1:00 AM – Eventually these Squirrels will give up on the Squirrel Buster. It seems that every new generation of them has to learn that it’s futile to try.

Mrs. Cardinal is thinking about taking a bath:

Finally she commits, and jumps in. She’s been acting strangely for a few days now. She’s had several baths, and continues clicking her beak. Must be some kind of mating behavior. Or she’s having a breakdown because there are no peanuts on the rail:

1:00 AM – Here’s Mrs. Cardinal on the birdbath, clicking her beak, cheeping and taking a vigorous bath. And splashing the camera.

Lay out some peanuts, and within minutes this is what you get:

Mr. Cardinal is hanging around the birdbath, but he’s not drinking or bathing. Maybe he’s just waiting his turn for the Squirrel Buster:

1:00 AM – The Cardinals spending some time together:

Squirrel wants to know what’s going on:

Ambitious Squirrel sizes up the situation on the Squirrel Buster, shinnies up the supporting pole. He discovers he can’t get to the food, so climbs back down the rod, upside down. The Squirrels are little athletes.

1:00 AM – Squirrel enjoying nice clean water, then taking a leap at the Squirrel Buster feeder. He discovers that it’s called a ‘buster’ for good reason.

Mr. Cardinal getting a drink. The loss of the platform feeders has probably inconvenienced the Cardinals a little, but they can feed from the hangers without much trouble:

Two Squirrels for the price of one: