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How do they do it?

alan42gorman62367alan42gorman62367 Posts: 4
in Problem solving
An ingenious bird or mammal visiting our allotment, probably not acting alone, has discovered how to remove whole sunflowers from their stalks and transport them to a flat stable surface - a tree stump nearby - where the seeds can be consumed so much more easily than when swaying to and fro on the stalk. Has anyone experienced or witnessed such a sophisticated heist? We never saw the clever culprits - does anyone have any experience of this modus operandi?

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Could it be Homo sapiens by any chance ?
  • alan42gorman62367alan42gorman62367 Posts: 4
    H'm the site is locked, no sign of a break-in. And in any case the tree stump would be a bit low down for human comfort.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Most likely it's the tree rats, like @pansyface said.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • alan42gorman62367alan42gorman62367 Posts: 4
    Ah a squirrel possibly? I'd like to know if anyone has actually witnessed such behaviour.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I haven't but they're very smart when it comes to getting at food.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Not keen on sunflowers and my husband 's mysteriously die quite often but then they survive, the squirrels definitely remove the heads. Sometimes they line up a smorgasbord  on the top of the fence.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • alan42gorman62367alan42gorman62367 Posts: 4
    We've seen rats, wood pidgeons and seagulls near our patch but never squirrels ...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    alan42gorman62367 said:
    We've seen rats, wood pidgeons and seagulls near our patch but never squirrels ...
    … never squirrels … well not until your sunflower seeds were ripe. 

    I’ve seen them filch and remove all sorts of ‘edible treats’ to places where they can more easily concentrate on enjoying them. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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