Digital Art Zone

i get my powdered pepper from a local health food store, its incredibly hot. So far that has been the only thing that deters my squirrels. 


On a side note, my squirrels are getting so friendly now that i can actually pet them

Oh, hell!  I can’t even afford to buy things for myself from health food stores! 

I’ve had to chase the squirrels away from the feeders.  They have ruined a thistle feeder.  There’s a hole so big I saw a goldfinch sticking it’s entire head inside to get the seeds the other day.    I’ll have to get another one, I can’t refill it now.  But I’m afraid it will be ruined in no time if I do put a new one up.  I don’t know what to do.  Maybe I should put some of the mixed see in the munch box.  They go after that seed when they can.  I have a squirrel baffle, a big dome type, on the pole under the big three-tube feeder, but a few months ago I saw that they finally figured out how to get up there.  I don’t know how they did it.  I used to watch them try, and they’d slide off as soon as they tried to get up on top of the dome.  It’s more than four feet from the nearest fence or structure.  I never saw them successfully drop down from a branch on the oak tree, but maybe they finally did.  Or maybe the dome thingy isn’t as smooth as it used to be and they managed to get a grip.

Anyway, petting them is out of the question.  But I do have to go out there to chase them away.  Just going out on my deck and yelling at them doesn’t do anything anymore.  They’ll stop for a minute and look at me.  Then go back to their business as though I didn’t matter.

An uncle who passed away a few years back used to get the Black-Capped Chickadees to eat out of his hand.  I’ve never been able to do that, either.  I can only get within about 3 to 4 feet of the feeder.  Any closer and they fly away.  And I’ve stood there with a palm full of seed, still like a statue, and they just won’t come.

Dana

my grandfather was able to walk out into the woods and birds would land on him, he kept his pockets full of seed and he would feed them. Some times deer would come up to him too. We used to have old home movies of him with the animals. I don’t have the birds eating out of my hands yet, but i have had to shove them off the feeders so i could fill them. They know who brings the food lol. Its funny, anyone else goes out there and the birds all fly away, i go out there and they all fly in to see what i am putting out that is good to eat. 

I read an article in Birds and Blooms. They say to make a scarecrow and set it at your feeding station, put seed in the hand of the scarecrow. Once the birds get used to feeding from the hand of the scarecrow, then you can take it down and take its place and the birds will eat out of your hand.

K T Ong - 26 June 2012 10:46 AM

Can the daddy long legs actually handle redbacks? Daddy long legs seem so… fragile…

Some spiders actually have a surprisingly beautiful color. Such as the Singapore Blue tarantula shown below (Lampropelma Violaceopes).

They still look creepy, though. Spiders are spiders!

Daddy long legs do seem very fragile but apparently their advantage is speed - they’re much faster than redbacks.

The Queensland Museum website says:
“Main prey: insects and other spiders. It is a highly effective predator on other spiders including Redbacks and large Grey Huntsman (Holconia immanis). “

I find their flailing limbs quite offputting but they aren’t very venomous so Daddylonglegs are much more preferable to have around than redbacks.

Yeah, when I’m filling the big feeder, they are up in the tree chirping and looking.  It seems that they’re anxiously waiting for me to get out of the way so they can eat.  Sometimes they don’t even wait until I screw the dome lid back on.  They’ll sneak some seed right from the open tops of the tubes.

That scarecrow idea sounds interesting.  Maybe in the future I’ll give it a try.  Right now it’s a bit more trouble and expense than I can deal with.  And with my luck, a Common Grackle would be the first one to try me.  Ouch. 

Dana

I certainly prefer the Daddy Long Legs. They look more delicate and less creepy. Never realized until now that they actually can take on other spiders!

Taozen - 27 June 2012 10:36 AM

K T Ong - 26 June 2012 09:12 PM

Duhhhh… You might need to consult a spider with a good working knowledge of computer software…

A webdesigner?

LOL!

LycanthropeX - 27 June 2012 04:42 PM

my grandfather was able to walk out into the woods and birds would land on him, he kept his pockets full of seed and he would feed them. Some times deer would come up to him too. We used to have old home movies of him with the animals. I don’t have the birds eating out of my hands yet, but i have had to shove them off the feeders so i could fill them. They know who brings the food lol. Its funny, anyone else goes out there and the birds all fly away, i go out there and they all fly in to see what i am putting out that is good to eat. 

I read an article in Birds and Blooms. They say to make a scarecrow and set it at your feeding station, put seed in the hand of the scarecrow. Once the birds get used to feeding from the hand of the scarecrow, then you can take it down and take its place and the birds will eat out of your hand.

I recall when I was a kid, we were on holiday in Sweden. There, in one of the big cities (Malmö or Hälsingborg I believe), there was a small wood-like park where all the animals were completely tame. Squirrels and birds would come to you and sit on you and eat nuts and seeds out of your hand. No idea how they had become that way, but it was quite fascinating. Everywhere else here you’re lucky if you get closer than 5 meter to a squirrel.

The Swedes must be great animal- and nature-lovers so that all the creatures of nature trust them so much. Maybe even spiders won’t bite them.

It seems a bit strange by the way that in a thread like this no one so far has thought of putting THIS up. Or THIS.

http://youtu.be/ca1E7lMoZQ8

Spider fun

I think that one’s too big and scary.

How about this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsGvT2DYJMc

this one is not so big

http://youtu.be/1oRRBPdM6Wc

but i like this one…

http://youtu.be/jVxabSScGIY

Near the end of the second vid: Just strip off your skirt and run, you stupid woman!!

I still find it a pity that in the Spider-man movies the hero was never made to act more like a real spider, especially a jumping spider. As in jerky movements and constantly flexing his jaws…

K T Ong - 28 June 2012 11:13 AM

Near the end of the second vid: Just strip off your skirt and run, you stupid woman!!

I still find it a pity that in the Spider-man movies the hero was never made to act more like a real spider, especially a jumping spider. As in jerky movements and constantly flexing his jaws…

or shooting webs out his butt?

Okay, that might be going a bit too far…

it would be more spiderlike