2012 Definitely Looking Less Costly

We're in the last act of 2012, with a mere three months to go.  And according to my second year of data collection, the seed hasn't flowed nearly as much as the year before.  Take sunflower seed: I'm running fully 24% last year's pace, and have saved 85# of seed---two full 40# sacks and then some!  My first thinking was that I've not been feeding squirrels quite as much.  And if that's the case they were frighteningly well fed rodents.  But safflower take is much lower still: at 43% down, for a savings of 62# of that pricier foodstuff.  Don't tell me the squirrels did that!  And also, hot pepper suet consumption was a full 36 cakes(!) behind 2011.  And I can't explain that given all of the woodpeckers, wrens, grackles and whatnot visiting those feeders.  So just perhaps the birds were a little less plentiful, or less hungry, or more dedicated to natural foods.  And now I realize I need to gather more data in 2013 to better understand this astonishing trend.  Fun!