Inspired by pameladean 's posts detailing her odyssey of home repairs and adventures, I finally nerved myself up to call the squirrel whisperer she recommended. Should have done this 20 or 30 years ago, but I find dealing with home contractors so terribly daunting. We've had the squirrel holes sealed up several times as part of other repairs, but within a few months the little buggers had gnawed their way back in. Last summer I finally bought a Havahart trap and relocated 5 of them to Hidden Falls, but after a few squirrel-free months a new one showed up and has been terrorizing us ever since. This one is an absolute Houdini. I set that trap at least 20 times with results that were satisfactory only to the squirrel (who now thinks of our attic as a Squirrel Buffet). Sometimes it extricated the bait without springing the trap. But more often the trap was sprung, bait devoured, but no squirrel to be seen. I think it must be muscling it's way out, which none of the previous squirrel iterations could do.

Anyway, I called Beast Wildlife and made an appointment for Thursday afternoon. The inspection costs $125 up front, so this is no minor commitment. But our homegrown, half-assed methods haven't worked, so here we are

It took most of the day for that squirrel to overcome its better judgement and go into the trap. This one seems more terrified than the first two, who were extremely indignant but not too upset to devour every crumb of bait. This poor little thing didn't even finish supper before curling up in a frightened ball at one end of the trap. It does seem to have finished off the orange slices Richard gave it (because he's got a big soft heart), but there are lots of scraps of bread still uneaten. Waiting for R to get up so we can add one more to the colony we are establishing down at Hidden Falls.