making bird feeders - Squirrel and Bird Feeders problems

Squirrel Problems With Bird Feeders
By matt soufle
There are truly two basic approaches to keeping squirrels out of your bird feeder. The first is to simply try and block them from getting to the feeder. There are 2 common types of feeders that do that. Squirrel proof bird feeders are very common.

Baffled Bird Feeder - By simply prohibiting access to the the food in the feeder, you frustrate them and they move off. The benefit of to using a baffle is that it nearly separates the squirrel proof barrier from the feeder itself, so the bird have free access to the bird seed, and any size bird can still use the feeder. This is frequently the more classy approach.

The disadvantage of this approach is that squirrels can leap enormous distances, and are incredibly flexible climbers, so they will often find a way to land on

the actual feeder and evade the baffling. With the top mounted feeder you may also find a squirrel smart enough to climb down and cause the feeder to swing, and while they may not gain access to the feeder itself they may cause the bird food to spill to the ground, where they can get all the food they desire.

This is typically the case when you're attempting to attract smaller birds.

The second approach to disposing of squirrels in your bird feeder is to move them out. The much more effective types of squirrel proof feeders are those that cause the squirrel to fall off or be thrown from the feeder. There are two types of those feeders as well, weight turned on feeders and the battery powered or electronic motorized feeders. While this won't harm the squirrels they're fun to observe in action.