Recap: On Jan 24 a large deer was photographed in the backyard, helping himself to the birdseed scattered from a feeder on a bent over pole. We assigned blame and for the next week the bird feeders were put in the shed at night for safety and finally left out at night a week ago.

Update: Since then Pickles has been shining the flashlight on the feeder now and then just to check on things. Last night there was another visitor and it just might be that the deer was merely taking advantage of someone else's handiwork. This time I borrowed her camera since the telephoto lens on hers works and mine doesn't. This is probably the real culprit!


Pickles saw him working the feeder with his hands to get more seed out of it. Crafty little bugger and fat too! So she's out there now unbending the pole again and pounding a tall stout stake next to the pole and tying the two together. Back to securing the feeder at night again.

It's Rocky Raccoon.

worth1 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 10:27 am It's Rocky Raccoon.

Left his Gideon's Bible at home....

Almost nothing deters raccoons from attacking bird feeders. For me a live trap baited with marshmallows keeps them from the birdseed and suet cakes.

Paulf wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 11:09 am Almost nothing deters raccoons from attacking bird feeders. For me a live trap baited with marshmallows keeps them from the birdseed and suet cakes.

That's hilarious.
Marshmallows, who would have thought.