When I bought my house, 14 years ago, I couldn't help but notice just how many squirrels seem to inhabit the trees in my backyard. When the leaves fell in the fall, and you could really see their comings and goings; it looked like the "Squirrel Olympics" back there. They'd leap from the thinnest of branches, balance skillfully on the edge of the roof and slide down tree trunks with ease.

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My kids were still quite little then, like toddlers little, and we used to get a kick out of watching them. We'd even leave them a little pile of mixed nuts on the deck and watch them, from the sliding glass doors, scamper up the stairs to eat some treats.

Stephen Harris/Townsquare Media Hudson Valley
Stephen Harris/Townsquare Media Hudson Valley
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It was fun...until we got bird feeders.

Then we began to realize just how goofy, greedy, and downright destructive these little suckers could be!

[video width="720" height="1280" mp4="https://townsquare.media/site/543/files/2020/06/Coris-Squirrel-Video.mp4"][/video]

They took out no less than 3 of our feeders before we just gave up.

According to Maine's own "Critter Guy", we go off lucky compared to some.

In a post on his The Critter Guy Facebook Page, he says feeding squirrels can become hazardous to both you and your neighbors.

In a segment, he calls "The Critter Guy Says," he claims that if you see multiple squirrels in your yard (like we do), there are probably way more out there that you're not seeing--just waiting to eat!

Matt Cardy, Getty Images
Matt Cardy, Getty Images
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And he says in his line of work, he comes across the carnage a bunch of squirrels in one area can lead to, all the time, especially when folks start to feed them with regularity.

"Squirrels are storing extra food in engine blocks, gutters, and gas grills.
They are building nests in dryer vents, chimneys, and soffits.
The stored food is drawing rats mice, skunks, and raccoons.
In extreme cases, squirrels short out transformers and cut power to entire neighborhoods!"
There have even been instances of squirrels chewing through wires and starting house fires!
Grey squirrel yawning
Dgwildlife
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The Critter Guy says the damage squirrels cause, can lead to frustrated residents turning to pellet guns or poison, as a resort for dealing with these unruly rodents. Those "solutions" can lead to their own host of problems.

The best bet, he says, is that if you feel like you just "have" to feed them, only put out a small amount of food--something the squirrel can consume quickly, and only feed them once in a while.

Here are some more animals you could come across in Maine. 

17 Wild Animals You Could See in Bangor

A young moose was seen munching on trees in the Bangor City Forest recently. Here are some other animals that are known to live in the Bangor city limits, particularly within the Bangor City Forest, a 600+-acre preserve in the city.

Gallery Credit: Scott Miller

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