Bird Lover Was Puzzled When Birds Stopped Coming to His Feeder — Then He Took a Closer Look
Every day since he mounted a bird feeder in his yard, bounteous flocks of colorful birds swooped down for a meal. Then suddenly, one day, no guests arrived. The seeds and nut mix inside the feeder remained uneaten, untouched. There was no point in sitting on the back porch anymore. So they walked across and took a closer look at the feeder, wondering why the birds suddenly stopped coming. A sneaky squirrel had intruded into the feeder area and was hiding behind the camouflage of wood, secretly spreading terror among the birds. The birder, Reddit user u/Browncoat47, shared the story initially in a post and later on the details with The Dodo.
After studying ornithology in college, the birder was bursting with excitement to witness some majestic bird guests feeding in his garden. Once he brought a feeder, the birds started coming. “The birds, once they found the feeders, are there all the time. We have to fill them almost daily,” he shared with The Dodo. Then, one day, all of a sudden, there was no one. The feeder was suddenly devoid of feathery life, as if a sinister presence was lurking somewhere around it, haunting it, and the birds could sense it.
“I noticed there weren’t any birds at the feeder, which was really odd,” he said. “So, I started looking really hard to see what was going on. Was there a hawk nearby? Maybe a territorial bluejay?” According to a photo of his yard shared by The Dodo, the feeders were hanging quite at a height from the ground, suspended from a metal arch that popped out from the wood-panelled wall of the porch. On the panel was the carving of a teal-colored bird emblem. Beside the feeders were some succulent planters, decorative ornaments, and a white-colored thistle feeder for finches and chickadees.
Time went by, and no evidence suggested that a ghost was scaring his birds out. Then he took the responsibility on his shoulders. He walked closer to the feeder to take a look. Careful inspection revealed the culprit who was trying to establish her tyranny at the feeder. “I laughed really hard when I saw her,” he recalled. “[She] could obviously see me through the window as well. She was frozen in place for a good 30 seconds.” Like a ghost lingering in the shadows, the plotting squirrel hid herself behind the wooden wall. Her fuzzy head peeked from behind the wall while her wolfish gaze penetrated the feeder’s walls, ravenously hankering for the food inside it.
In the comments section, Reddit users expressed surprise after knowing that the culprit was a squirrel. Many of them were expecting either a snake or a cat for the answer. “Naturally, I was looking for a snake. Instead, got something way scarier,” said u/Any_Ad3693. u/diabloinfierno666, however, was able to spot her in the picture, “Squirrel next to top feeder on right behind fence.”
Others cooked funny memes about the intruding squirrel. “In his head, 'Be one with the wood. Be one with the wood,” quipped u/DuperDayley. And it was worth having a good laugh too. “We have seen her before. No hard feelings at all. We love squirrels,” exclaimed the birder.