Yes, the Washington Post is also trying to keep track like The Guardian. But, the post currently has, IIRC, 400 killings and The Guardian has 470. Someone commented that the Post is only counting shooting deaths. I am not sure and haven't read through both sites yet.

she took a standard home-center-bought 7 foot stake feeder and put it through a 4" pvc pipe into the ground. the squirrels can't jump 5.5-6 feet to get to the feeder and their feet can't get any purchase on the pvc pipe. they have to scurry around on the ground to pick up the seeds that drop from the feeder when the birds eat and watch out for the dogs and the occasional feral cat that cruises the yard.

living in the sticks I'm an expert on birds and the squirrel/bird feeder nexus. We have a feeder that is suspended from a tree limb by a chain, there is a length of pvc pipe that covers the chain. About a foot above the feeder is a large plastic cone/hood that prevents the squirrels from reaching the feeder if they make it down the pvc pipe, its large enough that they slip off trying to make it to the feeder. It's worked well so far.

It's fun watching the squirrels sprint across the open area, like open yards, from tree to tree. There's foxes, hawks and owls that are a constant threat when they are out in the open. They run like hell, death from the skies, heh!

the light, as to the irisdescent coloring of their head, in particular.

And they are very aggressive. They even boss around our resident Jays! Occasionally, I intervene when I see them getting too carried away.

(I carry a cane when I walk 'the B,' in case I get out of the fenced area, and need protection from a stray animal that is threatening. So, if those Blackbirds get too hateful, I swing it and momentarily run them off, so that the other birds can get some food without being intimidated.)

It is really distressing to me that they so heavily infiltrate the the feeding area, because they have all but run off the regular 'dusk feeding' of what's left of our little Cardinal Family. IOW, the Cardinals are still here, but they straggle in throughout the day in two's or three's, and rarely show up as a full family unit in the evenings--unless it's almost dark, and those dastardly blackbirds have left for the evening.

(The European Starlings usually leave by about 7:00 p.m., and as a flock, fly due east. We do have another bird that appears to be a type of Starling by pictures, but they share little in common with the European type of starling that you've found.)

The reason that we can go through so much is that we also 'ground feed.' However, several feral cats have cropped up, so we're going to get more posts, and go to mostly hanging feeders.

I'm sure that the volume will cut back once we do this. I also put out a large bowl--literally a cheap plastic cereal bowl [I bought 4 bowls, and used them for chips, etc., until I discovered that they perfectly fit this feeder holder] which has a holder, on one of our suet poles. They "love" this bowl! So, I'll let 'em keep it.

The rabbits also eat here regularly, even some in the day when it's warm weather, and they like the country mix of bird seed that we buy at Tractor Supply (huge bags for economy)--with wheat, barley, oats, corn, and sunflower seeds-- along with some rabbit food (Timothy Hay, etc.).

They can occasionally be spooked by some family members, but they just yawn when it's just me and "Mister B"--they see us so much, we're just like a bird, I suppose.

Again, I look forward to hearing more of your backyard 'exploits.' Our backyard critters definitely give us a lot of pleasure--even if I do gripe about them, from time to time.

Mollie