by DJ Featherton
Sometimes I feel like Bill Murray in “Caddyshack” where he is obsessed with getting rid of that aggravating gopher. Well, I’ve got squirrels! They’re smart and determined. They can leap ten feet in a single bound. They can climb straight up a steel shepherd’s hook to violate any feeder within reach. They will eat their way through heavy plastic feeders and consume volumes of special seed meant solely for my birds. I’m getting obsessed with this problem as I rap on my window from inside the house to scare them away. Now they don’t even look at me and just keep eating. When there are two or three squirrels having a party on my feeders, I start thinking of creative violence! But, wait! Take a deep breath! There are solutions … usually … maybe…
Yes, squirrels are smart and remarkably persistent. In fact, squirrels learn from each other, so having one squirrel at your feeders simply means you’ll soon have more. There are a number of preventive efforts that can be made, some better than others. One suggestion is putting out a separate squirrel feeder in a different part of the yard. This way they don’t have to go to the harder to reach bird feeders. Hmm, that solution sounds doubtful to me, but may work for others. This could double your feed costs, and I wonder what other critters would find these easily accessible squirrel feeders appealing? There are more solutions to consider…
Keep your feeders at least 10’ away from trees and branches. One recommendation is to string a line from one tree to another tree that’s an adequate distance away. Then, simply hang your feeders in the middle of the line away from the trees. The squirrels won’t walk on the bouncy line and your feeders should be safe. There may be some issues with this. Do you have the trees, and are they in the right locations? If not, what can you tie this long line to in your backyard that makes any sense? Will the line stretch after the first rain, so the feeders are now sagging down within jumping distance for the squirrels? Will children be safe running through your yard?? AND will the lawn guy be at risk for being garroted??? But, most importantly, it looks bad!
Here’s a good suggestion. Put a dose of hot peppers into the bird feeder. Squirrels hate even the smell of hot peppers while the birds don’t taste it and it has no deleterious effect on them. Cayenne pepper from your cupboard works. However, red pepper flakes may be safer for the birds because the cayenne powder can blow around and get the bird’s eyes. And the birds like to eat the pepper seeds! You can also simply buy pepper spray locally or order it online. This method of putting hot peppers in your bird seed makes the need for only buying certain seed that squirrels don’t like unnecessary. Hot tamale! See how they like that!
It really depends on what and how your feeders are displayed. One of the best and easiest ways to hang feeders exactly where you want is on a Shepherd’s hook. These can nicely handle two to six hanging feeders BUT can also easily attract the neighborhood’s squirrels. Here’s the solution: baffles! Squirrel baffles are a simple plastic dome that clips onto the steel pole of the shepherd’s hook and prevents them from climbing up to the feeders. They look like a little umbrella, are inexpensive, and readily available. One of my favorites!
Some people grease the pole that leads to their feeders. This is not a good idea, especially if you use petroleum jelly. Just the smallest amount of petroleum jelly on a bird’s feathers will cause it to die. The other problem with greasing the pole is, it doesn’t last and is messy to deal with. NO GREASE!
These are common solutions for keeping the squirrels at bay, but they’re not perfect. Other methods are available like electrical devises and spinning perches that toss the squirrel to the ground. And then there was Grandpa’s method that I won’t even get into! I can’t help but marvel at the time and effort squirrels put into getting what they want! I am pretty certain that squirrels stay up all night creating, designing and planning their next day’s assault on our backyard bird feeders. Eliminating squirrels from our feeders is difficult, but let’s keep trying. It’s us against the squirrels, and I’m stayin’ up all night makin’ plans.
Addendum: Problem solved! Switched out feed to ONLY safflower seeds! Mammals don’t like them! Watching Chubby Squirrel checking them out the first time was hilarious! He shinnied up the pole, got level with the feeder and STOPPED! He looked like he was sniffing them. He tentatively reached out a paw 3 times and quickly drew it back. Then he turned around and departed, never to return! VICTORY!!!