Wildlife imitates art
In chapter one of Feeder Birds, squirrels invade the feeder. Cardinal dismisses them as “rats with fuzzy tails.” Later, he drowns one and the other birds attack it and pluck out its eyes.
Imagine my surprise when I looked out my window the other day to find this:
The feeder drawn in the panels above has moved three thousand miles, only to be invaded by actual rats. And while Cardinal is not here to sort them out, the House Finches who frequent the feeder certainly had a thing or two to say about them.
Infernally cute
From afar they look like the US cousins of Remy from “Ratatouille”. Same nice blue-gray fur.
Part of me wants to go ooooooo, kitchy-coo, but another part knows best since here at the office I’m surrounded by epidemiologists and public health doctors and vets.
Re: Infernally cute
Honestly, they are relatively cute, aren’t they, especially for rats. Probably because they’re still juveniles.
Oh my god! Bold bastards, aren’t they?
There’s a little wooden triangular fake-roof bit over the back door of our fourplex. I once literally saw fifteen young squirrels disappear into it when I went to take the garbage out.
Minneapolis has a squirrel problem.
(And I concur: your rats are cute… but ultimately bubonic, I’m sure.)
Cool! Now you can start training them to do your bidding and devour people you don’t like.
(nice tag – got many under ‘pestilence’?)
I don’t recall if this has been asked or answered before, but is Feeder Birds available anywhere for the masses?
(I’m still not convinced this isn’t just a publicity stunt for Ratatouille.)
I can’t wait to see cow-bird, personally.
Wow. Mercenary rat hit-men sent cross-country to take down the west coast supply of Numbskull. That Mr. Grosbeak has operatives everywhere.
Eeeeeeewwwww!!!
This is why there’s no feeder in my urban oasis. Card and gang can fend for themselves!
–Ed.
Rat is just tar backwards.