Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Squirrels dominating your birdfeeder?


DISTRACTING SQUIRRELS

There are some highly squirrel-resistant bird feeders around that work 99% of the time. We use several styles. But there is no such thing as an absolutely Squirrel-Proof feeder, and there probably won’t ever be one. The best bet is to place a feeder on a baffled pole (not a tree branch) away from any vegetation, railing or roof that squirrels could use as a launch pad. And never trap or kill squirrels - that just makes the problem worse after a couple of days. 

Also, offer squirrels their own food (corn, for instance) far from the bird feeder and out of sight, so they have something else to go for. Since they’re territorial, it’s unlikely you’ll attract more squirrels competing for the territory.

Owen Yost, in addition to blogging, is a Landscape Architect emeritus from here, whos worked in north Texas for over 30 years.  He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Society of Landscape Architects, the National BirdFeeding Society, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Native Plant Society of Texas. His design office is in Denton at northwestern68@yahoo.com