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the all-important squirrel baffle
Every single bird feeder (and even some birdhouses) at our place sits with a squirrel baffle attached to it. Don’t get me wrong, I like squirrels and feed them pretty darn good, but it’s just never enough. Squirrels are fine in the yard~just not in the bird feeders! Many folks would agree with this too.One 3-arm feeder pole that’s next to the driveway has been the new target of our crafty critters lately, as they’ve learned to jump from the side view mirror of the car when parked near the feeder. This has caused a new plan in parking management, as the second car in is NOT allowed to pull up to the end of the drive. It’s an inconvenience, but saves a lot of birdseed!
Both hanging and pole mount squirrel baffles are essential to backyard bird feeding if squirrels happen to be present. It’s the only thing that really works. If you have a fancy shepherd’s hook with no straight end to slide the baffle over, these cone shaped ones work like a dream on any size feeder pole. A simple clamp and innovative design will make your feeders squirrel-proof in no time flat!
A customer recently told me she purchased those “hot meats” to deter squirrels. From experience I know these will work effectively… for a little while anyway. Pounds of Cayenne pepper has been added to our seed stash-but to no avail because the crafty critters get used to it. The easiest solution to squirrels is hands-down – squirrel baffles!
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Offer Nesting Materials Many Ways
For most of April and May, we’ve been giving away free nesting materials with all orders. Throughout most of the spring season, you can encourage birds to take up residence at your place with nesting materials. Different species build their nests accordingly, so we’ve used varied materials to make up the packages.Shown here is a Pop-Outz suet feeder, and we’ve been giving them away too! The recycled plastic makes a perfect container for offering the nesting materials. Suet is always a welcomed treat for both resident and migratory birds and the Pop-Outz is a super fun way to serve it. No-melt suet or doughs are made specifically for warm weather feeding and the energy boost really helps out migratory birds after a long journey.
But back to the nesting materials, ours were comprised of horse hair (from mane, tail and body), decorative mosses, like Spanish, sphagnum, and the yellow straw-like stuff, feathers and strips of aspen wood. Aspen fiber happens to be another favorite among North American birds, and is found in many of the commercial nesting material kits.
A mesh produce ba
g from the grocery store (like the kind apples come in) also works great for offering nesting materials, and we use them around our yard. Things like the Birdie Bell are also wonderful for nest materials, plus year-round feeding too.
Entice birds to take up residence at your place by creating a suitable and friendly environment. Food, water and shelter are the basics, be it natural or man-made… the birds will thrive and flourish!
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a great perching spot on bird feeder pole
Because I lack any really decent photography equipment, the image isn’t so great, in fact I was pretending to digiscope with a pair of cheap binoculars. But that’s not the point of this blog. The bird feeder pole where this cardinal is perched sees a whole lot of activity in our back yard. From bluebirds and chickadees to titmice and woodpeckers, the four-arm bird feeder pole offers the perfect perching spot to rest and hunt.Recently we had a semi-successful brood of bluebirds. Five babies made it out into the world, but the task of raising all five alone must have been too much for mom. Three days before these babies fledged, dad went missing. Perhaps the red-tailed hawk who hangs around, or my neighbor’s pain in the $#@ cats had gotten to him? Although I’ll never know his fate, he did leave his legacy in the three thriving juveniles. They like landing on this bird feeder pole because the mealworm dish is attached to it. They have options where to land and perch, and because the pole’s arms are at two levels, the babies can ease their way down to the dish. New males are in the area, but they’re not so kind to the babies, Mother Nature sure can be brutal at times 🙁
So here’s another pretty bad photo of dad bluebird before he disappeared, perched on the same bird feeder pole
. It’s really stinks not having a decent camera because the birds in our yard are many and varied. There’s an Eastern Phoebe feeding two babies, three kinds of woodpeckers, all the usual suspects, and a thrasher who hangs around. Now, if the darn starlings would just hit the road… all would be well.
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