Squirrel -proof bird feeding
I gave up putting out feed for birds a few years ago. I was just feeding squirrels.
It occurs to me that there must be some things that squirrels don't fancy.
What about those wormy things or fat balls?
Can anyone suggest something that only birds would be interested in?
It occurs to me that there must be some things that squirrels don't fancy.
What about those wormy things or fat balls?
Can anyone suggest something that only birds would be interested in?
In London. Keen but lazy.
0
Posts
Maybe throw some chilli powder over your bird seed.
(This excellent answer just came to me - I too am plagued by squirrels that steal all the bird seed. I think I shall try my own suggestion tomorrow.)😁
I don't know that the theory of the fat balls not being attractive to squirrels is true. My brother swears 'his' squirrel waited until the magpies had taken enough to lighten the load and then swiped the whole thing! Presumably to open and enjoy at its leisure. He threatened to search for its home to retrieve his cage.
I laughed at his fanciful story ( imagine that Jaws music here) until a week later my suet block cage also went missing ????????
Not a squirrel to be seen anywhere near it, whereas normally the squirrels would be first in and leave only the rubbish for the birds.
The jackdaws seemed to enjoy it even more with chilli powder on it.😊
And here we are, from them what know
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/grey-squirrel-deterrents/
The other solution, which works providing your feeder is on a pole, not hanging, and there's nothing nearby from which a squirrel can jump onto the feeder, is a squirrel baffle. It looks like a large upside down plastic mixing bowl with a hole in, and you thread it onto the feeder pole just below the feeder and tighten up the collar which attaches it. It's quite fun watching the squirrels running confidently up the pole, reaching the bowl and getting rather cross...
And I've just seen an ad for the (expensive) Ark Wildlife "squirrel buster" peanut feeder, one of those which closes if the creature sitting on it is too heavy. The blurb says the weight activated control can be adjusted. First weigh your woodpecker...