Modified Bird Feeder

[jaelen]

I have been looking at those squirrel-proof bird feeders online for awhile... I wanted to get one, but they are a bit pricey, (and I've just spent more than prudent on new pond baskets and plants and have been told I need to be more sensible. )

I don't have anything against the starlings- I'm making them a homemade suet block even as I type; it's cooling on the stove.... but I simply can't keep up with their fat-ball consumption as well- they leave nothing for the little ones, and I wanted to make sure that the tits and sparrows got some, too.

When we moved in here there was a tatty old caged peanut feeder lying about, so today I gave it a good clean and then snipped bigger holes in the inner mesh with wire cutters, (and then filed down any sharp edges.)

Now there are holes large enough for them to easily get to the fat balls- it seems to have worked, because within an hour or two the long-tailed tits were back... first time I've seen them in about a month!



Anyway, thought I'd share the idea.

[Deb London]

It looks excellent. Well done.

Starlings are fairly scarce here. But squirrels are a nightmare. One took my seed feeder the other day - I have no idea where it went. Something like this would have been great.

Jealous about the Long-tailed Tits.

[Tringa]

The only defence I have found (at a halfway reasonable price) that stops squirrels are the cages - the little furry b******s even bit through a wire peanut feeder.

Good to hear you had LTTs. We see them a few times a year in the bushes over the back wall, but a couple of weeks ago was the first time we had them on the feeders.

Dave

[Jim Ford]

I've used this set-up for the last few years:



It's not pretty, but I've never seen any of our many local squirrels get past it. It also costs nothing!

Jim

[actionfinch]

On advice from Jim ford, and others, I use the same contraption...I have sprayed mine black to blend in more...( why i dont know )
I did see a squirell once get round it , but that was my fault . The pole was to close to a small wall and the bottles were to low down, the little blighter just jumped over it.. I have since raised the bottle.