“It’s kind of amazing to what lengths some bird lovers will reach in order to feed the songbirds that live in their backyards,” she says. “It has become a big business, with many people motivated to do whatever it takes to outsmart those bothersome squirrels.”īut there’s a flip side to every story. The cost of the Yankee Flipper is a pricey $110.99, but Neiman says her stores sell hundreds of the model every year. Homeowners can actually set the spring tension of that feeder so it can repel unwanted heavier birds as well.”

“In fact, the Yankee Flipper features a battery-powered feeder tray that spins the squirrel off the hopper ledge because the squirrel is too heavy. “The past few years have seen products hit the market with names like Squirrel-Be-Gone, Squirrel Buster and Yankee Flipper,” Neiman says.

Pamela Neiman – owner of Wild Birds Unlimited franchises in Nashville, Franklin and Goodlettsville – agrees that counterbalance feeders are the best combatants against the furry pests. “A counterbalance system features a feeding hopper whose ledge has a hinge-spring apparatus, so when a squirrel sits on the ledge, its heavier weight closes the feeding holes,” he says. Other squirrel-proofing ideas include hanging a feeder from thin fishing line that squirrels have difficulty balancing upon, or keeping a hanging feeder at least 15 feet from buildings or trees so that the squirrels can’t leap onto the feeder.īut Duty, who is a bird fancier himself and has waged battles with many squirrels in his own backyard, says the only products that really work for him are counterbalance feeders.

“Cardinals and blue jays won’t fit through the wire openings, and those two types of birds are favorites among most enthusiasts.” “A drawback to caged feeders is that only the smallest of birds can get in, such as titmice, purple finches and downy woodpeckers,” Duty says. One of the more popular models is a caged feeder, featuring a plastic or PVC tube that encases the birdseed.Ī wire cage is then wrapped around the tube, keeping squirrels from getting to the feeder. In recent years, the all-out war against squirrels has escalated throughout the bird feeder industry. “Squirrels are devilish opportunists, taking whatever food is most easily accessible to them.” “The only trouble with this particular plan is if you slack off from filling the squirrel feeder, they will immediately invade the bird feeders,” Duty says. “And the squirrels won’t drain them from the feeders like they would when finding black oil sunflower seeds, which they love.”ĭuty also suggests placing a bird feeder in one section of a backyard, and a separate feeder for squirrels in another area far from the bird haven. “Safflower seeds can be poured into open hoppers on bird feeders because squirrels will only eat those seeds as a last resort,” Duty says. One possible way to outsmart squirrels is to fill bird feeders with safflower seeds, which are not only bitter to squirrels but also undesirable to “garbage” birds such as starlings, crows and blackbirds. Even if they can’t find an edible morsel, homeowners end up with an empty feeder and the ground covered with seeds – which other animals will eat.” “The only trouble with this idea is that squirrels will root through a bird feeder until they come across a seed that might not be coated with pepper. “A major deterrent for squirrels is to coat birdseed with pepper spray, because the pepper is hot to a squirrel’s lips,” says Dave Duty, senior product manager for the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative in La Vergne. Given such a large monetary investment, it is not surprising that homeowners will also go to great lengths to foil squirrels that prey upon feathery backyard sanctuaries. Department of Interior estimates that 55 million Americans feed wild birds each year, spending $3 billion on birdseed and another $750 million on feeders, baths, houses and nesting boxes. There are products now on the market whose sole purpose is to deter these seed-stealing menaces that invade the tranquil feeding areas of backyard birds. Pepper Spray and Safflower Seed as Deterrents

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