“A baffle is simply a cone- or dome-shaped object you place on the string or pole over or under your feeder, which prevents squirrels from climbing up or down to access the food,” explains Tom Monson, owner of Monson Lawn & Landscaping in St Paul, Minnesota. Thorsell suggests, “Make sure it’s at least 10 feet off the ground, so the squirrels can’t just leap onto them, and equally far from any low-hanging tree branches or your roof, so they can’t jump on them from above either.” To keep squirrels at bay: Try a baffleĪnd, no, this doesn’t mean you need to stand outside and ask the squirrels riddles. Since squirrels can fall from great heights and leap tall buildings - as well as run up to 20 mph (not quite as fast as Superman) - the placement of your bird feeder can go a long way toward keeping the bushy-tailed critters away. To keep squirrels at bay: Hang the feeders high Just read on to learn easy ways to truly squirrel-proof your feeder. Luckily we’ve gathered the top expert-recommended methods. “That means installing a truly squirrel-free bird feeder is going to take some ingenuity. (Click through for window bird feeders birds will love.) But you likely don’t want that happening with the specialty seed you purchased to attract cardinals to your garden. They will gather far more food than they actually can eat, though, which is why they bury it in underground “caches” for the winter, when food sources are scarce.Īs it happens, they also forget a lot of their caches, which is one way squirrels, (aka nature’s little farmers) help their natural environment: some of the seeds and nuts they bury and forget will eventually grow into future trees and plants. Foragers by nature, squirrels will eat up to a pound of food a week, which can include nuts, seeds, fruit, plants, mushrooms and even some insects. In fact, squirrels can fall 100 feet without injury, and can jump up to 8 feet high from a sitting position, which is to say nothing of their excellent climbing ability. “The issue with squirrels is that they are both extremely motivated and extremely agile,” says Brandon Thorsell, manager at Critter Control in Ontario, Canada. Squirrels have strong bodies but forgetful minds So how do you keep squirrels out of bird feeders? We tapped top critter experts for their best tips. “They” being squirrels, of course - and it doesn’t seem to matter if the feeder is labeled “squirrel resistant” or “squirrel proof” or not - the furry little acrobats seem to just take those as a challenge rather than an actual deterrent. Anyone who’s ever tried to attract feathered friends to their backyard by installing a bird feeder knows: If you install it, they will come.
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