Several years ago, I put up a bird feeder in the back yard so that Feeby and I could watch all the birds – from cardinals, titmice, blue jays, woodpeckers, even mourning doves, as well as a few others that migrate south for the winters.
Long story long: I now have two bird feeders, one for the larger birds like the mourning doves and woodpeckers, and a smaller one for the rest. I also have 5 squirrel feeders – and I am sure you all know why…
Despite providing the squirrels with food that includes bird food as well, they would continually get on the bird feeders anyway. So, I went through numerous squirrel baffle concoctions to find ones that would keep the squirrels off the bird feeders. Finally, a couple of years ago, I found the right combination! Not a single squirrel was able to foil these squirrel baffles. The birds, squirrels, Feeby, and I were all living a nice peaceful life together. That is, until about a month ago.
A new squirrel is “in town”, and she can easily jump from a tree branch and land on the larger bird feeder. She is the only one that has ever been successful – others before her have tried, failed, and given up (so far anyway). At first, when she started this, I would take the feeder down to deter her, and then put it back up a little later when I thought she had left. Well, she figured that one out too! She actually acted like she was leaving the yard, and then would sneakily come back from a different direction. So, after a week or so, I gave up and just let her eat from the bird feeder.
Now, she is here daily and eats from the bird feeder for about 20 minutes and then she is gone until the next day. She comes nearly like clockwork. And, until yesterday she never showed up on Sundays. My husband said she came this Sunday because she is all mixed up due to the change from daylight savings time! Lol
Long story long: I now have two bird feeders, one for the larger birds like the mourning doves and woodpeckers, and a smaller one for the rest. I also have 5 squirrel feeders – and I am sure you all know why…
Despite providing the squirrels with food that includes bird food as well, they would continually get on the bird feeders anyway. So, I went through numerous squirrel baffle concoctions to find ones that would keep the squirrels off the bird feeders. Finally, a couple of years ago, I found the right combination! Not a single squirrel was able to foil these squirrel baffles. The birds, squirrels, Feeby, and I were all living a nice peaceful life together. That is, until about a month ago.
A new squirrel is “in town”, and she can easily jump from a tree branch and land on the larger bird feeder. She is the only one that has ever been successful – others before her have tried, failed, and given up (so far anyway). At first, when she started this, I would take the feeder down to deter her, and then put it back up a little later when I thought she had left. Well, she figured that one out too! She actually acted like she was leaving the yard, and then would sneakily come back from a different direction. So, after a week or so, I gave up and just let her eat from the bird feeder.
Now, she is here daily and eats from the bird feeder for about 20 minutes and then she is gone until the next day. She comes nearly like clockwork. And, until yesterday she never showed up on Sundays. My husband said she came this Sunday because she is all mixed up due to the change from daylight savings time! Lol
As long as they get at least some of it, they will come back for more, to be sure!! They're like the old commercials for Timex, 'they take a licking and keep on ticking'. Or, in this case, 'comes back for more eating, despite the beating'. 
