A suet thief
Suet cakes in the winter are always good; woodpeckers like them, chickadees and cardinals appreciate the extra energy (and embedded fruits and nuts), and they add a bit of variety to visitation patterns. So, given that we had an extra pole available, I hung a suet feeder with a 'woodpecker favorite' block a couple of days ago. In the morning, the feeder was open and there was no sign of suet. My gardening companion started joking about racoons and opossums. Hmmm. Optimistic about such things, I bought two more suet cakes and put the feeder hanging from a much higher point on a young maple tree. Surely opposums or racoons wouldn't climb up trees to get suet? Hmm. Sure enough, this morning the suet feeder was on the ground and the suet nowhere to be seen. But, this evening towards sunset, we caught a glimpse of the culprit. (My gardening companion points out that my suet eater is back). Hrmph. A large, robust, and very healthy-looking opossum was rumbling up ...