Rats, Squirrels and Hummingbirds

Rats: 

Have you ever lain awake at night listening to them scurrying about in your attic? Sadly, we used to occasionally endure this sleep depriving interruption. At the time, we used rat poison and traps in the attic to address the problem.

A few years ago we changed exterminators. We changed our strategy and placed six bait boxes around our house with fresh rat poison. The goal is to kill the rats before they became unwelcome household guests. 

Squirrels:  

A friend once told me that squirrels were just rats with a bushy tail and better PR. Although fun to watch, they can be quite destructive. I have fought these pesky rodents for years as they continually found their way to my bird feeders.

Our exterminator came for his quarterly service last week.  After he filled our bait boxes with fresh rat poison, I asked if there was anything he could do to control my squirrel population. His solution: move my bird feeders away from the house. So, I had Juan move my bird feeder to the backyard.

Hummingbirds:

I decided to try attracting hummingbirds after moving my sunflower and suet feeders to the backyard. They began appearing in just a few short days. My simple recipe: 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup warm water.

Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas. They are the smallest of birds, most species measuring 7.5–13 cm (3–5 in) in length. Known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings which flap at high frequencies audible to humans. They hover in mid-air at rapid wing-flapping rates, which vary from around 12 beats per second in the largest species, to in excess of 80 in some of the smallest. Of those species that have been measured in wind tunnels, their top speed exceeds 15 m/s (54 km/h; 34 mph) and some species can dive at speeds in excess of 22 m/s (79 km/h; 49 mph).

These amazing little birds are yet another reminder of God’s omnipresence.

Hummingbird by Seals and Crofts is about Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í faith. You may like to learn about this faith as you enjoy listening to this song. Click here for lyrics