Thief In The Night

Thievery is not a behavior confined solely to the human race.

Thievery has existed for eons in the animal kingdom.  Take, for example, a Jackal slinking in to steal a morsel from a lion kill; one Bald Eagle attempting to snatch a Salmon from the talons of another of its own species; the packrat who steals into a campsite in the middle of the night to appropriate various items from unsuspecting campers; or a squirrel raiding a feeder clearly put out for the birds.

This Bluejay is one of the birds commonly accused of thievery, since they are known to raid the nests of other birds for eggs and young chicks.

For the past several years this last scenario is one that has baffled my husband and me at our Lake Cabin.  We have been plagued at various times by raids on the feeders, the culprits being Raccoons, Squirrels and Chipmunks. 

For the most part my husband has found various ways to thwart the thieves.  However, one feeder has continued to be a mystery.  At dusk there would still be about a fourth of a tube of seed left in the feeder, but in the morning it would be empty.

Originally this feeder was hung high off the ground in a tree about 8-10 feet from our deck, and we could only reach it to fill it by pulling it in with a small string too flimsy to support a squirrel.  We had had enough squirrel raids to know that any feeder needed to be in a squirrel-proof cage.  We finally found one that would keep most adult squirrels at bay--although very young, small squirrels could occasionally get into it.  This problem always solves itself, since they quickly grow to be too large to get through the bars.  Problem solved—we thought!

This thief, the common Grey Squirrel, will soon find that he can't squeeze between the wires of this feeder.

We soon found that we may have thwarted one thief, only to come up against another.  Apparently the local Raccoons had discovered this feeder.  Not to be thwarted by the cage enclosure they would simply jump onto it, dislodging it from the only available branch we could hang it from, and then ride it down the thirteen feet to the ground, spilling the seed everywhere.  Not to be defeated by the Raccoon version of a Six Flags Ride, my ever-resourceful husband went back to the drawing board!

Soon he came up with a Fisherman’s version of a feeder pole.  He made a fishing rod holder out of some PVC pipe fittings, and triumphantly installed a fishing rod out over the thirteen foot void off of our deck.  A fishing rod??  How did this solve the problem you might ask?  With a hot pepper suet feeder hanging from one ferrule and the much battered seed feeder hanging from another ferrule, we were now in business trolling for birds.  The squirrels couldn’t get into the feeder, no matter how many times they navigated the fishing rod, only to find to their chagrin that they could not fit between the cage bars surrounding the feeder; and the Raccoons couldn’t navigate the rod since it was too narrow and flimsy to support their weight.  Problem solved—right??

This Red Breasted Woodpecker doesn't care that the suet contains hot peppers, but the squirrels won't touch it once they've tried it one time

Well, problem solved for a while--at least until the birdseed again began to disappear between dusk and daybreak.  The finger of suspicion now began to point to the local Chipmunk population.  However, there was no evidence to confirm this “beyond a reasonable doubt.” 

Then one night it happened.  My husband had been sitting on the deck enjoying a beautiful Lake sunset, and had lingered a bit after dark, when he heard an unmistakable “clank” from the direction of the mystery feeder.   My husband grabbed a flashlight, sure that he was about to catch a Chipmunk in the act.  But, lo and behold, the critter in the spotlight was no thieving Chipmunk—it was a Flying Squirrel!

In all the years we’ve been going to the Lake of the Ozarks this was the first time encountering one of these nocturnal little creatures.  According to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s web page these small rodents, who really are in the squirrel family, are fairly common in a healthy ecosystem. 

Common or not—they are rarely seen by most people.  Last week we took our granddaughter with us to the Lake for a few days.  We were sitting on the deck after dark listening to the night sounds of the tree frogs, when our sharp eyed granddaughter excitedly exclaimed that something had scurried across the deck railing right under our noses, unseen by my husband and me.  Sure enough, it was the night thief--our resident Southern Flying Squirrel--sitting in the birdfeeder frantically stuffing itself with the remaining birdseed from the day. 

We were so taken by this stealthy little night creature that for now we have decided to share the day’s remaining birdseed with him and his brethren.  After all, how often do you get to share a true mystery with your grandchildren?

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer  

Missouri Squirrels

Squirrels--they sometimes drive us crazy with their habit of getting into things, making messes, and destroying things….but they’re so darn cute!  They’re like adorable furry little monsters.

 The Fox Squirrel

We have three types of squirrels here in Missouri--the Fox Squirrel, the Grey Squirrel and the Southern Flying Squirrel.  The Fox and Grey Squirrel are the most commonly seen, but the Southern Flying Squirrel does live throughout the state.

The Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) is most common in urban areas and are the largest of the three species ranging from about 19 to 29 inches long, nose to tail, and weighs about 1 to 3 pounds.  The fox squirrel was given its name because of the red-orange color of the fur, but also can be found with black, white, or shades of grey or brown fur.  These squirrels are often found foraging on the ground, but they do need trees for escape, cover and dens.  Generally, the fox squirrel spends its entire year in a 10 to 40 acre range, depending on the availability of food sources.

 The Grey Squirrel

The grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)is somewhat smaller than the fox squirrel; it’s only about 14 to 21 inches long and weighs about 1 to 2 pounds.  These squirrels are grey, with their undersides and tail tips being white.  This squirrel generally prefers areas with more forest cover then fox squirrels.  The grey squirrel also prefers to spend more time in trees and forages on the ground when all the acorns and other nuts have fallen from their respective trees.  They spend most of their lives around one or two den trees, hardly ever traveling more than 200 yards from home.

The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is only about 8-10 inches long--the smallest of the three.  Because of this species’ nocturnal habit, it is seldom seen even though it lives throughout the state.  This squirrel generally lives in deciduous woodlands, with plenty of dead trees or rotten snags.

 The Southern Flying Squirrel is seldom seen due to it's nocturnal habits

The Southern Flying Squirrel doesn’t actually fly; it glides with two loose flaps of skin along both sides of its body, extended from front legs to back, and they use their flat tail as a rudder.  Their home range is usually no more than an acre.  The flying squirrel is strictly nocturnal and very shy.  They use their keen since of smell and large eyes to forage at night.  Unlike the other tree squirrels, the flying squirrel doesn’t cause as many problems, but they may move into attics or walls and cause damage.  During the winter, this squirrel gathers into communal dens and may use hollow tree cavities.

The woodland habitats for squirrels must provide adequate cover for protection and a nearby food source.  A pair of squirrels will use two to three leaf nests or dens at any given time of the year.  Often tree cavities are in short supply and are not often found in trees that are less than 30 to 40 years old.  Squirrels will often build and use leaf nests in the summertime, but they are not as desired because they are not as safe as cavity dens.

If you don’t have an abundance of squirrels where you live, pack your picnic lunch and come visit us at the World Bird Sanctuary.  Our woods are teeming with these entertaining little creatures.  If you sit quietly at one of our picnic benches you are almost guaranteed a squirrel sighting.  If at first you don’t see them, listen for a rustling sound in the leaf litter in our woods.  It’s almost assuredly a squirrel.

Submitted by Jaime Sansouci, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist