OT; Bird feeder raiders?

[Clif]

Asking this for a friend what has been putting feeders out for the birds since Feb or so. Drawing lots of birds including many I have never noticed around. Recently something has found her feeders and has learned to get 3 of them open, pulling up the lids mostly. At first she had a visit every 3 days or so. Now she has to take them down or all will be completely emptied every night. Any ideas? This is VERY rural. Fields and woods. I was thinking maybe rats.

Who is this nightly visitor? Coon, Possum????

[Roger]

Raccoons. Being the the wiley creatures that they are, I would bet on it.

[ChrisD]

It's probably coons, those thugs. They're smart and I've seen them climb straight up the side of a house. Though, my mom in rural VT had to take hers down on account of it was attracting bears.

[tomcat]

prolly some open boaters. Can't trust'um. Very sneeky.

[Clif]

ya... come ta think of it... I do know a couple of them that like sunflower seeds.

[prophet]

prolly some open boaters. Can't trust'um. Very sneeky.

the feeders should only be out at night, those birds are eating our food.

[Crane]

Hmmm... Night only? Tell that to the Mama Coon who looked me straight in the eye in broad day-light and continued to forage from my "squirill-proof" feeder... she did grin as she did it...

[KAYAKN]

Yeah its probable coons, we have a over populated bunch of them in this area of La. Maybe they migrating North

[Clif]

Striped bandits were one of my first guesses, but I kinda thought they were more carnivore prone.

[Roger]

Guys, you're talking about Procyon lotor here. These creatures are ominvorous of which 33% is derived from plant matter. They LOVE walnuts. Seeing as how we have no squirrels in the area thanks to two cats now I know what is cracking all the walnuts that are laying in the yard!

They love suet. Our suet feeders would go missing and then I would find them just inside the line of trees on my rambles in the wood.

They are nocturnal, Crane, but sometimes the little buggers have insomnia or wake up and need a noon-day snack!

Guilty as charged, raccoon.

[bart]

I'll agree with the culprits being the 'coons. I've caught them on my sunflower feeders at night, and on my back deck eating our cats' food. Also, got pics of them on my automatic deer feeders after they've shinnied up a bare 1 1/2" metal pipe about 8' off the ground, then reaching over to spin the 'spinner' to dispense the corn.

To help rid yourself of them, I'd recommend buying or borrowing a live catch trap and baiting it with just about anything, cat food, dog food, etc. Then, you can dispose of them in a couple of different manners.

I catch them around my chicken pens periodically. It depends on if I've had any chickens killed or not as to how/where I dispose of them!

[KimL]

I only fill the feeders in the morning now, and only half way, so they are clear by the time the bandits arrive. Piney the Woodpecker gets frustrated with me sometimes for it, but feeding at night is useless around here if you want to give the feed to the birdies. (By the way, I feed because of Piney; I raised him, I'm gonna keep making life easy on the feathered freeloader.)