The Zen Birdfeeder

FAQ - How to Keep Squirrels from Eating Suet?

Q.  How can I keep squirrels from eating all my suet?

A.  Believe it or not, squirrels don't particularly like suet!  "What?", you say, "they're always eating MY suet!"

Squirrels are not going for the suet - suet in its pure form is just rendered beef fat.  They're going for what's put into the suet!

Most suet cakes have other goodies in them that squirrels like, such as seed, nuts, fruit, or bugs.  That's what they're after.  So here are some ways to keep them from eating your suet:

1)  Offer plain suet cakes such as WBU Simply Suet. 
It's just a cake of plain suet, no seeds, nuts, or anything else. 

2)  Put suet in a cage within a cage. 
An On-Guard cage with 1" openings surrounding your suet cage will keep Gray Squirrels out but let birds in.  Larger suet-loving birds like your Hairy or Red-bellied Woodpeckers, however, may also be excluded.

3)  Use a suet with capsaicin in it, such as WBU Hot Pepper Suet Dough cakes.
Squirrels taste the hot and don't like it, birds can't taste the hot.  We especially like our locally made suet log feeders filled with hot pepper suet plugs.  Note: always wash your hands thoroughly when handling hot pepper products.

4)  Hang your suet on a properly placed baffled birdfeeding pole.
That means the station is placed 8-10' from squirrel-jumping-off-points.  The top of the baffle should be 4-5' above the ground and the feeders should not be dangling below the top of the baffle.

We admit it:  Squirrels are persistent.  They're athletic.  They're creative.  But we still have the advantage over them - we're SMARTER than them and if we just take the right steps, we can keep them from eating up all our valuable suet!

Where's My Birdfeeder?

Feeding the Birds during Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy is on the move and could bring damaging winds and significant rain to the upstate New York area.  Here's some advice you won't get on the local news:  what to do with your birdfeeders during the storm.

First and foremost - stay informed of the storm's progress and take necessary precautions for your own safety.  Strong winds may bring trees down onto houses, cars, etc.  Flash floods are a real threat.  Please do what you need to ensure your own safety!
 
Now, about the birds.  We found during last year's Tropical Storm Irene that birds will actively feed throughout the storm.  If the winds and rain get too severe, birds will seek out a safe spot until things settle down.  Woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, bluebirds and other cavity-nesters might find safety in a tree cavity or birdhouse.  Birds will also find safety in a shrub or brush pile, while others will cling on to branches close to the tree trunk or directly under a limb or other cover.

Here's a short video of a chickadee hanging on through the winds of last year's storm.

 

If you are going to be around to monitor your birdfeeders, consider leaving them out to provide an easy source of food during difficult storm conditions.  Feeders in a somewhat sheltered location will probably fair the best; take down feeders that are in very windy locations.  Keep an eye on weather guard domes and very large feeder set-ups; even our great Advanced Pole System® cannot stand up to hurricane-force winds*.   You might also consider taking feeders down during the overnight hours.

If you are not going to be at home to monitor your feeders, you might want to take down feeders that are not in a sheltered location or that could be caught by the wind.  Use your good judgment in order to reduce the possibility of injury, damage, or loss*.

As soon as the storm has passed, refill your feeders with dry birdfood.  An easy source of quality food will help them replenish after expending all the energy it took to ride out the storm.

Stay safe out there everyone!  Listen to the forecasts and take care.  Please share this post with family and friends who feed and care about the birds.

 

*APS does not carry a lifetime guarantee.  Storm damage to WBU feeders is not covered by the Lifetime Guarantee.

Wordless Wednesday - Like Eyes on the Back of His Head

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Wordless Wednesday - Dove Double Vision

Not flipped, but two separate images!

Top 5 Facts to Know about Squirrels and Birdfeeders

If you learn, accept and then apply these 5 facts about Gray Squirrels, your birdfeeding experience will be more enjoyable. 

Other advantages: your blood pressure will go down and you will no longer find yourself cursing at a squirrel on your feeder in front of your neighbors and kids.   

1)  Gray Squirrels can jump up to 10 feet horizontally. 
So, place any birdfeeder or birdhouse you don't want them on at least 10 feet from any jumping off point.  Get a tape measure to be sure.  Look around for "jumping off points"; they include not only  trees, but roofs, wires, bushes, birdbaths, well heads, deck rails, boulders, cars, tree stumps...well, hopefully you're getting the idea.  

2)  Gray Squirrels can jump up to 4-5 feet vertically. 
To deal with this, place anything you don't want them to get to at least 5 feet high. When placing a baffle on your birdfeeding pole, the top of that baffle should be 4-5 feet high.  Just as importantly, make sure no feeders dangling below the top of the baffle. If you miss this point, squirrels will just jump to the bottom of the low dangling feeders, bypassing a baffle and accessing your entire feeding station!

3)  If you live in the north, snow piles become jumping off points. 
Keep an eye on this as winter progresses and as snow accumulates.

4)  Each new litter of squirrels will explore and discover their new world by chewing, climbing, jumping, stretching, and testing everything in their path.
Summer is an especially trying time as young squirrels and nursing mother squirrels try to get at an easy source of food.


5)  We are the humans; they are the rodents.  We are smarter than them. 
They ARE persistent though. But when we are armed with this knowledge of their physical limitations, we CAN set up our birdfeeders in a way that squirrels cannot access them.

Apply these squirrel facts and be happier and healthier!

Wildlife Wednesday - Baffled Red

FAQ - Why Don't Birds' Feet Stick to Metal in Freezing Weather?

Q.  Why don’t birds’ feet stick to metal when it's freezing out?

A.  Birds don’t have sweat glands to produce any moisture to freeze. Their feet are mostly bone and tendons, which have a limited supply of nerves, blood vessels or muscle tissue to freeze. Also, their feet are covered with scales.

Look ma! No sticking!

Wordless Wednesday - Diving for Mealworms

Black-capped Chickadee diving into a WBU APS Side-dish feeder

Bird Feeding Tricks and Tips from WBU

Here are a few tricks and tips that can make your backyard bird feeding experience a bit more  enjoyable.

SUET TRICKS 

• When using a WBU Tail Prop Suet Feeder (or any suet cake in a cage), leave the suet cake in the molded plastic dish to force birds to feed on the side facing your viewing window.  This also keeps the feeder a bit cleaner.
• Are starlings hogging your suet?  Our EcoTough® Upside-down Suet Feeder allows clinging birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees to feed from below, but makes it difficult for starlings.
• Soften suet plugs in the microwave before pressing them into the holes of a suet log.  Make sure the suet is pressing against the sides of the holes so it doesn't get pushed out the other side!

TIPS FOR GROUND-FEEDING BIRDS

• Ground-feeding birds, such as juncos are more abundant during winter.  Winter finches like redpolls also readily feed on the ground.  You can offer food to these birds in trays, whether on the ground, on a pole system beneath a hopper, or on your window.
• Offer ground-feeding birds a blend with millet and sunflower seeds, like our seasonal Winter Blend.
• Place a ground tray feeder close enough to shrubs to provide birds a safe place to hide and to find shelter from winter weather, but far enough away that predators (like cats) can't ambush the birds.

FINCH TRICKS

• Use a WBU EcoClean® or Quick-Clean® Finch feeder and refill it from the bottom!  This helps prevent clumping and promotes "first in/first out" seed rotation.
• Give your finch feeders a shake every now and then to make sure the seed inside is loose and dry.
• Place your finch feeders away from feeders where larger birds are feeding.  This allows the smaller finches to access the feeder without feeling intimidated by larger birds.  I have a whole separate finch feeding station off a deck arm.
• It may take goldfinches a while to get used to a new feeder, even if you have previously fed them in the same location.
• If you notice finches waiting to eat, offer a perch (like our APS Decorative Branch perch) that allows them to perch.  You'll see them better as they wait! 

Adapted from material provided by WBU, Inc. 
Images from WBU, Inc. image library