Ahhh, the time of year is here again when we all try to devise nastly little plans on how to defeat those damn squirrels that just love to visit our bird feeders.
We thought we caught a break. We have had a cylindrical bird feeder with a cage around it hanging off the porch for a few months now. It hasn’t even been noticed by the squirrels. Then, we placed two more bird feeders in the front of the house and the squirrels brought the hammer down. It’s like they are trapeze artists on these things. I knew we needed to break down and buy one of those squirrel proof bird feeders.
A few days ago, Laura did some research on the internet to find a good squirrel proof bird feeder. She found a pretty good site that had a bunch of them, but they were pretty expensive. I mentioned that we should look at more websites and maybe read some reviews on Amazon or something.
As it turns out, I happened to by in Home Depot the day after she did her research when I passed by the bird feeder aisle. I saw two different types of squirrel proof bird feeders. The first type was the cylindrical shaped feeder that we already had, but when a squirrel jumps on it to get to the food, the whole outer cage slid down to block off the food openings. The only problem is that it seemed like the squirrel needed to weigh a heck of a lot to make that outer cage slide down.
The second type of feeder I saw was the typical shaped feeder house, but had a front stoop that drops down to cover the food tray when the squirrel jumps on it. It had a weight adjustment, so you could actually stop the larger birds from getting to the food as well.
I decided to buy the second feeder, along with some more bird food and a pole set.
I really hope this does the trick. I think these types of bird feeder offer similar promises as all those gutter guards. They all claim to be the best and offer 100% protection. Since I installed it, we haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing what happens if a squirrel decided to make a visit, but I am sure we will. When we do, I will try my best to use my video camera for the occasion.
I grew up near the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. We lived near lakes where there was plenty of wildlife, but by far the most wiley of them all were the grey squirrels. No matter what type of feeder we tried, the squirrels still got more seed than the birds. Over the years I’ve watched my grandfather and my mother try to defeat the squirrels. Some feeders have worked better than others–but none defeat the squirrels. Eventually one of them learns how to ‘beat the system.’ Now instead of bird watching, we squirrel watch–to see how many times the squirrels can swing around the bird feeder before they are dropped to the ground. Yes, the squirrels have become entertainment. They are the reality TV you don’t have to pay a cable bill to watch. They are the ‘Jersey Shore’ of the geriatric set. Ah well, at least they don’t have Snookie’s hairdo!
Yes, I know what you mean about the squirrels. We are in the market for a new feeder for a set up just like you show above, the corner post of the deck. Each year we raise it up a little higher and they still get to it. We have used baffles, stove pipe, you name it. How much does the above feeder hold? What keeps them from chewing on the sides and working their way in somehow?