Foiling Squirrels At Your Feeders

Caught Red-Handed! (Red-Pawed?) by Di_the_huntress

Raise your hand if a squirrel has ever raided your birdfeeder. What, you too? Seems when winter comes and squirrels are hungry those cheeky rascals will go to great lengths to plunder birdseed from feeders. Debi Huang, author at Go Explore Nature is having this challenge and she asked for help.

Squirrels aren’t visiting the feeders in my backyard; herein lie some clues to keeping the birdseeds for the birds.

Boing, Boing Branches

While squirrels are excellent climbers and jumpers I never see them hanging out at the end of branches. They’ll walk tightropes (people have given them this challenge just for fun) and jump from tree to tree but they’re too heavy for the last 2-3 feet or so of tree branches. Unless of course you know different…

Lightweight feeders, such as suet holders, can be hung on slim branches, which might be enough to keep off those sticky squirrel paws. Other lightweight feeders to hang at the tips of branches are peanut butter pine cones, in-shell peanut garlands, and home-made milk carton feeders.

Teensy, Tiny Seeds

Those hungry squirrels like something to get their teeth into. They seem to love stuff like sunflower seeds in the shells, peanuts, and corn. They don’t seem to care much for small seeds.

Nyjer and thistle seeds are tiny. I’ve never seen the squirrels in my yard bother trying to get to the nyjer seed feeder.

A Squirrel-Style Harvest

You know the story about squirrels burying acorns? When there is plenty of natural food for squirrels there’s less need for them to raid the birdfeeder. This year my white oak tree had a bumper harvest – more than enough acorns to feed the squirrels in my neighborhood this winter. I’ve also given the squirrels hedge apples to chew on, which were free, and they love them.

When you are choosing trees and shrubs for your garden consider the needs of native animals and wild birds. Plant native vegetation to provide nuts, acorns and berries and the wildlife in your backyard will be less dependent on birdfeeders and just as much fun, no, make that “more”.

Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeders

The array of commercially produced squirrel-proof bird feeders is both dazzling and a testament to the ingenuity of both designers and squirrels on raids. There are peanut feeders with cage wires small enough for birds to fit through which exclude squirrels, there are sunflower and mixed seed feeders that slide closed under the weight of a squirrel, baffles to stop squirrels climbing poles, and even feeders than spin and tip to toss squirrels off.

If you want to make your own squirrel-proof feeder, here’s how from Instructables.

If you’re in the market to purchase, I recommend both Droll Yankee and Heritage Farms bird feeders which are both available from Duncraft. Both Heritage Farms feeders and Droll Yankee feeders are made in the USA and they are very sturdy and will last for years. Heritage Farms use recycled plastic for some of their feeders and Droll Yankee uses FSC certified materials and has a published sustainability policy.

Have the squirrels been pestering your feeders? How did you foil them?

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1. Kansas Fall
2. Scottish Wildlife – part 1
3. Hello Skunk!