Charley

I’ve written about my sparrows and finches several times, but now I have two squirrels! I don’t want them – they just appeared. I named the first one Charley and the second one Charley’s brother – no name. They seem to have made my deck their second home with all the bird seed readily available to them. They aren’t scared of me, so I tried to think of something that would scare them. I couldn’t get an air horn or whatever those loud horns are, so I used a whistle which didn’t bother them in the least. Lately I’d been running out and screaming at them and chasing them under my deck door at which time I’d continue screaming as they ambled up the street. Then I bought a squirt gun and filled it with vinegar, but they didn’t mind that. Then I used soy sauce and they didn’t care. They managed to get the bird seed no matter where I put it. I finally took the picture above of Charley sitting in the bird feeder. The other picture I caught him running but he looks like he’s flying. I like that picture. Two mornings I’ve seen them from my window in my bedroom as I was getting dressed. So I’d go screaming out on my deck with my wet hair sticking straight up and dressed in a t-shirt and black panties! That didn’t seem to scare them either, but I think it scared a man across the street as I screamed, “Get out of here!” He looked at me sort of funny which was ok as I looked sort of funny. He was gone before I could apologize.

The Finches, as I call the husband and wife team, had many babies, and they all come in a group and eat together. I love watching them. However, that all ended yesterday as I had had it with the squirrels. I just couldn’t stand them in the bird seed when the birds should have been there. So I called the Audubon Society to see if there were people who trap the squirrels. She said there were, but when I asked her what they did with them, she said she thought they sent them to the little squirrel heaven up in the sky as they aren’t indigenous to this area. I was thinking maybe they would take them to a little park where everyone loves squirrels and even feeds them by hand like I did until one bit me a few years ago and I had to go to the doctor for a tetanus shot. But I couldn’t go along with the squirrel heaven idea, so I walked up to the nearby pet store and bought a bird feeder that I now have hanging from the roof of my deck. So yesterday afternoon, all the finches came swarming in and couldn’t find their feeder on the floor. They flew at my glass sliding door and could see me sitting right inside. They fluttered their little wings all over the place and kept flying toward the door. I felt like Tippi Hedren in the Alfred Hitchcock movie, “The Birds.” They are getting adjusted and using the feeder, but they still look at me through the door and turn their heads and look at the new feeder. I think they hate me now.

Charley and his brother were here nearly all morning. I went out once and was shooing them away and one jumped up on the ledge. He walked down to where the new feeder was hanging and looked up. He looked at the railing like he was wondering if he could jump from there, but I don’t think he could get a good grasp on the railing. He studied it for a long time until I scared him away. I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way to get at it, but there’s still plenty of food dropped on the floor, so they don’t need the feeder. I’m hoping the birds don’t peck their way into my living room and peck me to death like they tried to do in the movie to Tippi. Things were quiet around here before I started feeding that one little sparrow, Larry, during the snow storm of 2008. I felt so sorry for him, and now look at what I brought on myself!