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Smart, Clever Animal Thread

Love the looks of the honey badgers, much like raccoons they are just way too cute. But as a hopefully responsible pet owner I don't want them anywhere near my domesticated pets/animals.

RESPECT the badger!

PS - Saw a falcon in my backyard earlier today, is there ever a more magnificent sight than the one of a bird of prey?
 
I have not given squirrels enough credit. Props to this virus era boredom-inspired author, designer, creator of:
(oh, and props to the squirrels)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFZFjoX2cGg
I'm obviously not nearly as creative as the glitter bomber, but I've spent years trying to keep the squirrels out of my wife's bird feeders. The simplest fix is old tortilla chips. If I put those on the ground they will eat those...first and then move on to the bird food. I've also had luck with specifically formulated bird food that the squirrels don't like as much, and squirrel licks help some too.

I've been known to sit and watch in amazement as they fly, figuratively and literally, around my old elms.

EDIT: I was looking out the window watching the squirrels this morning thinking about building a challenge course for them . :)
 
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I'm obviously not nearly as creative as the glitter bomber, but I've spent years trying to keep the squirrels out of my wife's bird feeders. The simplest fix is old tortilla chips. If I put those on the ground they will eat those...first and then move on to the bird food. I've also had luck with specifically formulated bird food that the squirrels don't like as much, and squirrel licks help some too.

I've been known to sit and watch in amazement as they fly, figuratively and literally, around my old elms.

EDIT: I was looking out the window watching the squirrels this morning thinking about building a challenge course for them . :)
Squirrels are the tiniest, and the most clever, of beasts I've ever encountered.

They keep on taunting you - whether human or other type of animal, they just know they've got your number.
 
Clever little buggers... my sunflowers are especially tall this year (about 12ft.), but this hasn't deterred the squirrels any. They have learned to climb the sunflowers from the bottom, and, I couldn't capture one in action on camera, but they have learned to climb the ladder as well. I had set up the ladder so I could cut the sunflowers once they wilt, I give the wilted flowers to the squirrels anyway. So if they could just wait until then before they start chomping on them...

 
At last I was able to get a shot of a squirrel on the ladder - it's not a very good shot, but these little feckers work fast!

Just look at his cute little face, isn't he just mocking me because of my slow focus and zoom camera action? Grrrrrrr...

Trust me, those cute little eyes are planning evil. ;)

From places of safety squirrels are expert mockers, as all the dogs I've ever owned could attest.

Weather experts say a hard winter is coming around here, based on various things like wasp nest building (higher from ground level), & the quantity of pine cones trees have produced. So these furry little beggers have been in high gear storing for the winter. Even dropping whole walnuts in the husk in my yard they've gathered from neighborhood trees. Might be good winter to put out bird seed with ample load of sunflower seeds.
 
Trust me, those cute little eyes are planning evil. ;)

From places of safety squirrels are expert mockers, as all the dogs I've ever owned could attest.

Weather experts say a hard winter is coming around here, based on various things like wasp nest building (higher from ground level), & the quantity of pine cones trees have produced. So these furry little beggers have been in high gear storing for the winter. Even dropping whole walnuts in the husk in my yard they've gathered from neighborhood trees. Might be good winter to put out bird seed with ample load of sunflower seeds.
I always have to chuckle when the squirrels leave some shelled peanuts in the ground, somebody in the neighborhood gives it to them and they bury them for later.

This summer has just been crazy with birds, rodents, and squirrels chomping on just about anything they can find, even ornamental plants and mistletoe hanging from a tree. It's unprecedented that they are this ravenous, I've never seen anything like it.
 
All four of my animals have mastered how to manipulate me and everyone else into getting more food, more time inside than ever before. Cats actually scratched through a defrosting bacon package..dogs are demanding that food served be improved..they are not eating the dry dog food offered up..also are not running off seagulls that come to nibble down the uneaten dog breakfast!!
Covid complacency of the highest level!!
 
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I have been feeding a 7 year old donkey,named Emily for over a year..I often need to leave the roadway,remove my helmet reinsert my ear plugs and ride on. I pulled over and didn't see any animal and it has never been my experience that donkeys have a stealth mode..but when I turned around there she was..she allowed me to pet her. Now my to and from Ensenada to San Diego has me stopping in a no stop light town of Dulzura..on Highway 94..I buy the sweet and salty granola bar 6 packs,depending on our discussion I give her 2-3 bars..I also buy Kroger brand granola w raisins and nuts,she eats from my hand a @50% loss falling on the ground,she vacuums that up after I leave. She is smart..I have done lots of donkey intelligence studies but if she can tear the foil wrapper off without eating it, that qualifies as smart to me..the little market in Dulzura has BBQ food on Friday and Saturday..and individual beers of varying quality which I sometimes eat while visiting the burro..the only reason it means much is when she sees me she runs,doesn't walk to great me..equal enthusiasm to my dogs
 
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I have been feeding a 7 year old donkey,named Emily for over a year..I often need to leave the roadway,remove my helmet reinsert my ear plugs and ride on. I pulled over and didn't see any animal and it has never been my experience that donkeys have a stealth mode..but when I turned around there she was..she allowed me to pet her. Now my to and from Ensenada to San Diego has me stopping in a no stop light town of Dulzura..on Highway 94..I buy the sweet and salty granola bar 6 packs,depending on our discussion I give her 2-3 bars..I also buy Kroger brand granola w raisins and nuts,she eats from my hand a @50% loss falling on the ground,she vacuums that up after I leave. She is smart..I have done lots of donkey intelligence studies but if she can tear the foil wrapper off without eating it, that qualifies as smart to me..the little market in Dulzura has BBQ food on Friday and Saturday..and individual beers of varying quality which I sometimes eat while visiting the burro..the only reason it means much is when she sees me she runs,doesn't walk to great me..equal enthusiasm to my dogs
Sounds like Emily gets the fancy stuff, I would probably just give her an apple or carrot. It's nice of you to share your granola bars with her.
 
Here's a quicky brain teaser for the squirrel enthusiasts, it's called spot the squirrel in this picture!




Actually you can see it fairly easily in this pic because it had shifted positions while I was charging my camera battery, but at first I wasn't sure whether it even was a squirrel or just some moss growing on the tree. I've never seen anything like it, usually squirrels are hopping around and annoying every dog in the neighborhood. This one just seems to be resting and absorbing some warm sun rays- is it not well? Should I climb up there and poke it to see if it's okay? The weather is kinda nice here today, so I wouldn't blame it if it was just doing some sunbathing.
 
Magnificent update on the motionless squirrel you all have been waiting for, it is no longer laying where it was yesterday! Apparently it had just been taking a siesta, I guess even squirrels need to rest once in a while. Annoying every dog in the neighborhood is very hard work.

I found an interesting article about various animals' sleeping/hibernation habits, the picture of the sleeping squirrel just kills me.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.co...in-animals-that-earned-records-in-their-sleep
 
Not sure where else to put this, is this the work of a beaver? I've never seen one in my residential area, but evidence suggests the furry bandit did away with one of my Japanese cherry trees overnight. I was just horrified seeing this in the backyard first thing in the morning...





At least it was likely a beaver, I think beavers are cute and it would have been fun watching him in action. Plus it would be fun watching him build a dam! (If it had been some *** with an axe going around chopping people's trees down in the middle of the night I would have been screaming bloody murder, I love my trees!)

Anyhoo, seeing as I didn't see what happened and couldn't take a picture here's a vid of another beaver having a good time with a tree, I hope his dam turned out just the way he wanted.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDjkF6EZySA&ab_channel=NancyKennedy
 
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