- Ant Moats, Bird Book, Bird Feeder Pole, Bird Field Guides, Bird Nesting Materials, Bird Seed Trays, Birding Accessories, Misters and Birdbath Drippers, Nesting Material, Squirrel Baffle, Water Wiggler, Weather Guards
squirrel baffle serves as weatherguard too
The most effective way to foil squirrels and protect your feeders from their disruptive antics, is with a squirrel baffle. A quality baffle is a one-time investment that will save your birdseed and ultimately your money in the long run.
The best part about using a hanging squirrel baffle is the versatility. Some folks even use them as weather guards alone (like me) to protect feeders from the elements. Most will serve as weather guards throughout the changing seasons. Keeping snow in winter, rain, and direct sun in sweltering summer heat, from ever reaching and spoiling the bird food. This will also save money by keeping food fresher longer. Not to mention, squirrel baffles also protect feathered friends at your feeder while dining. Although this feeder hangs from a pole with a baffle in place, one is also used to protect the feeder. Check out that snow sitting on top!
Planning and proper placement are two key factors when setting up new baffles. One must always remember squirrels’ uncanny acrobatic and athletic abilities! The little furry critters can jump sideways almost 10 feet. So, the horizontal “launching point” must be taken into consideration. Don’t hang the feeder near anything they might be able to jump from sideways. Vertically speaking, be sure the bottom of the feeder is at least five feet from ground level.
All in all, a great investment for novice to advanced backyard birders. Sparing you much aggravation and headache should squirrels be a problem in the yard.
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Create a Bird Magnet in your hanging bird bath
Although I’ve never tried this personally, it’s a fantastic idea to entice more feathered friends to your hanging bird bath!
From experience of having several birdbaths containing water features, I can guarantee that moving water really does attract more birds and keeps them around longer.
We have water wigglers, drippers and leaf misters going all summer in our birdbaths, (and heaters in winter) but only one hanging bird bath which has no water feature to create moving water. I saw this idea in a birding magazine and thought it was pretty darn clever.
Take a gallon milk jug (keeps it out of the landfill) and pierce a tiny hole in the bottom corner with a needle or safety pin. The hole must be minute for this contraption to work correctly. Next, fill the jug with water and hang it above the bird bath. The slow, steady drips will create a visual magnet for birds at your bath. It’s amazing to see the difference a bit of movement in the water really makes. Be sure to keep the bath and water clean, and plan on re-filling the jug about once a week.
Happy Birding!
- Bats & Butterflies, Bird Accessories, Butterfly Feeder, Misters and Birdbath Drippers, Uncategorized
Glass Butterfly Feeders and More
Innovative by design, with beauty to compliment any environment, these glass butterfly feeders work perfectly in any garden setting. With their rich hues, the large hand-blown glass flowers make for a fun and interesting focal point. Add versatility to this…and they become more than just feeders.
In our yard a red one sits just below a leaf mister, and as the water collects in the flower, it creates the perfect bath – not only for butterflies, but birds too! The unique shape allows for feeding nectar or fruit to butterflies as well. Over-ripened fruit like bananas, melon, peaches, pears and more can easily be placed in the flower. Add nectar to this glass flower with or without the use of a sponge.
When attracting butterflies, several factors come into play. Landscape and the use of flowers is an important one. Nectar producing plants, and host plants will yield the best results when used in conjunction with one another.
A water source is very helpful too, but butterflies do not use birdbaths. Puddlers are more suited for attracting these “flying flowers”. Puddlers are just what the name implies, pools of water, or puddles. They can range from small to large, plastic or stoneware, raised or at ground level. This puddler is handcrafted of weatherproof stoneware, so it stays in the garden year-round. It gives butterflies a place to dry in the sun (after bathing) with its’ smooth rock-like surface. Some puddlers may even be used as butterfly feeders, with spaces for offering fruit or nectar.
Butterfly accessories that are versatile and interchangeable are always a sure bet as you can try different things to see what works best for attracting these little guys to your garden.
A leaf mister in our yard sits in front of a glass butterfly feeder. Unfortunately from this angle, the feeder is hidden by shrubs. But it’s the perfect example of using a butterfly feeder as a bath instead.