Mangy

There's three red squirrels who have taken up residence below the bird feeders hanging fifteen feet above the ground at Deerwood manse. Two of them content themselves with eating whatever seeds the birds knock down to the deck below.

But not Mangy. Mangy is a female squirrel who is nursing at the moment and likes to climb up the house exterior board and batten wall to eat from the hanging feeders. It's quite the sight to see, but a nuisance as Mangy scares the birds away - at least from the feeder she's chowing from.

Smokey the Cat watches Mangy - photographed from my squirrel blind.

Mangy holds onto the house with back feet and eats with the front.

Mangy spots us!

I open the window and Mangy high-tails it down the wall batten.

I don't like Mangy because these aren't squirrel feeders. Though, to be fair, there's no sign stating that it's 'birds only', or 'no squirrels allowed'. But I do respect Mangy. Mangy's smart, has grit, and character. I figure that's worth a lot in this nutty world.