Seed Thief - Mystery Solved

I have one of those little bird feeders that attach to the window with suction cups. The part that holds the seed slides out of the base, which remains attached to the window. It provides great entertainment for my two kitties and the birds don't even flinch when the cats jump up in the window, mere inches away, to watch them eat.

A few weeks ago I began noticing that the seed was disappearing rather quickly, with each and every last seed being eaten. That surprised me a bit, but I kept filling it up. Then I came home from work one day and the seed part was missing. I went outside and found it on the ground beneath my window. I figured a bird didn't do that, so I began to suspect it was a chipmunk.

This happened a few times and then a few days ago I caught the seed theif in the act. It wasn't a chipmunk at all, but rather a squirrel. He was calmy sitting on the windowsill and had pulled the part that holds the seed part way out so he could have better access to the seed. I figure the times it ended up on the ground was the result of him pulling it out too far and not being able to slide it back in. The worst part was that my black cat, Shadow, was lying on my bed watching the squirrel. I told him he was supposed to scare the squirrel away, but Shadow ignored me (what else is new?).

I wasn't able to get a picture of the squirrel eating the seed, but at least now the mystery has been solved. But now every time I fill up the seed he'll be back. I know squirrels need to eat too, but that is getting a bit pricey for me. So I guess I'll have to forgo filling it for awhile in the hopes that he'll forget about it and then I can start feeding the birds in that feeder again.