The secret to keeping squirrels out of a bird feeder is to use a baffle and locate it well. I have two dozen bird feeders in my yard and squirrels do not get into ANY of my feeders! You might think you have to accept squirrels eating at your feeders. But after many years feeding birds, I have found that you don’t have to give into squirrels. You CAN keep squirrels out of bird feeders.
This “Fly-Through” Platform Feeder Used to Be a Ground Feeder
Putting a Feeder on a Pole: Each new season brings changes to the bird dynamics in the yard, so I tend to do some tweaking of the bird feeders or their placement each season. To reduce the amount of seed winding up in squirrel bellies, I decided to turn a ground platform feeder into a platform feeder on a pole. The feeder I converted is a Birds Choice Fly-Through Platform Feeder. It started out as an unpopular ground feeder and evolved into a very popular feeder once placed on a baffled pole.
When you feed birds in a big way year-round like I do, you find there is no perfect year-round arrangement of bird feeders. Sometimes you need to reassess things and move a feeder.
The bird population in the yard is not stagnant. Some birds stick around with a fairly predictable daily schedule. Others are only here for a season and then migrate out again. Some stop by for a day or two and move on. And yet more discover the bird feeder buffet and become new regulars.
Some changes in the bird population don’t make a big impact, while others change the whole dynamic of the yard. That is when I find myself moving feeders around again to find the perfect setup for the new situation.