clan's heads. It's always fun to watch the wild turkeys.
On the other hand, there's our skunk. No picture, because last week when I saw him sniffing around our garage door I quietly and slo-o-owly went in the front door. Our next-door neighbor told us proudly that he always puts out food for the skunk, which explains the glossy coat, weight, and general air of satisfaction. Jerry and I don't share the satisfaction. We just wish the skunk would live over at the neighbor's house instead of under our barn.
And then there are the squirrels. When the weather got bad last week several of them decided to move indoors for the winter. They chewed a hole in the grill over the gable, got into the attic, and ran races with each other every morning just before we were ready to wake up. Something had to be done. Jerry covered the wood grill with mesh. They got in through the edge. He nailed it down harder. They went through the other grill, higher up. He put one ladder up to the roof and nailed another to the roof, and balanced a Hav-a-heart trap baited with crackers and peanut butter on the roof ridge. He nailed the trap in place. That night the wind blew the ladder down and the bait out of the trap, though thanks to his workmanship the trap didn't come down. The squirrels retreated into the attic, where it's nice and cozy and there's plenty of room for their races. Jerry got some heavier mesh and rigged it up around a large funnel so that, theoretically, the squirrels could get out but not back in. The squirrels spent the next day chewing the plastic funnel and enlarging the hole. Jerry, now seeing this as a personal challenge (man against nature) went out and got a metal funnel, which he modified so that sharp edges would discourage the squirrels from even trying to get into the attic but would still allow them to get out. (Man:0 Nature: 3)
I think the latest may have worked, but last night Jerry kept waking me up by saying at intervals, "Did you hear that? Are they back in? Next time I try a shotgun."
Stay tuned.
3 comments:
Can just picture the gleam in his eye as he responds to the latest act of war!
LOVE the squirrel story!
I have heard that adding steel wool to your blockade discourages them. The steel wool is extremely uncomfortable to chew... downside to that if exposed to the elements it will eventually rust and break down. Have also seen something about copper wool?? Perhaps that lasts longer. Where we live, not enough habitat for squirrels. We are always very excited to see them. But perhaps we wouldn't be if they were moving in too! Good Luck!
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