Squirrels....love 'em or hate 'em?
If you are feed birds, you will most likely be feeding squirrels too. Managing squirrels so that they do not consume too much seed or destroy feeders can be a frustrating job. There are a few tricks and some anti-squirrel gear that can solve most of the problems with these pesky critters.
Given the right situation a gray squirrel can land on a feeder from above, below or from the side. They can jump over 6 feet vertical and 9 feet horizontal which makes it hard to place a feeder that has enough clearance to deter them.
One of the best baffles to stop squirrels and raccoons from climbing up a pole to the feeder is a domed baffle from Erva. It is a high quality product from an American company that makes many various accessories to aid in feeding birds.
For feeders in trees or overhangs where squirrel can climb down, there are various clear plastic hanging dome baffles that make it difficult to maneuver over. They are effective as long as the squirrel can’t jump horizontally from the tree trunk to the feeder.
For favorite places where you really want to locate a feeder but there are trees or fixtures that make it easy for a squirrel to launch from, there are anti-squirrel feeders that do a good job of keeping them off. This winter I have been trying out the Brome SquirrelBuster Plus feeder. I can’t say enough good things about this feeder - it has been successful in keeping squirrels off and allowing larger birds such as cardinals to feed. It is well-made, good-looking, holds a good amount of seed which lasts long between fills without squirrels eating it up and has a nice attachment for mounting on poles. Plus all replacement parts are covered under a lifetime warranty. Brome carries a whole line of clever SquirrelBuster feeders for various types of seed.
