Humane and critter-loving though I am, I wanted to throttle
the starlings that ravened down the suet from my little hanging
suet cage.

Eventually, I punched a hole in a pie pan and threaded the hanging
string through the hole so that the inverted pin pan sat on top
of the suet cage like a hat.

The starlings couldn't get to the suet from on top of the tipsy
hat and gave up before too long. (They're not as obtuse as some
human beings who will repeatedly try a failed tactic ad infinitum.)


* * * * *

By the way, falcon fans: In downtown Tacoma, we still have two
summering Peregrine Falcons--a first. The adult male has been here
since last October. The adult female was here through the winter
and left in April. An immature female took her place from April
till the end of June, when she disappeared. Then the original
adult female showed up again.


The two falcons now spend much of their resting time on the north
and east ledges of the Perkins building (which houses the UW Tacoma
bookstore and classes). They tolerate each other right now, but
they don't pal around a lot.


--Jim Lyles <jrlyles at usgs.gov>
Tacoma, WA <jrlyles at eskimo.com>