Breathe in! Greedy squirrel shows off her acrobatic skills for bird seed (and that's AFTER she'd eaten food put out for her)



With its fearsome metal bottom and two layers of chicken wire for added protection, this bird feeder was definitely squirrel proof.

Or so photographer Bruce Lemons thought.

But after clocking this crafty critter, who went to extraordinary lengths to steal seeds from his garden in Austin, Texas, Mr Lemons better go back to the drawing board.



The 48-year-old was stunned when he saw the cheeky squirrel, who had somehow managed to squeeze herself inside the specially designed bird feeder upside down before chowing down on some seeds.

What's more, the unsatisfied female had already emptied a device Mr Lemons had built especially for squirrels before moving in on the bird food.



Extreme eating: After polishing off the food put out for her this wily squirrel moved on to a more challenging meal

Mr Lemons said it was the latest in a long-running 'friendly' battle he is having over access to the feeder.

He said: 'The squirrels have their own feeder, but consistently clean that one out promptly and move on to deciphering my latest defences to deplete the bird feeder as well.



'This little lady circumvented the traditional access by squeezing her whole body all the way in and down the fill chute.



'She clutched the top edge with her feet while hanging upside down, face buried in the seeds to gorge herself.



'Thankfully, she hasn't eaten so much that she's gotten stuck,' Mr Lemons added.

'The local squirrels are a constant source of entertainment, and consistent subject of my photography.

