Squirrel Baffles
Squirrels can be quite a problem in your bird feeders. They are persistent about their pursuit of your bird seed, and even their presence will intimidate birds from gathering to your feeder. You can invest in a squirrel proof feeder, but often we are happy with our existing feeder, perhaps because it is a unique feeder, and are just interested in keeping the birds out of the feeder we have.
First things first. Since we aren't adding a cage or other obstruction to the feeder itself, we are basically counting on keeping the squirrels away from the feeder. This requires some preparation of the actual mounting location. It can't be near a roof or a tree that a squirrel might leap from. They have in impressive range, so don't underestimate the jumping radius of your furry visitors. The mounting member that you are putting the baffle on has to be the only way the squirrel can gain access.
There are a variety of baffles to choose from:
Pole mounted baffles - For feeders mounted on a pole, these are designed to sit below the feeder on the pole, and keep the squirrels from climbing up the pole.
Hanging baffles - These are more common, and in fact are sometimes built into the feeder hanger. There are simple flat baffles, some are almost two feet in diameter. Many of these are inverted cones, intended to have the squirrel simply slide off the the ground when they try to climb around. There is also a domed style, a few are clear in color so they don't block the view or attract attention to themselves.
You can find other shapes as well. One that seems to be particularly effective is the Audubon Torpedo Squirrel Baffle
is
longer than many baffles (about 15 inches high) and can
be mounted either above or below the feeder. Because of
the extra height of the Torpedo it is very effective in
keeping squirrel out.
If you find that a simple baffle is not enough to deter your squirrels, you may want to try something a little more aggressive. The Contech Squirrel Stopper combines a domed squirrel baffle with a motorized weight activated spinner. If the squirrel makes it past the baffle and gets on the feeder, the weight of the squirrel activates a motor and the entire feeder starts to spin and will spin the squirrel off the feeder. Both pretty effective and entertaining to watch!
