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What’s The Best Way To Keep Squirrels Off Bird Feeders?

You Can’t Make A Deal With Squirrels

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is feeding squirrels will keep them from bothering your feeders. This is simply not true. I have yet to meet a squirrel that wouldn’t take anything it could get its little paws on to eat. I have them in my backyard and I do feed them but I take other precautions.

Among these are:

• Don’t Locate Feeders Near Trees-Keep in mind that squirrels can survive a 100 foot drop out of a tree and live. I’ve only had one since I’ve been feeding test this theory but you have to keep it in mind.
• Feed Them-If you’ve taken other measures they can be managed and quite a joy to have in your backyard.
• Baffle Everything-Squirrels can and will climb up any feeder pole. Using the longer raccoon baffles makes it impossible for them to climb past it. Also baffle any birdhouses you put up in the spring.
• Feed Safflower-If you put out platform feeders make sure they have safflower in them as squirrels(and Grackles)have no interest in it.
• Observe Their Behavior-Not only can this be a hoot but you’ll learn they’ll give you clues about what they are planning. For instance, I caught the feeder jumper because he had walked out on a limb repeatedly and was staring down at the feeder sizing up the jump. Finally, he just ran and jumped and was quite shocked when he actually hit it. I almost felt bad opening my back door to make him jump off. I said almost.

I hope you’ve found this post helpful in showing you the best way to keep squirrels off your feeders. Using these methods I’ve been able to enjoy their antics in my backyard while not shortchanging or endangering my daily bird visitors.

If you’ve got a tip or trick that works great for you I’d love to hear it. Just leave a comment below so everybody can benefit from it.