Backyard Birds: Deterring The Squirrels From Their Back Garden Wild Bird Feeders
Someone who values viewing backyard birds will certainly realize just how invaluable wild bird feeders are for bringing birds into the backyard garden. So when there is bird food there will be squirrels; whether you like them or not. The solution to the problem of squirrels getting hold of the food intended for the birds is a squirrel proof bird feeder . Before going any further, it is worthwhile taking a look at what we know about squirrel behavior.
Squirrels are agile, bold and persistent. They are rodents; so their teeth never stop growing and adults want up to two pounds of food per week. They are adept at scaling a large variety of surfaces, like brickwork. The more difficult the access to food, the more they morph into super squirrels – truly ingenious athletes. They are almost never beaten, yet they can certainly be discouraged and diverted.
Consider the most effective feeder styles and best position in your garden – at all times bearing in mind that squirrels could certainly leap as much as ten feet over a gap, jump as high as 5 feet off the ground and are capable of dropping eleven feet from a height!
Bird feeders can either be suspended or pole-mounted. You could decide to suspend them from an isolated branch of a deciduous tree (because it has less dense foliage than pine trees) or you could possibly try out suspending them from a cable in between two trees (however doing this renders refilling relatively challenging). Make certain to suspend the feeder from a metal chain or wire and hook, otherwise the squirrels may chew their way through the cord to make the feeder fall to the ground.
A great squirrel guard is a squirrel baffle . Manufactured from either plastic or metal, the baffle makes an umbrella above both suspended and pole-mounted bird feeders. The squirrels simply cannot grip and slide off them. Baffles can likewise be located about four feet above the ground underneath pole-mounted feeders – lubricating the pole with Vaseline can also be helpful.
Caged bird feeders are a great choice since they allow small backyard birds access to the food, at the same time as keeping out squirrels and bigger birds as well.
You can always pick more hi-tech squirrel proof bird feeders. They are triggered by the weight of the squirrel. Whenever a squirrel lands on one, a spring system causes a metal shield to come down around the feeder or the feeder’s perches give way. Another type of feeder, which is also incredibly humorous to look at, has a battery-driven motor that rotates the squirrel (harmlessly) off it.
Squirrels eat a vast assortment of foods, but yet another way to fend them off is to supply the birds safflower seed, thistle seed (niger), and /or pure suet (without seed), for the reason that squirrels are simply not that fond of them.
Certainly, you can look at this predicament from a completely different perspective and get one or more squirrel feeders – incuding trapeze, tightrope and springboard. You can easily provide squirrels their preferred foods in return for them staging a terrific circus performance for you. Consequently while they are diverted, the birds are able to have a feed as well – everybody wins.
Truth to say, squirrels will always be a part of backyard gardens, and when combined with proper planning of bird feeder types, location and types of bird food, we can guarantee not only that your backyard birds get their due but also that we are amused by cheeky squirrel antics.