Allotment: Squirrels eating ground cherries!! So I'll pick them a bit unripe

Someone, squirrels likely, is eating the ground cherries at the allotment!  Sigh!  So, today I picked a few that hadn't fallen yet, and will let them finish ripening at home.  Will try to do that for the rest.

Squirrel on fence!

Ah, just as I sat here this morning writing about all the birds, saw a squirrel on the fence!  Hadn't seen a squirrel on the fence or in the yard whatsoever until now.  Maybe all the bird traffic brought him/her over to check out the offerings...

Sent the dogs out to deter, for now...  And hopefully the baffle (the wide one) will do the job though I fear there are various things they could climb up to jump onto the trays.  I don't mind them eating the bird food but they'd better not spill things onto the ground, or eat MY food  :-)

White crowned sparrow; and, 2 squirrels and a chipmunk

Three birds in the yard at the same today, eating/hopping along on the ground (never went up on the birdfeeder).  One was for sure a white crowned sparrow:  striking black/white hat, no yellow spots on head, greyish chest wrapping around to the back, brown stripey wings, brown lower back, long tail.  At least one of the other birds there at the same time was a mottled brown bird, google says females look the same as males, so maybe the mottled one was a juvile?

White crowned sparrow:  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/overview

 

Two squirrels in the yard today!  Surely no coincidence that today's the first day I made some vegetarian cake and put it in the cage feeder.  Some crumbled to the ground which is where the squirrels were eating.  The chipmunk seemed mildly interested in the cake in the cage but didn't try hard to eat it, instead went to the seed feeder.