May 17. For two years I have been hearing but seldom seeing the amazing variety of birds that abound in and around the mission home. In our West Valley home in Utah I put up a bird feeder and saw a lot of sparrows and finches, but that was about it. So I went to Pet Smart and got a bird feeder and bird seed to see if I could induce them to come out of the woods where I could see them up close. I hung it on the patio from some 2x4’s left over from the construction of the home eight years ago. I wondered if I would have trouble with the squirrels.
May 16. Sure enough, in no time I had a squirrel chomping away hanging on the feeder when I got up this morning. So I took the feeder down and left it in the garage while I went to the office. After completing some paper work Sharon and I went to Home Depot and bought a metal pole used for hanging potted plants. I put it on the patio in place of the 2x4’s and hung the bird feeder. Hopefully the squirrel won't be able to climb it. It was no not problem at all for the squirrel. As soon as I vacated the patio he climbed it and continued his feast. The next thing I knew he wasn’t even bothering to climb, he just leaped from the patio railing to the feeder. I had no idea they could leap so high! He has a 17” vertical leap and he can’t be more than four inches tall. This is war; It's me vs. that dratted squirrel.
May 17. I stopped on the way home from a district meeting and got some anti-squirrel stuff. I will win. I applied the fixes while Sharon looked on laughing and taking pictures. I raised the hanger two feet off the deck, cut a hole in the bottom of a gallon ice cream bucket and inverted it on the pole about halfway up. It seemed to work—the enemy would come by and look longingly up at the bird feeder, climb the pole till he got inside the bucket and come back down puzzled. I had won!
Jun 2. I got up this morning to find the squirrel hanging from the birdfeeder enjoying breakfast. How did he get up there? The bucket was in place. Sharon has named him Einstein. As soon as I opened the patio door the thief jumped down and ran. I went back in the house. Only to see him fly through the air from the roof of the home and land spread eagle on the bird feeder. It was a leap of 6 and a half feet. Unbelievable! Not only he is smart, but he is quite an athlete. So I moved the pole from the side of the patio to the corner which would require a leap of 12 feet.
June 9. Einstein was back on the bird feeder, but how? Watching him again get to the bird feed he didn’t even bother to try to climb the pole, he just leaped from the railing to the bottom of the feeder and pulled himself up. That is an astounding vertical leap of 41 inches! That boy has been working out! So I screwed water bottles down on the top of the railing so close to each other that he would not have space to gather himself for that astounding leap. That puzzled him, but not for long. I was amazed to see him once again enjoying the bird food. Watching him I was again astonished at his intelligence. He learned that he could climb the pole, reach out and bend the ice-cream bucket and climb around it.
I went on line to see if I could find a better cone to put on the pole. There are plenty and quite pricey. One squirrel proof feeder I saw when activated by the weight of the squirrel would start a battery operated motor that would spin the rascals off. I got some satisfaction in watching the demonstration video. I could also tell that I’m not the only one in the world trying to keep squirrels out of bird feeders.
I again visited Home Depot and bought a couple of lengths of black pipe 5 feet long. By golly, I don't think he will be able to jump five feet to the bottom of the feeder. When I asked a worker if they had a squirrel barrier for the pipe, he said that most folks around here just use Vaseline on the pole or pipe. I confess I had thought of trying that, but had not done so. So I screwed the pipes together attached a shelf bracket for hanging the feeder and put it up in about 30 minutes. Then I greased the pole with Petroleum Jelly. One of my fond memories will always be watching Einstein jump up and grab the pole and come sliding back down. I just roared. He sat there with a puzzled look on his face and looking at his paws. Ha! gotcha. So far as I know he has not been up on my bird feeder but once when the weather wore off the grease. I now grease the pole every time I fill the feeder. 
