Keen watchers of backyard birds can see the benefit of bird feeders as a fundamental element of the garden scenery.. The drawback of using these kinds of feeders is that they will without any doubt encourage squirrels. When you want success at feeding wild birds, you will need to consider a squirrel proof bird feeder , or two. Prior to going any further, it is well worth reviewing what we know about squirrel habits.
Squirrels are agile, bold and persistent. They are rodents; consequently their teeth never stop growing and adults demand up to a couple of pounds of food per week. They are proficient at scaling a large variety of materials, among them bricks. The trickier the accessibility to food, the more they become ninja squirrels – truly ingenious athletes. They are rarely beaten, although they can certainly be discouraged and distracted.
Look at the best feeder styles and optimal location in your backyard – always considering that squirrels will be able to jump up to 10 feet across a gap, jump as high as five feet from the ground and are capable of dropping 11 feet from a height!
Bird feeders may either be suspended or pole-mounted. You could decide to hang them from an isolated branch of a deciduous tree (less dense leaf-cover than pine) or you can try suspending them from a wire between a couple of trees (however this makes refilling somewhat challenging). Make certain to suspend from a metal chain or wire and hook, or else the squirrels could gnaw through the cord to make the feeder fall down.
A great squirrel guard is a squirrel baffle . Made from either plastic or metal, it forms an umbrella over the top of both suspended and pole-mounted bird feeders. The squirrels just slide off them. Baffles may also be positioned about four feet above the ground below pole-mounted feeders – lubricating the pole with Vaseline can also be helpful.
Caged bird feeders are a very good choice as they permit small backyard birds access to the food, at the same time as keeping out squirrels and larger birds as well.
You can always go with more advanced squirrel proof bird feeders. They are activated by weight. If a squirrel jumps on one, a spring system causes a metal shield to drop over the feeder or the feeder’s perches give way. Yet another, which is also quite hilarious to see, has a battery-driven motor that spins the squirrel (safely) off it.
Squirrels consume a broad array of foods, but one more approach to fend them off is to give the birds safflower seed, thistle seed (niger), and /or pure suet (without seed), since squirrels are simply not that partial to them.
Needless to say, you can look at this situation from a wholly different perspective and purchase some squirrel feeders – complete with trapeze, tightrope and springboard. You can provide squirrels their favorite foods in return for the squirrels putting on a terrific circus spectacle for you. So when they are distracted, the birds are able to eat too – everyone is a winner.
To be honest, squirrels will certainly always be a component of our backyard gardens, and when combined with proper organizing of bird feeder types, location and bird food types, we can make sure not only that the backyard birds secure their fair share but also that we are entertained by funny squirrel performances.