Squirrels: Are they simply rats with higher PR? Be suggested that this isn’t protected studying materials for squirrel lovers, and even squirrel apologists. For my part, squirrels are worse than rats—smarter, extra devious, extra harmful. I’ve had them nest in my chimney, chew holes in my eaves to get into my partitions, and destroy a number of fowl feeders. I even had one chew via a whole 4-by-2 pergola rafter to get at a suet block.
With the recognition of sensible fowl feeders, it’s much more vital to study methods to maintain them out of your yard, lest they flip your funding right into a pile of chewed-up plastic bits. To make issues worse, for those who dwell on the West Coast like I do, you are more likely to be coping with the Jap grey squirrel, which is a nonnative, invasive species that competes for assets with native species like Western grey squirrels. What’s a yard fowl fanatic to do?
Fortunate for you, I have been feeding birds for nearly 25 years throughout three completely different states, and have been testing sensible feeders for the previous yr, preventing near-daily battles with these furry neighborhood foes. I’ve tried all of it and discovered what works—and what would not—so you may hold your sanity intact.
For extra birdy enterprise, try our guides to the Finest Good Chook Feeders, the Finest Binoculars, and the Finest Presents for Chook Lovers.
The Golden (5-7-9) Rule
First off, there’s a tried-and-true technique of foiling squirrels, and it is each free and innocent. Consultants seek advice from it because the 5-7-9 Rule: Preserve your feeder at the very least 5 ft off the bottom, 7 ft away from buildings like homes, timber, or fences; and 9 ft away from something overhead that they might bounce from, corresponding to a tree department or roof. This normally means placing your feeder on a pole with a baffle (I exploit the set above), or hanging it from a tall shepherd’s hook.
When you’re out there for a fowl feeder, particularly a sensible feeder, it is crucial that it have the choice to hold or be pole-mounted, as a result of for those who can solely mount it on a fence or a tree, you are primarily rolling out the welcome mat for squirrels. (All of the sensible feeders I like to recommend, together with Birdfy and Chook Buddy, embody pole mounts.) If you wish to go the additional mile, you can even grease your pole with Crisco, which does not final lengthy however is sweet for an entertaining day or two.
Notice that in case your sensible feeder would not have an hooked up photo voltaic panel to cost the battery, you seemingly will not be capable of mount it on the pole with the feeder with out some jury-rigging, so I like to recommend going for a mannequin with a built-in photo voltaic roof or no photo voltaic panel in any respect.
