The squirrels had become quite adept at feeding from the seed brick enclosed by a metal cage, even after my husband relocated the feeder from inside the porch to the outside edge porch overhang. The squirrels would either climb down from the gutter or a few would still jump up from the porch railing.
The three main techniques were the wrap around position:
The upside down position:
The most impressive position (which I never got a picture of) was a squirrel hanging by one toe from the gutter above and feeding from an upside down position. This position always ended with the one toe slipping, an embarressed squirrel bouncing off the railing below and dashing back towards the tree. Tell-tail evidence was a wildly rocking metal container.
Earlier this month, my husband decided to make squirrel feeding a more competitive exercise by removing the metal cage and handing the food brick from a plastic wire attached to the hook that previously held the metal cage. Most of the bird were light enough to perch on the side of the block, while the squirrels would have to figure out how to hang upside down from the gutter above.
It took a day before one industrious squirrel figured out how to eat by hanging down from the gutter above. From this picture, the fellow almost looks like he has six pack abs. You can see where a corner of the block has been chewed away.
Once the squirrels had figured out how to deal with this new take-out impediment, my husband relented and restored the metal cage, making it easier for birds and squirrels alike.
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