Dilla!

LW is fascinated by the squirrels and chipmunks that have taken over the bird feeders. He calls them dillas, short for ardilla, the Spanish word for squirrel.

It's the same story every year. Sometime in the early spring, we see a chipmunk or red squirrel nibbling the seeds the birds knock to the deck. It's fun to watch it scurry about. However, it doesn't take long before it decides the seeds knocked to the ground aren't sufficient, and figures out how to climb or leap onto the bird feeders.

Then the friends and relatives move in. This year is especially bad. We are up to three chipmunks and three squirrels, and they are an unusually cheeky lot. The squirrels camp out on the feeder and eat as fast as they can. The chipmunks fill their mouths and scurry back and forth to their den under the deck to store it away for the winter. The poor birds don't stand a chance, although occasionally a group of blue jays will drive the chipmunks off for a few minutes.

We've decided, just as we do every year, that they have to go. So we've set out the live trap. So far, we've released four into the woods surrounding the beaver pond across the road, but we aren't noticing a drop in numbers here. Are they finding their way back? Or did we just have more than we thought?

The other day, LW got to the trap before we did and freed the captive. He was heartbroken when it went away, since he spends a good chunk of his outside play time trying to catch a squirrel. I think he wants to give it a hug.

"Dilla," he said, spreading his arms wide and shaking his head. "Go?"