A joyous reunion

      I have trapped three more squirrels and moved them to that beautiful pecan grove far, far away. They are now with friends and loved ones who "made the trip" last week. And oh, what a wonderful reunion it must have been. They're probably roasting nuts by the fire right now, chattering on about the good ol’ days, when humans were stupid and bird feeders were cheap and easy.

    Two more of the little critters are still around my yard – a population I can tolerate.
  
    I have curtailed the feeding, however. I have just one tube feeder hanging, and I put just a couple of handfuls of sunflower seeds a day at each of the three platform feeders. This is mostly because I don't want any more wood rats. I haven't trapped one of those, yet.
  
    Meanwhile, I have devised a cunning plan to discourage the whole scavenging lot of them. More on that later.
    
Here are the birds that I saw in the feeding area today:

AM, rain, 75 degrees, 20 minutes

Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Flicker
Blue Jay
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird