When Taken:
Summer 2009
Feeder Setup:
This is one of two platform / tray feeders I have on my back patio. This one is about 8" square and is about an inch tall, and I always fill it with cracked corn. The house sparrows routinely empty it, but apparently it's attractive to squirrels too!
About the Squirrels:
I'm lucky in that I only have one squirrel that comes to the yard, and while he's huge (we've named him Squat - rhymes with "cat" because at first we thought that's what he was!), he doesn't come around often. This time I caught him stuffing his chubby cheeks filled with the cracked corn, and he took it back to his home in our neighbor's woodshed. I've also seen him occasionally getting the peanuts our western scrub-jays bury in the yard.
Tips and Tricks
- Offer an easy feeder with cheap food - cracked corn, a corn cob or peanuts - to attract squirrels and keep them away from more expensive seed and food.
- Use baffles to keep squirrels at bay where you don't want them to feed.
- Use a sturdy metal feeder the squirrels will have a harder time destroying even if they are determined.
Melissa Mayntz, Birding / Wild Birds Guide, says:
For more tips, check out How to Squirrel-Proof a Bird Feeder!
