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Add me to the list of backyard feeder fanatics who has surrendered to the squirrels.

I had three feeders hanging off the gutters in front of the windows of a second-story bedroom, and I had several months of very enjoyable songbird viewing. But once those little bushy-tailed rodents learned how to climb up the siding and get to the feeders, I've been in a losing battle.

Now they've done actual damage to the siding and they hang off the window screens, and I need give up before they do more damage. I'll try moving the suet log to a pole, and I'm not sure yet what I will do with the hopper. (The tube feeder was destroyed last week by a squirrel jumping on it and crashing it to the ground.)

To paraphrase an old, politically-incorrect Steven Wright punch-line: Squirrels -- you can't live with 'em; you can't shoot 'em.

 

I beat the squirrels with my setup.  I have a shepherd’s hook pole that keeps my tube feeder about four feet off the ground.  I put it at least four feet away from the nearest structure to keep them from jumping to the feeder.  I had to bend the pole so that the squirrels could not hang onto the pole with their hind legs and pull the feeder to them.  Finally, the feeder itself keeps the pests from climbing down the hook to the feeder and pigging out.  It’s a Droll Yankee feeder with spring loaded perches.  Anything heavier than a cardinal falls off the perches as the weight causes the perch to give way.  Grackles even have a hard time feeding as they flap their wings to stay on the perch, so squirrels don’t stand a chance.  The feeder also deters the squirrels with its construction.  The top is metal, so no chewing damage.  The tube is too big around for the squirrels to hold on as they try to shimmy down from above.  After a few seconds of trying to shimmy down they always fall to the ground.  It’s really funny seeing them try over and over. 

Thanks for the info, johnthemon. I'll experiment until I get something that works. I've already moved the suet log to a hook about 40 feet away from the house. The downys found it pretty quickly. I'm waiting to see if the tree rodents can climb this pole.

I've taken note of the Droll Yankee feeder in the past, but they are so darn expensive I haven't been willing to invest in one.

They sell feeders that shut as the squirrels put their weight on them. I don't remember the name of the company, but I believe they're sold at Walmart of Home Depot for 20 bucks. The feeder works great, and squirrels really can't get to the food. The House Sparrows are another story though...

Thanks, ephily. I've been  surprisingly free of house sparrow invasions.

But since my last posting, I looked out the window and saw a &$%^#*@($ squirrel hanging upside down by his feet (!), eating off the newly-relocated suet log. So...I tried mounting a baffled halfway up the pole. Ten minutes later, the little bugger was past the baffle and feasting again. I couldn't figure out how he did it, so I watched for a while, and saw him leap from the ground, PAST the bafflle, and on to the pole.

The battle continues. I must confess a grudging respect for these little gray buggers.

 

(BTW, what is that in your avatar? The head looks like a red-bellied woodpecker, but the body doesn't...)
 

It is indeed a Red-bellied Woodpecker, in a somewhat strange position.

I can no longer put out suet, the tree-rats just devour it no matter how high up and away from trees/roofs I hang it. My sunflower feeder works great, except it doesn't House Sparrows. The only 'safe' feeder is the up-side-down thisle feeder, but the seed is just too expensive. Oy, it's tough feeding birds...

I keep trying to post a response to this with techniques and links to examples but I get the infamous "Moderation required" message.  Maybe because of the links.  Even a private message didn't go through.

Send me an email at kilton9 at yahoo.com if you want me to email it to you.

 

Plethora, your PM finally made it through this afternoon (twice, actually). Thanks very much for the info, and for your heroic attempts to deliver it . I'll explore those links this evening.

Best regards,

SM
 

For almost a year, the squirrels left my suet alone because I spread cracked corn and seeds on the ground and they decided they liked that better and it was easier to get to. Occassionally one would shimmy up the suet pole, sniff the blocks, maybe taste them, then drop back down and go back to the stuff on the ground.

 Actually, they're still ignoring the suet.

My window feeder with the black sunflower seeds, however, is becoming a thing of contention.

And it's partially my fault.

See, I have the SUCKER tatoo on my forehead.

A young grey squirrel limped into my yard with an obvious broken front ankle and I... um... started feeding him peanuts from my window. 

Two weeks later and a visit from a wildlife rehabber (who couldn't find/catch him) and he's still around.  He now sits on my window ledge peeking in my window going "Hello nice lady?  Peanuts?"

Drives my cat insane.  He has no fear of her at all. 

Now, HE leaves the feeder alone.  However, a litter of four youngsters moved in, and they watched.

And learned.

And one of THEM now has the window thing figured out and shimmies up the frame to the window feeder, sits on top of it, and helps himself. 

Which I don't mind so much, except that early one morning HE STOLE THE ENTIRE FEEDER!

I found it halfway across my yard (I could almost see it, you know.  WHOOBOY! Lookit THIS one, boys! What fun I'm gonna have buryin' this one! I'm set for life!!), still with most of the seeds in it.

The least he could have done was left the suction cups behind! I can't find one of them.

I saw a squirrel feeder on a bungee cord that I may try.  It holds an ear of corn (or corn log), and the squirrels jump and grab it and it's FUN and EXCITING and more interesting (and more yummy) than a boring window feeder, so maybe that will appeal to them more.

Besides, I can't wait to see what my cat does when she sees THAT.

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...somewhere in a peaceful mountain range, a rabbit plots to take over the world....

Here's my latest entry in the Squirrel Wars. I call it the Frankenfeeder, 'cause I took elements of my original pole and combined it with a new, taller, "Garden Treasures Bird Feeder Pole" that I bought at Lowe's, and added a 2ft long piece of 8 inch heat ducting to to serve as a squirrel baffle (as recommended in several forums).

As of this morning, I had the satisfaction of seeing a Gray Menace try to shimmy up the pole, reach the baffle, stop, slide down, and stare longingly at the suet log.

I know from experience not to assume that I have finally triumphed over the little gray fuzzy buggers, but at least I had a minor victory this morning.
 

Frankenfeeder...that is so funny!  Hopefully this time your determination will outweigh the squirrel's! 

Oh, and what's at the bottom to keep them from going up through the ducting?

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Matthew 6:26

VGirl, the duct is open at the bottom, but the top is closed with a cap. There is a small hole in the center of the cap, just big enough for the pole to go through.

The other things that are not obvious are the horizontal and vertical metal pieces at the bottom of the suet log.  That is actually the foot piece of the original pole. The bottom of the vertical piece is light because it's still covered with dirt & mud from when it was installed in the ground. The old pole pieces were just small enough to slip into the top of the new pole.
 

Excellent.  Looks like the top of the baffle is about 5 feet off the ground?  That should do!

Just a final follow-up: it's been 10 days, and I think I can safely say that I have defeated the squirrels. They don't even bother trying to climb the feeder anymore.

Moving the feeders from the back of the house to the middle of the yard has also had the positive benefit of cutting down on the bird droppings and seed casings that were accumulating on the deck and the bulkhead over the basement entrance. 

Birds are happy. Spouse is happy. Squirrels are unhappy. I am ecstatic.