If you are a birder then you know that a squirrel at the feeder is not a good thing. They take over the feeder, spilling seed to the ground, and do not allow the songbirds access. Even when you buy the feeders with the screen to prevent the squirrel access to the seed, this nuisance rodent will take over the feeder by hanging off the side trying to access the seed.
I bought Backyard Boys woodwork feeder (shown in this photo) at Amazon.com |
Now I am no squirrel expert but knew that we would always have this pesky animal in our yard because we live in woods with many nut trees which is an attraction for squirrels. So instead of trapping the squirrels my husband and I decided to get the squirrel their own feeder.
We set up a ground feeder with food that is appealing to the squirrel; sunflower seeds, corn, and shelled peanuts. The feeder was set on the ground and 15 feet away from the bird feeders. Know that as long as this feeder is filled with delicious peanuts, cracked corn, and sunflower seeds then the squirrels could care less about the songbird seed in the feeders.
If you have not tried this wildlife food set up in your yard then know that I do recommend it. We noticed immediately that the squirrels are no longer territorial and chasing off the birds. There is less stress in our yard because we have happy squirrels that are taking turns at their feeder. Note the bluejays tend to hang out at the squirrel feeder, but there has been no wildlife drama.
In addition to the ground feeders, we have also set up a water source for the squirrels that are separate from the birds. This setup works well because if the squirrel had to use the bird's water fountain then they may get distracted and try to get access to the bird's food. So separate water fountains for squirrels are a must.