More Squirrels

I rebuilt the support structure for holding the squirrel’s corn a few days ago.  I made a new pole to support the corn hanger out of 4” PVC.   It is now very difficult to climb.  Some squirrels climb it while other squirrels leap from the ground, grab  the corn and then pull themselves up to the bar supporting the corn.  Once one is up on the top and having their corn feast no other squirrels try to get up.  Prior to this, when the top was not so hard to get to, there were always changes in the “top squirrel”.   A squirrel would hold the top position for maybe 5-10 minutes and another would go up and challenge the top squirrel, sometimes displacing it.  Now, once on top the top squirrel has no challengers.  The top has become an unassailable position and none of the rest of the squirrels even attempt to claim it when it is already occupied.  I should add that the top squirrel drops a lot of left over corn after the nutrious kernel is eaten.  The squirrels on the ground seem to content themselves with the droppings.


The more I watch my squirrels the more I ask myself -- “What can I learn from these squirrels?”

Take care and try to stay on the top bar!

Another Squirrel Observation

Today I raised the bar for the squirrels. Now the corn is too high to be reached from the bench. In order to get to it the squirrels must go up the brace and out on the support to get to the corn. It is not hard but it is not as easy as just standing on the bench and chewing off a kernel or two.

When the corn was easily accessible the dominant squirrel would chase away any other squirrels that came within about a four foot range. Now that it takes a bit more effort to get the corn the squirrels are not quite so territorial. Said another way, their personal space is smaller when maintaining it results in a greater expenditure of energy.

I keep wondering if it is possible to extrapolate from the behavior of squirrels to the behavior of humans?

New squirrel pictures this weekend.

Poop

Sometimes it is just about impossible to make up something more weird that what is real. This is an example of one of those things.
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/04/pentagon-wants-troop-poop-porta-reactors/

Feeding Squirrels

First let me tell you about a new 'project' I have been playing with -- feeding squirrels. I started by feeding the squirrels corn on the bench seen in the pictures. They loved it so as soon as they were coming every morning to get their hand out I made a long pole that has a hook to hang an ear of corn from. No big deal about that. But, to make life a bit more interesting, I am hanging the corn from a very springy spring. So it works this way. I put the corn just high enough to make it a real stretch to reach the corn. And yesterday I put the corn up high enough so that they could only reach it by jumping up and grabbing it and pulling it down to get a kernel of corn. They really had to work for the corn!

Well, now to the main observation — When the corn was lying on the bench (no work to get it) the little darlings would eat only the germ part of the kernel! The germ is the yummy part in the center of the kernel. When they were getting the corn with no work they would eat the germ portion and drop the rest down to the deck. When I supported the corn where they had to do a little work to get it, they wasted a lot less. And yesterday when they had to do a lot of work to get the corn they dropped almost NONE! At the end of the day the deck was totally devoid of any dropped corn.

Today I have the corn lower and they are dropping more.

Moral of the squirrels? When they have to work for food they don’t waste it. When they are given food that is just there for the taking they waste all but the best portions.

Is there anything in this story that would make you try to draw an analogy to human behavior?

Take care, feed the squirrels and pay your taxes.



Now I really feel as though I am doing them a favor. Note how he has to exercise his abs to get back up on the support.

Well, I have had a fine time in the shop wasting time for the last two days. I built a device to roll a marble! I have had problems with losing marbles lately but I worked out the problem.



Enjoy

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