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.
Should you feed squirrels? Will feeding squirrels distract them from bird feeders? If you put out food for birds, you are almost guaranteed to have other critters come to eat too. Keeping squirrels from dominating bird feeders and eating a large portion of the food can be a continuous challenge. This is the story of my experiment feeding squirrels in hopes of getting them to leave my bird feeders alone.