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Another casualty of the whiskey barrel
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Posted by Javern 5a (My Page) on Mon, Mar 7, 05 at 17:32
| I have a half whiskey barrel with liner that I grow some pond plants in, this time of year its just full of water and the birds drink out of it. However last summer and just today I found a drowned little ground squirrel in it. I assume they hop up to get a drink, fall in and can't dig into the plastic liner to get out. Some luck...coming out of winter hibernation thirsty, then drown!
Anyway I'm considering putting some bricks in the middle or making a small island float so they would have something to crawl up on. Anyone have this issue? My neighbors want to see them ALL drown but I don't feel that way. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Another casualty of the whiskey barrel
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| Ugh, that's terrible. It's funny too because I just bought a half whiskey barrel and was filling it up because I read you have to soak them for a while before planting and I was worried something might fall in and drown. I was going to put a pot upside down but my boyfriend thought any critter would be able to get out. Now I know. I think squirrels deserve just as much right to be in the garden as the people who moved into his territory. |
RE: Another casualty of the whiskey barrel
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| I keep concrete blocks in the middle of mine for the birds to land on and drink, and also to displace some water. I don't see ground squirrels around here, but last year I did have several dead baby blackbirds floating in my barrel. They were so tiny I had a hard time identifying them. No idea how they got there. |
RE: Another casualty of the whiskey barrel
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| I have a small pond in my backyard and I have a stack of flagstone sitting on a big planter in the middle and a square dishpan filled with rocks and some old deer antlers right near the edge of the pond so the little critters have a safe place to stand and get a drink. The squirrels LOVE crawling all over the antlers. |
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