BACKYARD OLYMPICS RIVET OUR ATTENTION (10/13/00)

What an exciting time we had during the Olympics! It was hard for us to tear ourselves away from all the action. We enjoyed the gymnastics more than any of the other events, although a few of the relay races held our attention. What we really liked were the daring maneuvers on the uneven bars, the flips up and over the horse and the heroic efforts of those who performed on the balance beam.

Oh, wait! Perhaps you think I’m talking about the events in Sydney. Wrong! All of this was taking place right in our own backyard. Our squirrels, not the darling young girls who dazzled us with their poised performances, were the contestants that completed remarkable feats as they tried to overcome the obstacles we placed in their way.

In order to protect our hanging feeders from these scoundrels who empty them out in no time and kept the birds for whom the food was intended away, we had to take drastic measures. First, we removed an arbor vitae next to the house which the squirrels had been using as their springboard to the feeders. Next, we strung a long row of large plastic soda bottles along the rope that holds the feeders. These twirl when critters attempt to walk on them, sending them crashing to the ground.

So, that’s all there was to it. Obviously, two adults can outsmart some dumb old rodents, right? You know I’m wrong. Some of the more mentally and physically challenged squirrels did find our measures to be barriers they could not surmount. Others, however, destined for gold in the Olympics, did what all aspiring athletes do. They tried and failed. Tried and got a little better but failed again. Slowly they honed their skills. The swiftest of the lot climbed a tree at the edge of the house near the end point of the rope, and learned to streak over the bottles so fast that they never had a chance to spin him off.

Others took the high road. They climbed onto the house roof and just as the gymnasts did on the uneven bars, they flung themselves through space trying to catch the rope as they hurtled by. As coaches are wont to say, “Practice makes perfect,” and so a few of the squirrel medalists succeeded. However, they took many thrilling spills as they learned, but like all troupers, they just got up, dusted themselves off and went back for another try.

It may be, though, that despite their all-out efforts, I may have come out the winner. Whenever I hear the patter of little feet on the roof, followed by the rocking of the rope, I sprint to a nearby window, fling it up, growl ferociously, and slam the window down. A few of those keeps the squirrels away — at least for a day. Then, we start all over again. 

This column, though, is supposed to be about birds and some readers may wonder whether I’m going to go on and on about squirrels. Well, keeping them out of our feeders does have a lot to do with birdwatching, but I will switch to another venue now. While these Olympian events were occurring outside our family room picture window, other performers had our attention near the kitchen.

We have had a most successful summer with woodpeckers. Although we have always had a pair or two of downys and an occasional hairy, this spring and summer found us elated by the constant presence of a pair of hairy woodpeckers. Seen from only a few feet away, rather than at a distance in the woods, they are extraordinarily handsome. 

Although their patterns and colorations are nearly identical to the downys, hairys are much larger. Everything on them seems bolder and brighter. Their bills are larger. Their white bellies appear whiter. And we have found them to be nearly impervious to our household noises. They spend so much time at our suet cake that we can almost count on seeing either one or the other within only a few minutes of watching. We have not been able to find their nest site, but we know that there are plenty of holes for them in the trees in a ravine that borders our property.

We just hope that they continue to entertain us all winter long. We know the squirrels will persevere in honing new skills, and we’ll continue to match wits.