Squirrel! Just say the word and many backyard birdwatchers draw a battle line. On one side: amazing agility, determination and cleverness. On the other: ropes, pulleys, baffles, flingers, flippers, zappers, clappers, and much gnashing of teeth. And with the price of bird seed soaring higher than an Andean Condor, the stakes are higher than ever.

But does our relationship with squirrels have to be adversarial? For me, it’s not about fighting the “war of the squirrels” but about appreciating all the amazing ways that various squirrel species -- and individual “uber squirrels!” -- find or experiment with in their attempts to exploit the unnaturally vast and constant food source that I’m leaving out right there in their midst. While, at the same time, minimizing their ability to exploit said food source in deference to the birds.

Balance or battle? Either way, squirrels are a force to be reckoned with in the backyard bird feeding environment. You’ve probably got your own favored approach(es) to working with the situation. (Why not share them with the Eons birding group?) Following are some “recommended” suggestions that might be of interest.

Create a diversion
Let’s face it -- squirrels are tough, resourceful and relentless. Is it worth a bunch of our time and energy to keep them off our feeders by conventional means? Why not just “divert” their attention from your bird feeders by offering them their own food supply?

Your diversionary tactics can be as simple as tossing dried corn cobs on the ground. Or you can put corn or other foods in special feeders that engage the squirrels and entertain the viewer. There’s the “squirrel arrow,” the “flying trapeze” and many more. Here’s a link to a whole bunch of squirrel-related stuff that will give you a chuckle just to envision: view link

”Negative Reinforcement”
Wild beings inherently deserve our respect. I feel strongly that it’s disrespectful, inappropriate and un-cool to toss, fling, eject, zap, or otherwise cause squirrels pain or discomfort in trying to keep them off my bird feeders. (Seed sprayed with cayenne pepper, etc. falls into this category where I’m concerned.) Hence I won’t discuss these “options” further except to encourage you to cease and desist -- peace begins at home, right?

Baffle ‘em
Baffles are physical barriers placed on poles, hooks, wires, etc. that attempt to physically prevent squirrels from accessing the feeder above or below them. Every setup demands its own baffle engineering decisions and there are more options in terms of baffle shape and placement than you can shake a bushy tail at. That said, here are some basic guidelines:

* Pole baffles need to be at least 5 feet off the ground to effectively thwart leaps from below.

* Likewise, hanging feeders with a baffle above need to be at least 5 feet above the ground.

* Whether hanging or pole-mounted, feeders need to be at least 12 feet from anything a squirrel can leap from, such as branches or a fence.

* Keeping the baffle close to the feeder seems to work better than putting too much distance in between them.

Build a better feeder
There are two basic approaches to keeping squirrels from getting seed out of bird feeders: enclose the feeder in a cage, or utilize weight-activated perches that shut when the weight of a squirrel lands on them. Both can work pretty well.

The most effective “cage” type feeders put at least 3.5 inches between feeder and furry felon; and do not feature a tray or shelf to catch dropped seeds.

Among the many fine feeders out there with weight-activated perches, I’ve seen none that surpass the effectiveness, ease of filling/cleaning and wide range of hanging/positioning options of the Squirrel Buster Plus from Brome: view link

For more thoughts on this topic check out these links:
-- The “squirrel survival guide”: view link
-- The website of Don & Lillian Stokes, “America’s First Family of Birding”: view link
-- From eHow: view link
-- view link

Peace and good birding,
Scott Cronenweth
Eons birding mentor
www.naturalpathwalks.com