They Prove Indomitable

Squirrels are all right.  They are nowhere to be found in China.  I don’t believe they’re an old-world species.  Introduced, one can’t but wonder how long they’d last in Chinese public parks.  Squirrels can be cute.  Big fuzzy tail to sit upon as they manipulate seeds with their tiny paws.  Squirrels are interesting, as they are intrepid, and ingenious animals who can climb, leap, reach and outwit most human efforts to keep food out of their reach and available only to birds.

The set up outside my window has one “squirrel-proof” feeder that is actually living up to its name.  There’s a cage of suet that the squirrels have not figured out how to open yet, and on the hook that is closest to the porch there is a multi-tiered red feeder that the squirrels have cracked.  If you pop the stopper on the bottom of the feeder, the seeds all pour out on to the porch.  And if I see them fiddling with it, like I just did, I get up and open the door out on to the cold and make a stupid noise and with they run away.  

Why do I care?  They aren’t any less hungry than the birds.  The winter is just as tough for them and they don’t have the luxury of flying south. Let the squirrels eat.  But I don't.

Firstly, the birds are varied.  There are blue jays, and red cardinals and monochromatic woodpeckers.  Birds fly in.  That in itself is remarkable to consider.  And birds take one seed at a time.  A small investment keeps legions of birds fed over time.  So, we set up holders and purchase feeders that are designed to outwit the higher order mammals and get frustrated with they prove indomitable.  I don’t mind if they are eating the seeds that have fallen on the ground.  The birds don’t seem to mind them either.  But I get indignant when they try to manipulate the actual feeders.  It feels like an affront and I jump up and try to put a stop to it.

I scattered a bunch of seeds out on to the white covering on the ground before the kitchen window.  The squirrels came there too.  Scattered on the ground, I didn’t seem to mind.

Wednesday, 12/18/19