Not So Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder
We have a couple of the Super Stop-A-Squirrel Bird Feeders, one in the front yard and one in the back. You mount the top part to the tree and the bottom part rests on a couple of hooks making it easy to pull down and refill. They work pretty neat with a spring loaded perch that stays put when a bird lands on it, but when a heavier squirrel overcomes the spring, it closes the lid over the seed.
These have served us well for several years. You can see where the squirrels, foiled by the spring action, have tried other ways to gain access to the tantalizing seed within. There are a few spots where the paint has been scratched off from trying to dig their way in and a couple places in the back where the metal itself has been slightly pried apart, but not enough to get inside.
Last year one of our local squirrels figured out that if he keeps his back feet on the tree, braces himself with one front leg on the side of the feeder, pushes up on the bottom with the other front leg and letting go suddenly he can actually get the seed container to fall off one of the hooks holding it up and it will dump a bunch of seeds on the ground. With repeated jostling he/she can nearly empty the entire feeder out. I know this because this particular squirrel had the audacity to preform this maneuver while Donna and I were sitting on the porch watching it.
I came up with a solution that prevent this trick from working. I drilled two holes on the side that went through both the lid and the seed basket. I then added a couple of deck screws through the holes and now the bottom bottom part stays firmly in place (circled in the above picture.) The only down side to this is I now have to remember to take a cordless screwdriver out with me when I refill the seeds. I know it works because we have seen this squirrel try to perform the maneuver, climb down to the ground and get a little sad face on when it realizes there isn’t a bunch of seeds waiting for it.
We filled all out bird feeders before we left to go out west and when we got back the mixed seed in the hanging feeders was down 1/4, but the front squirrel proof feeders was down 3/4 and the backyard one was completely empty. So when we went shopping we bought a new bag and filled them both up. Within a couple days the front one had barely dropped, but the back one was way down. I knew the squirrels weren’t doing it, so maybe we just had a lot more birds using the backyard feeder.
Turns out it wasn’t birds at all. A couple of nights ago we were out on the porch late, listening to the FRS game on the radio, when there was a lull in the game sound Donna could hear something out in the dark backyard scratching around. Now we have plenty of birds around and more than enough squirrels. We’ve have seen a small bunny rabbit or two back there as well and just the other day a small box turtle wandered through. But this was different. I went inside and grabbed a flashlight and when I pointed it at the bird feeder, sitting right on top, was a Garfield sized raccoon. He was calmly reaching down and grabbing handfuls of seeds and munching away. Dona clapped her hands real loud twice and it stepped onto the tree, climbed down and scurried off into the darkness.
Well, I thought the deck screws worked on squirrels, maybe if I reversed them they would work on raccoons too. So, look again at the picture above and notice the top of the feeder. Tonight I drilled 9 holes through the top and threaded in deck screws, pointy side up, through the top in hopes to keep the raccoon from making him or herself at home at the sunflower seed buffet.
I filled the feeder with half the seed from the front, so we’ll see how long it takes to disappear. Donna thinks that it either won’t slow the raccoon down or it will, but somehow it will aid the squirrels in eating the seeds. We’ll see.
