In the war of wits between man and squirrel, score another victory for the squirrels.
In an effort to prevent squirrels from raiding the bird feeders at his home, Mahtomedi resident Randy Lindorff bought some pricy bird feeders with battery-powered motors that set the feeder perch spinning when something as heavy as a squirrel gets on it.
The manufacturer's video demonstrating the product shows squirrels falling off almost immediately after they try to get on the feeder.
However Lindorff said the squirrels in his yard have learned to game the feeders. His squirrels will hang from their toes like trapeze artists and intentionally spin for minutes at a time.
The constant motion sends a shower of seeds falling to the ground. After dropping off and shaking off a bit of dizziness, the squirrels get to have a picnic.
When it comes to riding the rodent carousel, "there seem to be a couple of them better at it than others," Lindorff said.
But even the non-athletic animals benefit. He said while one squirrel is spinning, he's seen three squirrels, a rabbit and a chipmunk waiting underneath the feeder to chow down.
"It happens every day at our house," he said.
