How to Feed the Birds But Not the Squirrels

How to Feed the Birds But Not the Squirrels

Squirrels will look at your bird feeder and will come up with options A - Z of how can it get the bird seed, and we have compiled our favourite tips of how to deter squirrels from eating all of your bird seed. 

Shepherd Hook Squirrel Baffle

This style of baffle is meant to be mounted around a shepherds hook base to prevent squirrels from climbing up the shepherds hook and having access to the bird seed. These can be found made of plastic or metal, and usually have a smooth surface so the squirrel cannot get any traction and climb over the baffle.

Photo: A Shepherd Hook Squirrel Baffle works great for preventing squirrels from being able to climb up your shepherds hook

When using squirrel baffles you do need to make sure that there aren't other objects close to the bird feeder that would allow a squirrel to bypass the baffle. These baffles work best approximately 8 feet away from any shrubs, trees or other objects that a squirrel can jump from.

Photo: Oh no! This squirrel was able to get around the squirrel baffle because there was another shepherds hook that it could climb instead and then jump over to the bird seed

Hanging Squirrel Baffle

This style of squirrel baffle is meant to be hung above the bird feeder to prevent the squirrel from climbing down to the bird feeder. Like the previous style of baffles, these can be found made of plastic or metal. When shopping for this style of baffle the key is to have a smooth surface and that the baffle is unstable if any weight is applied to one side. Having a slippery, unstable surface prevents the squirrel from being able to climb around the baffle.

Photo: A hanging squirrel baffle is great at preventing squirrels from climbing down to your bird feeder

Cayenne Pepper

Adding cayenne pepper to your bird seed is a great option to deter squirrels and other furry friends from eating your bird seed. There isn't a go-to ratio of how much cayenne pepper to add to your bird seed, and each squirrel is different. Cayenne pepper is harmless to the birds, and due to the fact that the birds can only taste sweet, sour and bitter, the addition of a little spice will not deter them from eating your bird seed.

To use cayenne pepper we recommend portioning out the bird seed you plan to use that day and placing it either in a re-sealable bag or container. Add cayenne pepper to this container and after closing the container shake it to distribute the seasoning evenly. This method of squirrel deterrent works best only if all the seed is coated in cayenne pepper. If you just put cayenne pepper on the top layer of seed, the squirrel quickly learns to dig past this layer and eat the un-coated seeds underneath.

This method can take some trial and error before finding the exact ratio that works for your squirrels. Another tip we have learned from customers is to make sure any sources of water aren't near the feeder when using cayenne pepper. This is because many squirrels realized that after encountering the spicy cayenne pepper, drinking water allowed them to return to the bird seed quicker than if it wasn't available.

Hot Pepper Suet

Hot pepper suet is a great option if squirrels are eating your suet. This product has cayenne pepper mixed throughout each individual cake. These suet cakes work excellent at preventing rodents from eating any pieces of suet that might fall to the ground if you have messy birds.

Photo: Hot Pepper Suet Cake

Squirrel Buster Bird Feeders

This style of bird feeder comes in various sizes and designs to suit your yard. They work due to a spring mechanism that is triggered by the weight of the squirrel. Because birds have hollow bones, even large birds don't close the feeding ports but a small squirrel will. Many of these options also come with adjustable springs, to allow you to decide how sensitive you want the mechanism.

Sheet Metal/ Stove Piping Around Wooden 

If your bird feeder is mounted to a wooden post the easiest way to deter squirrels is by making it difficult for them to climb up the post. This can easily be accomplished by wrapping the wooden post in either sheet metal or stove piping, as these are surfaces that squirrels are unable to grip easily. When using this method for deterring squirrels you need to make sure that the metal is positioned high enough so that the squirrel is unable to jump from the ground and grip a wooden surface beyond the sheet metal.

Photo: Sheet metal or stove piping wrapped around your wooden posts prevents squirrels from being able to climb up to your bird feeders

Nanaimo bird report, July 23, 2017

Nanaimo bird report”

Explore Nature ---Go Birding

To report your sightings call the birdstore at 250-390-3669 or e-mail

thebirdstore@shaw.ca

Please remember when reporting a sighting please leave your name and phone number with the date and location of the sighting.

Sunday Bird Walk, July 23, 2017:

The Sunday bird walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. The morning was sunny but there was a strong wind off the Strait of Georgia. A Cedar Waxwing was spotted at the top of a tall Fir tree at the beginning of the walk.  A Black Oystercatcher, fifteen Long-billed Dowitchers, a large number of Least Sandpipers and Western Sandpipers, two Semi-palmated Plovers and several Killdeer were seen on the mud flats. Four Black-bellied Plovers were feeding along the tide line. Mew Gulls, Bonaparte Gulls

and California Gulls were seen on the Strait.

Semi-palmated Plover: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Fourteen birders including visiting birders from Alberta and California saw and heard the following thirty-four species:

Common Merganser

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

Black Oystercatcher

Long-billed Dowitcher

Least Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Semi-palmated Plover

Black-bellied Plover

Killdeer

Belted Kingfisher

Mew Gull

Bonaparte Gull

California Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Eurasian-collared Dove

Bushtit

Anna’s Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Northwestern Crow

Violet-green Swallow

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Swainson's Thrush

American Robin

Cedar Waxwing

Orange-crowned Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

House Finch

American Goldfinch

Purple Finch  

Cedar Waxwing: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Tuesday July 18.

Sixteen Common Nighthawks were seen over McLeary Street and Kennedy Street in Nanaimo.

Six Common Nighthawks were seen over Meridian Way in Parksville.

The Tuesday Birdwalks will resume on September 5/17

The Sunday Birdwalk on July 30, 2017 will be going to the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo. Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 a.m. or at the end of Raines Road at about 9:30 a.m. 

Good birding

Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE

314 Metral Drive

 Nanaimo B.C.
V9T-2L8

Phone: 250-390-3669

Fax: 250-390-1633

Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca

Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Enjoy Feeding the Hummingbirds Without the Ants/ Wasps - By Nicole Renaud

Feeding hummingbirds is a summer tradition for many people. Most people only see hummingbirds in their yards for a couple months each year before they migrate southwards to escape the winter cold. For those of us that live on the West Coast, we get to enjoy Anna's Hummingbird year-round. A common problem that comes with feeding hummingbirds is the fact that ants and wasps also love the nectar, and these insects can make feeding hummingbirds feel like a nuisance. This article will help you select the best hummingbird feeder for your needs and that fits your yard.

Bird Feeder and Bird Bath Cleaning

The last couple of days we've had concerned customers asking us about this CBC news story:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bird-infection-atlantic-canada-1.4199049

We just wanted to let everyone know that the parasite that is infecting the birds on the Eastern Coast has only been found in Eastern populations and not Western bird populations.

Although the parasite isn't found on Vancouver Island we continue to recommend cleaning your bird feeders and bird baths regularly to maintain the health of our local bird populations.

 

 

Bird feeders: Remove old seed (especially if it has gotten wet) and dispose of it. Use a solution of nine parts water to one part bleach or vinegar (a 10% bleach/ vinegar solution) to disinfect your feeders. Repeat the cleaning process once a week for all bird feeders, or a minimum of once a month. Please also clean your suet feeders regularly.

 

 

 

Plastic feeders: submerge them in the solution after taking them apart, give them a good scrub, a good rinse, and then let it dry thoroughly before adding seed and putting them back outside.

Cedar feeders: we recommend placing the diluted bleach solution in a spray bottle and after removing the seed, use the spray bottle to distribute the bleach solution on all surfaces of your cedar feeder. The bleach solution will evaporate within approx. 12 hours and then its safe to add seed to your feeder again. If you have any extra grubby spots on your cedar feeder, make sure to scrub these off/ remove them prior to adding fresh seed to your bird feeder.