I wondered who kept breaking my bird feeders, so I deployed a spy camera in an attempt to catch the culprit in the act.
The result was too many suspects, but not one of them was caught in the act on the first night.
At 5:30 pm, before it was even dark, there was a squirrel fleeing the scene.
At 11:11 pm there was a suspicious looking possum who slowly ambled away after being startled by the flash.
At 12:47 am there were two raccoons at once. Here is a photo of one of them.
At 1:03 am there was a skunk.
At 2:34 am there was a possum. I do not know whether it was the same possum as earlier.
At 5:28 am there was a raccoon. I do not think it was one of the two who came earlier. This one is a prime suspect since it headed toward the camera after the first flash and the second flash likely temporarily blinded it and saved the camera from being dismantled.
At 5:41 am there was once again a skunk. I do not know whether it was the same one.
It may take a few more nights of spy camera photos to identify the culprit. Maybe the flash is frightening away the critter who is big enough to bend the iron pole that the bird feeder hangs from.
There is more in episode 2.
Copyright 2010, John Moyer, all rights reserved.