I thought I had outwitted the seed bandit with a large metal barrier, but I was mistaken. In a display of pure acrobatic skill, an Eastern Gray Squirrel made a fool of me. This is how it was done.

This is one of the two scaling approaches I’ve witnessed. The squirrel scrunches down on its haunches in preparation for a jump.

A strong jump propels the squirrel backwards in the direction of the edge of the barrier.