A bird feeder is an attractive feature for any backyard. However, bird feeders also attract squirrels looking for an easy meal. These acrobatic masters seem to be able to scale up any surface, no matter how smooth, and can even leap from nearby trees. One squirrel usually leads to more, and they’ll sit in your feeder for a long time, scaring away any bird who dares to stop by your yard. Follow these tips to keep squirrels out of your bird feeder in Goldsboro, NC.
A Squirrel Baffle
Feeders mounted on poles are an open invitation to squirrels. Even if it’s made of PVC or metal, a squirrel can shimmy up it in no time. An effective deterrent is the squirrel baffle, a half-dome shaped contraption you can buy at any hardware store. Put this around your pole to prevent squirrels from climbing and reaching the precious bird seed. Make sure the baffle is placed high enough so the squirrels can’t jump over it.
Weight Sensitive Bird Feeder
A weight-sensitive bird feeder will deny food to anything heavier than a bird. It’s much simpler than it sounds. The perch is on a hinge that pulls down when something heavy steps on it, causing a door to close over the food. Most birds are too light to move the hinge. Crows might be locked out, but that’s ok, crows also like to horde all the seed for themselves.
Cages
If you’re looking for 360 degrees of security, then try a cage. The openings are big enough to allow small birds in but small enough to keep out squirrels. It also keeps out larger birds. We’re talking about the bird feeder bullies like grackles, blue jays, and starlings. Soon the squirrels and other seed stealers will learn they can’t get to the seeds and will give up.
Spice It Up
Squirrels have a low tolerance for spicy food so break out that spice rack and lace that bird seed with cayenne pepper, crushed red peppers, or anything else spicy. One taste and the squirrel will hightail it out of there. Don’t worry about the birds, they ‘re not affected by the spice.
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