El Gordo

One compensation for not having a cat anymore is that we get lots more birds in the garden. However, lots of the tasty titbits which we put out for them are snaffled by this character:


We wouldn't mind if he just ate a bit, but he hoggs the lot - then chews the food container too. Probably why he's got such a large backside (see below), which resulted in a nickname which was rather vulgar. Since the Spanish Lottery was in the news just before Christmas, though, we've been calling him 'El Gordo' - The Fat One.

However, 'Gordo' is going to have to find easy pickings somewhere else. I have created The Squirrel Baffle and it has actually baffled him!

Recipe for a Squirrel Baffle:

• Take one large Wilco's mixing bowl (79p)
• Cut off the rim so squirrelly hands can't pull themselves over.
• Cut a hole in the centre of the base, just a tad smaller than the bird-feeder pole so it can be slid up but doesn't slip down.
• Spend a lot of time unscrewing rusted-up bird-feeder pole (I recommend WD40, some wood and a sharp tap with a large hammer).
• Push squirrel baffle onto pole, return pole to garden (away from any trees or washing lines which squirrel could use to launch himself onto the feeders.
• Reinstate feeders and watch little birdies feed themselves. Laugh when squirrel tries to climb up pole and bumps his head on the baffle.

(Actually not as funny as watching him slide down when I sprayed the pole with WD40 the other week - but I was a bit concerned that licking WD40 of his tummy fur would poison him so I decided to try to make a baffle. I do have a heart really).

NB: the milk container hanging off the bird-feeder pole is another of my creations. It's got vegetable fat and seeds in it which as anybody knows is a really super Blue Peter type home made bird food. Except the birds won't touch it. I may have to put it out for El Gordo to eat...