Squirrels and our Bird Feeder
/Back in December I hung some garlands of suet and seeds on our deck for the birds; the birds didn’t find them fast enough. We fed squirrels. Within a few days, all that was left of the suet and seeds were the twine garland, straw bows, and hulls.
We’ve always had squirrels in our yard but now – in January - they seem fatter than I remember. They like to explore our deck from the railing – probably hoping for more suet and seeds. I’m not providing more.
I have put out the bird feeder with seeds. It’s several years old and I only fill it in the winter. It is supposed to be squirrel resistant and it has proved to be effective in past seasons. I finally caught a squirrel in the act…and the feeder with its seeds won the round! It has springs that are pulled downward by the squirrel’s weight (not birds) and there are metal ‘flowers’ that cover the holes where the seeds are available. Note the top flange of the feeder is below cap on the top…that indicates that the metal mesh with roosts and flowers is pushed downward. No holes uncovered to the squirrel.
After the squirrel thoroughly explored all sides of the feeder, it jumped down and the springs returned to normal uncovering the holes to give birds access to the seeds. Good design!
