Thieves

[SalixIncendium]

I bought a bird feeder to feed the local birds some sunflower seeds a couple of months ago.

Like any other feeder I've had in the past, the squirrels and chipmunks helped themselves to it. While I've had to get creative with perch repairs, the feeder was pretty much indestructible to them.

Yesterday morning, I came out and found the feeder not where it usually hung. I thought a squirrel had perhaps knocked it down, but it was not on the ground. As I looked around some more, I found the feeder had been dragged down the fence and was resting behind the vine you see on the right. I put it back where it was and filled it.

This morning I came out, and the feeder is nowhere to be found.

These guys are in for quite the disappointment when they find out the feeder isn't self-filling.

 

[Rival]

Weld it to the fence!!

 

[SalixIncendium]

Weld it to the fence!!

Not my fence. I would tie-wire it if I could find it. I'll expand my search perimeter after breakfast.

 

[ChristineM]

We've never had a bird feeder moved, one is chained to a gutter, the other wired into a tree.

But once those mice and squirrels figure out how to use wire cutters...

 

[Revoltingest]

I use this one.
Squirrels have yet to steal from it.
All they can do is scrounge for what the birds drop.
Chipmunk activity underneath entertains the cats.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Update: I've located the feeder.

They dragged it up and over the other side of the fence. Since the other side isn't accessible, after some ingenuity with the a hook, a chain, a length of rope, and walking stick, I was able to go "fishing" and retrieve it.

The feeder is now chained to the fence at the bottom as well with the same hook and chain I used to retrieve it.