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Nature Done Wright
Incorporating the Celery Farm and Screech Owl Companion blogs
June 15, 2007
Yikes, a squirrel
The real estate market for humans may be slow in North Jersey. But for the feathered or the furry, it still appears to be quite active.
Just a couple of days after I cleaned out the box and installed wood chips, we had a squirrel snooping around.
He went in and out of the box several times before moving on — not moving in.
Squirrels and screech owls aren’t a good mix. I was glad the squirrel didn’t show up at the box until this week.
Two years ago, a squirrel had babies in an owlbox on the same tree over the summer, when the screech owls had vacated it.
Check the two short videos of the squirrel checking out his potential "digs."
2 comments
-
Most birding supply stires sell metal guards that fit over nestbox openings and prevent squirrels from eating them…
Some would say what you really need is a red-tailed hawk. -
I had to take down all my large houses as
the squirrels will just take them over.
I will put them back up in the Fall or Winter. But, I am going to invest in a squirrel guard and try and cut any limbs
close to where I put the house. The squirrels have ruined the openings to all my bird houses. I did have a plastic guard on one but they chewed that too. Now all my bird houses have larger entrance holes. I had
two chickadee looking at my bluebird house but I believe the hole was too large for their liking.
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2 comments
Jim Wright
Most birding supply stires sell metal guards that fit over nestbox openings and prevent squirrels from eating them…
Some would say what you really need is a red-tailed hawk.
Candace Pfau
I had to take down all my large houses as
the squirrels will just take them over.
I will put them back up in the Fall or Winter. But, I am going to invest in a squirrel guard and try and cut any limbs
close to where I put the house. The squirrels have ruined the openings to all my bird houses. I did have a plastic guard on one but they chewed that too. Now all my bird houses have larger entrance holes. I had
two chickadee looking at my bluebird house but I believe the hole was too large for their liking.