Squirrel-Jay Wars

We are going through peanuts at a great rate. We're trying to feed our squirrel but the jays have been swooping in before poor Squirrel has had much of a chance to make off with the peanut prizes.

Yes, the jays are on to us now. They sit in our trees and watch for us to come out on the deck with our crinkly bag of nuts. We throw a handful of peanut shells toward the center of the lawn and let the scramble begin. Where once we had a one-on-one battle, we now have an uneven match: 6 or 8 jays to just the one squirrel.

But Squirrel has a firm Strategy: "Keep as many peanuts to myself as possible." Can't you just see him out there with fist raised up crying "Curse you, Red Baron!" (Or, Blue, as the case may be.)

And he has Tactics:

Squirrel runs forward as soon as he sees me at the door and greets me by the deck. He's already got Position. He has Access. When the peanuts hit the ground he scrambles for one (Timing) makes for the nearby rough bank of dirt (we just removed some rocks, preparatory to our excavation work) and buries it. (Advantage!) Then he goes for another. (Persistence.)

Clever Squirrel.

It doesn't seem to bother him that the jays are watching. Does he not realize that they know his hiding place as well as he does? Is there a flaw in his game plan?