Well, I think that I have discovered the hummingbird feeder thief. It couldn't be anything but a raccoon! Two days ago when I awoke I found the feeder gone. I looked and on the ground the feeder was in pieces, and I swear that little sucker unscrewed it to the get the nectar out. I apologize to bats everywhere, unless of course it is the infamous count I doubt that they could have chewed the wire holding the feeder on the hook, took it on the ground and unscrewed the cylinder. I should have known. We put bungee cords on the trash can lids to keep them on and he hasn't figured out how to remove that yet.
Alas the feeder was damaged, chewing and a crack so it won't hold nectar anymore so I had to go out and buy a new one. Every try and buy a hummingbird feeder at the almost end of the season? Hard to find them but I managed.
Now I take the feeder in at night and replace it in the morning. Everyone is happy--except maybe Rocky raccoon.
glad the mystery is solved, I did think it was bats. pesky raccoons.
ReplyDeleteAh ha! Another mystery solved! Those raccoons are very dexterous creatures!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Sorry to laugh! Those raccoons! They are so cute, but they are buggers! LOL!
ReplyDeleteGlad you solved it, Crystal :)
ReplyDeleteI've had a bit of a mystery too. The suet balls in my feeder were disappearing mega-quick and I suspected squirrels. Then I spotted some slugs and snails on them and thought maybe they were demolishing the suet balls in next to no time.
But eventually, I actually saw that it was about a dozen young sparrows coming regularly throughout the day! Growing lads, I would say, the amount they are getting through - or if they were humans, not birds, we'd say they had 'hollow legs' LOL
The feeder is right by my kitchen window which is why I hadn't actually seen them feeding at first. But early one morning I came into my kitchen and suddenly they were all flying away in alarm. They only fly a few feet to the honeysuckle, which is now covered with berries so I think I shall soon have a lot of very fat sparrows in my garden!
I'm really enjoying them, even though they aren't particularly beautiful-looking birds. They remind me of a classful of seven year olds, mischievous but basically lovely :)