Squirrel Control

For decades squirrels raided our bird feeders, especially during winter. The little rats would chew their way into any but solid metal feeders, and even then paw out seed almost faster than we could buy it.
On a trip to a Cape Cod bird store two years ago, we watched a hilarious video of a feeder with a motorized bail. Any bird could perch and eat, but the weight of a squirrel would operate a switch under the bail, which then would spin and throw the marauder off. With thoughts of saving much expensive bird seed, we bought one on the spot.
Back home, we lost no time installing it, and set up immediate watch to catch the reaction of the first squirrel to be flung far and wide. After about an hour of waiting, we gave up for the day. After a few days without a single squirrel at the feeder, we began to get on with our lives.
That winter, for the first time since 1968, not a single squirrel appeared at our feeder. Come spring, we long had given up looking for squirrels when suddenly across the still-brown grass below our feeder strolled this guy, a bobcat just as fat and shiny as one can be from a winter's squirrel control patrol.