Ken,
You may not agree with my comments ....
I couldn't win to discourage them from my bird feeders, so .....
I've made peace with the squirrels that come into my yard. I have no qualms with them anymore. Now I feed them. I do have a squirrel guard around my bird feeder post which does discourage most of them from even trying to get to the hanging bird feeders, but there is always 1 squirrel that is smart or persistent enough to still get to the bird feeders.
I feed the birds AND the squirrels. Every morning I put sunflower seeds in the 2 hanging bird feeders for the birds and also sunflower seeds with some squirrel corn food in 2 large plastic saucers that sit on the ground right below the hanging bird feeders. I get anywhere from 6 to 18 squirrels at times. I've seen squirrels in all kinds of shape ..... Some with no tails, some with a missing limb, some that are partially blind, some that actually wait for me each morning and if I don't come out on time climb up the screen of my porch and chatter loudly until I do ! Most all of them do not bother the bird feeders. Right now I just have one male squirrel who insists on getting into the bird feeder, but I run him off when I see him doing that. I think he is the alpha male, who is trying to make a point because he will sit there in the hanging feeder staring at me until I am almost upon him before he leaps out and takes off! I honestly believe it is a game of playing "chicken" for him!
The birds and squirrels are out there every morning on time! And if I don't go out on time to feed them, they all make a ruckus. (Especially the bluejays and the squirrels!) They are hungry and they are quick to remind me! I can never sleep in because of the noise! LOL! I also feed them a handful of unsalted boiled shelled peanuts which all the wildlife love. (I use boiled because if they bury them, I don't want peanut plants growing all over my yard and garden beds!) They don't bother the birds and the birds don't bother them. I have seen them all eating together on the ground. The only real threat are the Red-shouldered hawks. The hawks do not discriminate .... they will go after any of the squirrels or birds. Luckily, when a hawk is close by, the bluejays and the squirrels start sounding the alarm to warn all the wildlife in the area! I always know when the hawk is nearby.
For the most part, we all live in peace and acceptance with very few problems. I have not had any real squirrel damage in my yard or garden beds. I even have what appears to be a bluejay nest and 2 squirrel nests in the large Oak tree in my backyard not too far from the feeding station. Apparently my yard has become a wildlife habitat for more than the intended butterflies and hummingbirds! And to tell you the truth .... I'm cool with that!
BUT ..... If you mention "raccoons" .... you will NOT get a smile from me! That is another story and I've learned how to discourage them from coming into my yard. Those bandits can do an amazing amount of damage to my water garden containers and to my garden beds. I'll take squirrels any day of the year over raccoons!
What motivated me to accept the squirrels is that I know they were here first but with all the development going on, humans are running them off with nowhere to go! So they now have a place in my yard.
