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Sharing is Baffling: Put a Squirrel Baffle on that Birdhouse!
Some of us feed them while others despise them, but squirrels are usually a large part of bird feeding. You can move the feeders, grease the poles or try any contraption, but the only effective and permanent way to keep critters off your feeder is with a squirrel baffle that’s placed correctly. In this case, correctly means the squirrel has no possible way of jumping from something else to gain access, and boy, can they jump!But baffles aren’t just for feeders – they protect birdhouses too! Or rather they protect residents inside those houses. Both squirrels and raccoons can and will destroy nests and eat eggs, raccoons will even consume baby birds. Devastating not only to mom and dad, it can be bad for hosts too should you happen to be monitoring the progress of your new tenants.
If the birdhouse is pole-mounted, there’s plenty of options for a pole baffle, with easy wrap-around installation. These open for placement then lock into place. Hanging birdhouse? Not a problem! Simply place a hanging baffle above the birdhouse. With 20-inch diameter, it will deter pesky squirrels and raccoons.
You can even make your own squirrel baffle with a few items from the local home improvement store. The Kingston and stovepipe baffles are popular designs among bluebird monitors. Just do a quick search for directions on how these are made.
Offering places for birds to nest is a great way to entice them to your place without actually feeding them, and fresh water is another easy method to attract feathered friends. But if you put up housing for them… please make it safe! Watching babies grow and fledge is well worth preventative measures.
Thanks for housing the birds 🙂
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To the Sad Little Friend on the Bird Feeder Bracket
You don’t look well little finch, so sorry but I can’t feed you anymore 🙁Every garden pole and bird feeder bracket now sit empty, except for the single bird perched there wondering “what’s happened to my food?”
The best intentions: Down, all of the feeders have been removed in hopes of population disbursement, encouraging the birds to move on. To an avid backyard birder this is heart-wrenching, especially during nesting season and migration. Disease has been confirmed and is being spread through feeders. Even the cleanest set-up won’t stop the spread of salmonella, respiratory, or air-born diseases in birds once its taken hold. Bleached and sparkly clean feeders mean nothing since it takes only one infected bird to start the cycle again.
Safety’s not always in numbers: Finches and pine siskins tend to travel and congregate in large groups. Even though there’s ample feeding stations to accommodate them, they’re more susceptible to the spread of respiratory disease or bacterial infection when large groups feed together.
Course of action: Obligated to do the right thing because attracting birds with feeders brings with it a responsibility to those birds. First and foremost is to remove all feeders. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center lists 4 diseases and 8 precautionary steps to keep disease at bay. It will be about two weeks before the feeders are placed for use again. The ground’s been raked clean, and feeders will be sanitized with 10% bleach solution.
The sight of a sickly bird is fairly obvious if you notice the signs. Lethargic and almost easy to catch, ruffled, unkept feathers, puffed out and sometimes shaking (even though it’s not cold), and swollen eyes or eyelids. They have trouble eating and fly slowly. Upon seeing a dead pine siskin with no signs of trauma last week, the thought of disease had entered my mind. Another the next day, and then a dead goldfinch in full summer breeding plumage confirmed the realization that I’m not helping the birds… but rather killing them 🙁
So now, I’m not sure who’s more upset? The frantic cardinals perching on empty poles and feeder brackets, the confused nuthatches and chickadees who are nesting and already have clutches, or myself, the one responsible for creating the mess? Woe is me, and what a rotten way to start the week 🙁
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Yes, They Make Bird Seed Trays for Poles
One of the down-sides of feeding birds (for some folks) is the ground mess with which to contend. There are easy ways to avoid waste pretty much altogether… and fairly easily.Whether hanging or pole-mounted, there’s a solution with bird seed trays. This one is adjustable and accommodates almost any style feeder out there! Although the Seed Hoops hang, they’ll slide nicely right over a pole as well. It’s as simple as cutting a small slit in the center of the tray.
Also in wood and durable recycled plastic, seed trays are available for 4×4 posts too.
A tad more sturdy, the poly-lumber (or recycled material) truly does last a lifetime.A few other measures to avoid ground mess or at least reduce its presence, is using a no-waste seed. Because there are no fillers, birds are less likely to sort through and pick out the good stuff! Fillers are what ends up on the ground anyway, millet, milo and corn being most common. Sunflower hearts are always a great choice, and you can bet anything that does land on the ground gets scarfed up quickly.
Suet is another alternative for clean feeding. Many birds will partake and there’s no waste. Thistle’s also a good choice as these seeds will not germinate. You won’t see as many species with thistle alone (mostly finches), but when offered along with suet, there should be a good variety. Chickadees, nuthatches, warblers, woodpeckers, and even bluebirds in winter will go for suet.
So if the feeding mess has you down, don’t give up the ship yet… try using a bird seed tray and offering cleaner seed. The birds are worth it 🙂
Birding Tips, Information & News
