A hungry squirrel just hanging around. Photo: Carolyn Sundquist
My family has watched this bird feeder in the small tree outside our Farmington Hills, Mich., home for about ten years. I’ve never seen as many squirrels as this winter gathered under it or on the tree above it. There is an average of about ten squirrels a day.
Maybe it’s the warm winter. Maybe they’ve finally learned the tricks of the trade. If you ask me, we have ninja squirrels.
They have figured out how to slide down the plastic cover and latch their back feet to the metal bottom where birds usually rest. They hang for a while, grab a pawful of seeds and eat it upside-down.
Then they roll back up for more.
More times than not, they fall safely to the ground, only to race right back up the tree for another try.
It used to annoy us. They were stealing the feed from the birds. But we’ve come to enjoy watching these suburban scavengers.
We fill the feeder about once a day and it shows in these plump little guys. You may think they are storing up for the winter, but as my Dad says, “They are gluttonous.”
But how do you stop it?
Anyone out there with a better idea for stopping squirrels from stealing all the seed from the birds?
I have a little dog who keeps my squirrel feeding to a minimum. She’s never caught one. Probably never will. But she spends many hours daily on her quest to get one eventually.
In the mean time here’s a compilation of ideas from You Tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5-d3rZZ-_M&feature=related
You could send the squirrels for a ride!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NocRG3r2zBw
But how do you stop it? Look at the photo! There is the absolute perfect head shot for a tasty squirrel dinner.
PETA – People Eating Tasty Animals
We have fought the battle of the squirrels for years, and I am sorry to say they have won on every front. We too, have learned to appreciate their ingenuity and determination. We had one feeder on a shepherd’s pole, which they climbed. I smeared it with vasoline, and that was amusing, to see them sliding down the pole and flicking gunk off their paws, but it did not deter them. Cayenne pepper worked for a short time, but I do not think there is enought Cayenne in the world to stop them. The Golden Retriever worked for a while, because he would chase them out of our fenced-in yard, but he caught one at the fence, and it was such a traumatic experience for both of them (squirrel was OK and back the next day, dog may have been bit, squirrel screeching scared him thoroughly) that they agreed to a truce: dog waits until the squirrel is half-way across the yard before he chases after it, plenty of time to get to the fence. Dog is (technically) doing his duty, the squirrels still get the feed so everyone is happy. We just buy extra sunflower seeds. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…..
My father-in-law engineered a solution involving metal sheeting — definitely not pretty, but effective! I think he enjoyed the challenge as much if not more than feeding the birds. I say, feed them both. But maybe not refilling every day.
I use a flying saucer shaped “squirrel baffle”, it’s about 18 inches wide, that fits above the feeder on the same hanger. It’s wide enough and steep enough that they can’t reach underneath it without sliding off. I also have another one below the feeder that keeps them from climbing up the pole. And the whole thing is high enough off the ground that they can’t jump up above the lower baffle. It seems to work! The baffles weren’t cheap, but since they’ve lasted for so long, it was worth the money. We do have another feeder that the squirrels have complete access to, and yes, they must have the longest toes of all mammals, and they must be part bat since they don’t seem to get dizzy hanging upside down for what seems like hours at a shot.
Love ‘dem squirrels!