When Brad set up a new bird feeder with a tiny camera on his back deck in Northern California, he was expecting peaceful footage of songbirds fluttering in for breakfast.
He wasn’t expecting a crime scene.
At first, everything went according to plan. Goldfinches swooped in, chickadees flitted by — just the kind of backyard serenity Brad had hoped to capture. But after he moved the feeder from his deck to the yard, things took a turn.
The next morning, Brad stepped outside to find the feeder destroyed — pole snapped, camera smashed, seed scattered everywhere.
“[T]he guilty party snapped the pole clean off and damaged the camera,” Brad wrote online.
Determined to find out what happened, he pulled up the camera footage. Before hitting play, he already had a suspect in mind.
“I suspect squirrels for pretty much everything,” Brad told The Dodo.
The footage, however, told a different story.
First on camera was an innocent hummingbird, pausing for a dainty sip of sugar water.
Then came a cheerful lineup of feathered diners — a black-headed grosbeak, a Steller’s jay, and a band-tailed pigeon. All behaved perfectly, enjoying their snack without incident.
Then, right on cue, a western gray squirrel appeared. Brad braced himself — but surprisingly, the little guy didn’t break anything. He simply sniffed around and scampered off, leaving the scene in perfect order.
And then… chaos.
A massive, furry head filled the frame. The camera jostled, seeds flew — and seconds later, the feed went black.
When the final still image popped up, it revealed the culprit: a black bear’s paw, sauntering off after demolishing the feeder.
Brad couldn’t believe it.
“I knew squirrels would likely crash the party,” he said, “but it never occurred to me that a bear might join in the fun.”
While he’s not pressing charges, Brad is taking precautions before setting up another feeder — this time in a less bear-accessible location.
After all, he admits, it’s hard to stay mad when the “suspects” are just wild neighbors following their instincts.
“I can’t really get mad about animals eating food that I put outside for them to eat!” Brad wrote.
And with that, the case of the bird feeder bandit is officially closed — though the bears in Brad’s neighborhood may already be plotting their next midnight snack. 🐻🍽️
