Our newest visitor to Dix's bird feeder was a ground squirrel. He went from wild and elusive to making intense eye contact and walking right past my shoes. He was amazingly sociable with other species - sparrows, doves, grackles, and tree squirrels. He did get too close to a tree squirrel and buzzed his tail, but suffered a bop on the head and just resumed munching at a proper spacing. Dix fell for him but I saw where he had begun excavating at our cinder block wall. An Internet search convinced Dix he would be trouble. She borrowed a trap from the Game and Fish Department and after every stray seed was gleaned from the surroundings, he went for the mother lode inside the trap. My heart was pounding. Dix wanted to make a house pet out of him but he was not longer cute to be after he had gained weight. Off to the park we went. He has not found his way back.
Other accomplishments this four-day weekend were to add a hinge to the alley gate to keep it from dragging, and remounting the door to the upstairs to give it a little slack.
Dix visited with the neighbor and learned she had set some rat poison out for the ground squirrel. We saved his life.
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