Albert Being Adorable

The world's cutest squirrel lives at my house. Don't miss the foot on his rock and the hands on his squirrel crossing sign. And he did all that with no prompting from me...I just said "be adorable" and this is what I got!

Another Squirrel Feeder

There are times when I think my complex neocortex and opposable thumb are somewhat overrated! Albert can open this feeder a bit faster than I can. Should I be worried?

Hard to believe.....

...that this shot was taken less than one month ago!  What a difference a couple of weeks make!  Happy Spring!  PS - This is Albert in his beloved platform feeder that is now in the garage.

Never, Never, Never Give Up

I'm back in the game.  Stay tuned!

Rodent Wins - I Give Up

Yes, Albert can now jump off of the witches hat baffle and stick a landing on the feeder underneath, thus spilling the goddies all over the ground.  Of course, there are way to many for him and his family to eat, so they bury the rest of the !@#$%^&* seeds and nuts!  I give up...

The Next Battle

In the never-ending war between PhD and Rodent, I must confess that rodent is winning. However, I have just come up with a new feeder/baffle arrangement that has kept the wee geniuses at bay for three days now.  Do I enjoy this too much?

I MUST get the nuts and seeds!

I must!  I really must!

I meant to do this!

How is that bird doing that?

Mr. Rupert Bluebird looks on in disgust!

Cleaning/Tax Avoidance Behavior

Now, seriously, should I really be inside cleaning and sorting stacks of paperwork when all this fun and happiness is happening right outside my back door?

When the Calm Returns

I love Christmas. I really do. I also enjoy when things get quiet again and I return to the sunroom with my camera. Here's a wee sample of the good life from my sunroom.

In My Spare Time....(instead of ironing)

If Squirrels Could Cuss - Brought to You by Our Friends at Squirrel Buster Plus

Am I Enjoying This Too Much?

Albert on his new baffle over the nut feeder. He had five helpers out this morning but this evening it is just him. I hope the others didn't starve today...

Albert pleading to have his baffle taken down. Somehow, I'm feeling less sub-rodent-esque today.

Today in the Garden

SO today I took my chair out in the garden among the bird feeders. The little birds took no notice and enjoyed my company.

Albert, however, hated it and stayed far away. He was also mad that I put a baffle over the nut feeder. PhD 2 /Rodent 22

Albert

I finally captured a shot of Albert without a bird feeder in his mouth. Adorable, don't you think?

What you don't see in this photo is his set of broken and chipped teeth from incessant gnawing on steel feeders.

Maybe I can catch a big toothy grin for you one day.

You must admit - he is rather cute! Click on him for a larger image.

The Face of a Genius

In the aftermath of the ongoing struggle of rodent vs. PhD, with PhD consistently being way behind rodent, I have decided to adopt Albert (Einstein, get it?) this Mother's Day. My Killer Guard Dog and I discussed it and he agrees. He's looking forward to a rodent sibling with this kind of intellect.

I have spent plenty of money over the years to feed and enjoy the wildlife in my back yard. Albert here came along last year and has changed everything. Not only does he enjoy eating the food, he also enjoys deconstructing the feeders and then finally just eating them. You will see him in the Albert section of my blog if you click on his category. (He ate two of those acorn feeders...)

This photo shows my Albert today with his new steel feeder that the Wild Bird Center told me he could not eat - lifetime guarantee against squirrel damage. It even used to have a handy easy-open bottom for fast, easy clean-up. None of us expected how quickly Albert would learn to enjoy the handy easy-open bottom. Of course, when he opened the bottom, the nuts went to the ground and there was joy in Squirrelville! And once he did it, the easy-open feature had to go. So Tim, Mr. Wild Bird Center, added a bolt and screws that he thinks Albert cannot deconstruct. That was mighty nice of Tim, but my bet's on Albert!

Stay tuned! Since he's my second son, I'm mighty proud!

They Make My Heart Sing

Today, after lunch with my family, I sat in my sunroom reading Water for Elephants. The book is good but not good enought to keep my mind off of what was all around me. I had squirrels, nuthatches, chickadees, cardinals, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, mourning doves, juncos, Carolina wrens, blue jays, brown thrashers, titmice, and even a precious chipmunk. I did far more watching than reading and finally went for my camera. This shot is the squirrel claiming the nut feeder for his very own. He sat there most of the afternoon daring any of the birds or other squirrels to get near it. Worked on me as well. I took a couple of pictures and left the boy alone. I love Sundays!

PS - The book is excellent!

New Camera

I got a new camera for Mother's Day - THAT BUSTER! I love it!!!! Stay tuned for new pictures!