Hi Maeve. I always enjoy your posts but throwing a stick at a nursing
squirrel made me cry. I have rehabilitated many hundreds of squirrels and
find them fascinating critters and doting parents. Here in Monkton we
deliberately feed the squirrels (good stuff such as cuttlebone, peanut
butter walnut cookies, nuts in the shell, and veggies and fruits. ) We also
feed the Orioles and many other species of birds but our squirrels come
first. Its currently a tough time for squirrels due to the poor tree mast
last Fall. Regards. Helena. North Stream Wildlife Rescue. Monkton. VT.

On Thu, May 23, 2019, 5:06 PM Maeve Kim <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> We found a mixed fruit jelly made specifically for birds, with very few
> ingredients. (I think we got it at Guy’s Farm and Yard.)
> Maeve
>
> > On May 23, 2019, at 4:49 PM, Poleysgmavt <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > Until I read Maeve’s posting about oranges and jelly I had forgotten
> that some people put out jelly (most commonly grape) along with oranges for
> the orioles (and squirrels).
> > I would like to remind (or inform) everyone that most commercial jellies
> contain genetically modified ingredients in the form of high-fructose corn
> syrup. You may want to read the ingredients list on your jelly jar label to
> make sure it doesn’t contain a sugar substitute. Unfortunately many people
> buy the same brand of jelly that they (and their mother) have always bought
> and don’t realize that the sugar has been replaced with a GMO product.
> > Our orioles deserve the best we can give them.
> >
> > Denis Poley
> > Richmond, VT
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >> On May 23, 2019, at 9:23 AM, Maeve Kim <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >>
> >> We’ve been getting great enjoyment from feeding orioles oranges and
> jelly - and then the orange halves started disappearing. The whole things!
> As if a monstrous bird had swooped down and snatched them away. After two
> days, we saw a squirrel (a female with young, judging from her underneath)
> deftly getting around the squirrel guard and running off with half an
> orange. A while later, we looked out the window and saw her jumping to the
> ground holding in her mouth the little metal cup holding jelly!
> >> I charged out of the house, yelling. The squirrel streaked across the
> lawn. I followed. She dashed up a small tree. I shook the tree, hard. She
> dropped to the ground at my feet, her teeth still clenched around the edge
> of the jelly cup. She raced behind the barn. I raced behind the barn. She
> zipped around a woodpile. I zipped (well, as well as a human can). She tore
> up another tree. I picked up a stick and threw it at her. She FINALLY
> dropped the metal cup, right side up, still full of jelly.
> >> Score one for humans!
> >> Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
> >>
>