A Christmas Eve Convention

[charlie cleveland]

very nice i seen everybody but rudolf....charlie

[edgarspencer]

I like your Martin house.

[Wild Skies]

Thank you, Edgar. My father put a lot of work into building that Martin house. Unfortunately, it has never attracted a Martin colony and probably never will -- too many trees in too close proximity.

I built the Woodduck box and it, too; hasn't attracted what it was intended for. This past year a pair of squirrels raised 3 little ones in it. That entire family of 5 squirrels are now making it their winter abode. Despite the galvanized stove pipe on the post they gain access to the box from the apple tree. I tried cutting back the apple tree -- making it about a 5 foot leap to the box, but they still come and go as if there's no deterrent.

[edgarspencer]

I have the largest squirrel population in the US, on the east side of my house, but there six or 8 thousand stragglers north of the kitchen also. I Bought two slinkys, and had a great laugh for the first few days, but they weren't deterred, and learned to push it all the way up the pole, until they could make the swing over the edge. One little guy tried repeatedly for over an hour without any luck, then went up the back stairs to the loft, about halfway and, knowing he could fly, made it, almost all the way. Poor little guy.
Not to be outwitted, today I went to Home Depot, bought two cheap plastic funnels, cut off the small end till the opening was slightly bigger than the pole, and attached them. Round Three.
If it will make you feel better, our Martin house, up in Maine, has been vacant since it was put up, atop it's 20', special ordered, pressure treated 4x4, cemented into the ground. No, I'm not bitter about that, much.