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Unwelcome birds
Squirrels
Other mammals |
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 Unwelcome Birds
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| While some people welcome any bird regardless of its size or appetite, others get frustrated when grackles, starlings, pigeons, or crows overrun their feeders. To discourage these larger birds from becoming a nuisance, use feeders that are made for smaller birds, such as tube feeders that have short perches and no catch basin on the bottom. Avoid platform trays, and do not spread food on the ground. |
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Blackbird flock
Photo by Tolline Gallagher,
Aurora, Colorado |
Squirrels
Though it can be fun to watch a persistent squirrel finagle its way to your bird food, it might be less amusing if they overrun your feeders and discourage your feeder birds from visiting. One way to outwit these furry-tailed rodents is to distract them by feeding them peanuts or dried ears of corn in a location some distance from your feeders. This tactic might not work for long, however. You also can try "squirrel-proof" bird feeders. But beware: we have watched one squirrel after another outwit numerous models. Squirrel baffles are usually your best bet. These are simply barriers that are placed between squirrels and feeders. |
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Squirrel inside squirrel-proof cage.
Photo by Burns and Ellen Fisher,
Brookline, New Hampshire
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On pole-mounted feeders, baffles should be fixed in place beneath the feeder. On hanging feeders, a tilting baffle at least 18 inches in diameter should be installed above the feeder. |
Squirrel baffles doing their job.
Photo by Helene Dessent,
Tallmadge, Ohio
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In addition to commercially made baffles, bird watchers have used old record albums, plastic salad bowls, two-liter soda bottles, or stovepipes as barriers between squirrels and feeders. If your feeder is hung from a horizontal line, try placing lengths of plastic tubing around the line; the tubing should spin when a squirrel tries to walk on it.
Squirrels (and other mammals) may be deterred from consuming birdseed treated with capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers “hot.” Many commercial products are coated with capsaicin, but we are unaware of any research examining the affect of capsaicin on birds. The substance may irritate the eyes of birds (as it often irritates the eyes of people filling the feeders). Further, the effects of capsaicin on the digestive systems of birds have not been studied. While capsaicin may not negatively affect wild birds, we discourage adding any products to bird foods that have not been thoroughly tested. |
Other Mammals
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| If raccoons, deer, or moose become a nuisance, the best tactic is to make your feeders inaccessible with fencing. If that approach is impractical, you will probably have to remove your feeders temporarily. Mammals will find new foraging routes. If your mammalian visitors appear only at night, take in your feeders at dusk. FeederWatch recommends against any feeding if bears are in the area. Take down all feeders and wait for bears to hibernate before feeding again. |
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Raccoon on feeder.
Photo by Harold Jackson,
Memphis, Tennessee |
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