Project Hummer Is Not Going Well

/ Ally Bean

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I’m sad to report that my grand plan for turning one corner of our deck into a small hummingbird garden/feeding station is not going well.  It’s not for lack of cuteness, I tell you.

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Here’s what I’ve done.

√  3 pots of annuals: 1 dark red geranium, 1 hot pink calibrachoa, 1 fuchsia portulaca

√  1 sturdy wrought iron shepherd’s hook attached to side of deck

√  1 hand-painted hummingbird feeder with red plastic pretend flowers that allow the hummers to drink, but thwart the bees

√  1 32 oz. hummingbird nectar concentrate, chilled in our fridge, then mixed with fresh water using an old Pyrex glass measuring cup to insure proper proportions

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No, it’s not me that’s causing trouble with the hummers.  It is, I’m sad to report, Fuzzy the Squirrel and his partner in crime, Khaki, who are causing Project Hummer to fail.

Apparently the sweet nectar in the pretty feeder is too much for them to pass up, so they’ve found a way to tilt the feeder on its side allowing the sweet nectar to dribble onto the ground below where they can enjoy it at their squirrel-y leisure.

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This means that until I figure out a way to keep Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid of squirrels away from the hummingbird feeder, my grand plan is on hold.  And all those amazing little hummers who live behind our house in the woods will have to feed themselves on the 22 pink or red or peach rose bushes that surround our house.

The little birds will survive, but I won’t get the fun of seeing them drink up each day… all because two sneaky, uncooperative squirrels have found the best nectar bar in town.  Humph.

46 thoughts on “Project Hummer Is Not Going Well”

  2. Oh my! What a dilemma! Those are some ingenious squirrels. We have tons of squirrels too, but we have two humming bird feeders that can hang on the tree branches by our back porch. And the squirrels can’t reach them. Your idea was a good one, though.So sorry it’s turned to this! I hope you can come up with something.

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    • Beth, I have to rethink where I place the hummingbird feeder. But until I do find a good place, the flowers in the pots are looking festive. So it’s not a complete bust.

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  4. It was great fun to watch our squirrels figure out a way to jump to the bird feeder – although I placed in where I thought there was no way they could do it. Hard to get mad at the smart little furry critters. Our raccoons were pretty great at getting past Dad’s raccoon barriers, too. The hummingbirds always seemed to prefer my actual flowers to my feeder, though Mom had great success with hers – except for the bees.

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    • Zazzy, I agree. Fuzzy & Khaki may cause me to mutter, but these two squirrels, who to date have not invaded our house, are just goofs. Juiced up on sugar water. Having a little fun at my expense.

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      • Did I ever tell you about the summer I was feeding one of our pregnant raccoons? We had a couple other raccoon friends that year but I was worried about Sweetie getting enough to eat. For my convenience, I put their cat food in a plastic kitty litter container and left it out on the patio – you know, because I’m insane. I’m sure you can guess that they chewed through the plastic container and ate all the food – but did you guess that they then took the container and hid it in the woodpile? They were a lot of fun to watch. Grabby and Chubby used to come knock on the door if I hadn’t put anything out for them to eat.

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        • Zazzy, they took the container? Oh my, that’s incredible. Raccoons are a whole different level of trouble. Nice of you to accommodate their culinary needs.

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  5. Oh those squirrels and chipmunks! One chipmunk even decided to eat our newly planted bean seeds. This woods is not big enough for all of us, lol. Good luck, Ally Bean.

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    • Kathy, I’ve never had a chipmunk get that sneaky! Most of ours are too scatterbrained to even venture beyond the stone steps which lead to the lower terrace. Either there’s enough around the steps for them to eat OR they’re not as clever as your Michigan chipmunks.

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  6. Talk about squirrely! They are creative.
    I’ve given up and am trying plants/flowers. So far the lantana is doing pretty good….squirrels leave it along, but Molly is nibbling the leaves…so we’ve got one stuck in a pot by the back door in attempt to keep her off the big bush outside the kitchen window.
    Your feeder is very cute…my neighbor has one similar..wonder if it’s the squirrels he keeps yelling at?

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  7. We had our best season with hummingbirds by hanging the feeder directly from the underlip of the roofline. The squirrels couldn’t easily get to the feeder that way. Ours was protected under a roofed deck, so the birds could easily access all sides of it. I don’t know whether that would work for you.

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    • Interesting idea. I placed the hummingbird feeder so that I could see it while drinking coffee on the screened-in porch in the morning. However, your suggestion might work. There are no trees available, but this idea has potential. Thanks.

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    • Margaret, no that’s not wrong. I admire them, too. But couldn’t the squirrels stick to– I don’t know, living in the trees– and let me have a few months of hummingbird watching? I just want to see the cute little birds for a short time during summer. 🙂

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  9. Oh no! That’s no fun! Can you shorten the wire that it hangs on, so that it won’t be able to get hung up on the railing? I’m sure that the evil squirrels will hatch another plan… but maybe it will take a few days? Good luck!

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    • Maria, that’s an excellent idea. Duh. I’ll go out right now and give it a go. Perhaps that will be enough to slow down Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid of squirrels. *fingers crossed*

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  10. I came over from Susie’s party and love your post! In my experience, squirrels are the smartest animals ever. We got one of those “squirrel-proof” bird feeders and hung it on a long line so that it couldn’t be reached from anywhere. The squirrels would climb to the top of the kids’ swingset, take a running leap and (about half the time) hook onto the line holding the feeder. Then they would slide down the line, scoop out birdseed, and drop to the ground. The squirrels who missed their leap would be dazed for a few minutes, but then get up every time and head back to the top of the swingset.

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    • barb, what a squirrel comedy routine you had in your backyard! It doesn’t give me hope that my little humming bird feeder is going to survive the month! You said it: smartest animals ever.

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  11. I have the same problem!!!! I bought some fantastic feeders and it draws the squirrels, every day! I wouldn’t mind it so much, but Roxy yelps and barks until I go outside and chase them away. It drove me nuts so I took them down.

    Thanks for bringing this to the party! Have fun clicking on links and meeting my new friends! There are some new faces in the crowd!

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  14. How ‘y’all coin? That’s New Orleans talk. 🙂 Coming over to mingle with you. I have had conversations with you via twitter but it’s nice to visit your blog. That’s why I love Susie’s parties. Those darn little squirrels! All that effort you put into your hummer project. 😦 I wish I had some good advice to offer you though ‘drinking’ away your woes may be your best option. 😉

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    • brickhousechick, thanks for stopping by to talk. I agree, Susie’s parties are the best. And I also agree that drinking away my woes about Project Hummer’s failure may be the best solution to this. Good idea.

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    • Hi Kitt, thanks for stopping by. I’m sorry to hear of your rabbit probs. I didn’t know that rabbits were fond of hibiscus, but I suppose that it doesn’t surprise me. All of these wild critters have something in the garden that they just can’t leave alone, don’t they?

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