Saturday, January 16, 2010

How do you squirrel proof bird feeders?

I love watching the birds and filling their feeders, but I don't enjoy watching the squirrels emptying them out. I have bought the ';squirrel'; proof feeders that are on springs and close the feeding holes from their weight, and I have bought the plastic bowl looking contraptions , and they don't work... Any new ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank youHow do you squirrel proof bird feeders?
I have fought this battle for a long time and also had problems with large numbers of doves, as well as squirrels, cleaning out my feeders in no time flat. I have found you have to buy a special squirrel-proof feeder. I have tried many and finally found two that are truly dove-proof and squirrel-proof:





Brome Squirrel-Buster Plus (the best)





Droll Yankees Yankee Whipper (this one is squirrel-proof only if mounted at least 16'; from the support, or from any wall or tree, so that the squirrels cannot reach it and pull it towards their hungry little selves.)





Another good feeder that keeps out both squirrels and large birds is the Duncraft Selective Bird Feeder, but this one is a caged feeder, so cardinals cannot use it. I have one of these that I'm using also, and it's wonderful for smaller birds. Woodpeckers can also use it by clinging, as can grosbeaks and other desirable birds, but not cardinals.





The first two I listed, the Yankee Flipper and the Brome Squirrel Buster, are weight-sensitive. The Brome can even be adjusted so that large birds like doves cannot eat from it!!! I'm SO happy with mine. If you get the Brome, you need to be sure to get the cardinal ring that goes with it so that they can eat.





This week on my feeders, I have had red breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, downy woodpeckers, red headed woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, chicadees, titmice, goldfinches, house finches, blue jays, white breasted nuthatches, brownheaded nuthatches, but NO squirrels and NO doves!





For best prices, try bestnest.com and cooperseeds.com. Bestnest has a useful search engine that allows you to select what you do and don't want to feed.





I am passionate about this subject and have also spent way too much money in my quest for the right feeders. My feeders are so squirrel- and dove-proof that I am using shelled sunflower seed so that there is no messy waste. (Cooperseed.com has a good bulk price.) I have two Yankee Flippers, one Duncraft Selective, and one Brome Squirrel Buster with the cardinal ring, so I hope you can benefit from my experience and enjoy your birds!!!





P.S. I DO order bulk cracked corn from Cooper Seeds that I put on the ground in large quantities as a consolation for the squirrels and doves; towhees, white-throated sparrows, and juncos like it, too!How do you squirrel proof bird feeders?
It is important to know how the feeder is mounted and if the squirrels are climbing up a post or jumping from above. If they are not climbing a post, about the only thing you can do is move the feeder. If the feeder is mounted on a post away from overhead access, you can cover about 36 inches of the post with aluminum or any metal that the squirrel cannot get its claws into to climb. Make sure the metal is high enough up that the squirrel cannot jump higher and get a hold above it.
I've heard that putting chili pepper flakes will help keep them away from the feed. A friend of mine had her husband make a steel box that was probably 20'; deep, put that upside down on top of the pole, and then secure the feeder to the top. They can climb the pole but then can't get around the box. for this to work though, your feeder has to be away from the trees, since they can jump onto it.
A piece of PVC pipe slipped over the pole on freestanding feeders works well. It is slick and they cannot climb it. Needs to be 4 or 5 feet high.

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