The sad tale of the Chipmunk and the Kittens

I like feeding the birds and the birds like to be fed. However recently this happy arrangement has come under threat, The bird food is vanishing. I fill up the feeder before bed and wake up in the morning to a empty feeder, time and time again. What is happening here? What is eating the bird food? A phone call to Inspector Maigret proved to be unnecessary as before long the burglar became brazen enough to pull off their crime in broad daylight, with me as the star witness. 

The bird food burglar is a chipmunk! Not just any old Chipmunk either but a Chipmunk whos crimes are so legendary around Cleveland he has been christened with the nickname 'Mister Bastard' for his antics. Mister Bastard makes his conquests of bird feeders look so easy. He simply clambers up the pole, slides down to the feeder, tips it slightly and lets all the food just poor into his puffy little Chipmunk cheeks!

 Luckily for the birds all this bird food has had unintended consequences for Mister Bastard as he gained a tremendous amount of weight and is now too fat to clamber up the bird feeder. Poor Mister Bastard now has to make do with the dregs that fall to the ground instead. His tremendous weight gain is not the only obstacle Mister Bastard now has to contend with as a local stray cat has had two kittens in the garden! One can only hope he still has the pace to outrun the two little kittens! Sadly  there has been no sightings of Mister Bastard this week, the kittens are looking plump and the bird food remains undisturbed!

I hope you enjoy these pictures of some other visitors to our bird feeders and some cute kitten pictures as well!

It's not just the flowers the Deer love, they like to eat peanuts as well!

There is no stopping them haha

Two Hummingbirds in one picture! They are fighting over my delicious nectar - one part sugar to four parts water!

Only one Hummingbird ventures this far North -  The Ruby Throated Hummingbird!

Cute but ferocious kitten picture as promised!

Did this this sweet little ball of fluff have Chipmunk for dinner?

Admittedly not as cute as the kitten pictures - but this massive Turkey Vulture eating roadkill on the street outside our house was a awesome spectacle to witness!