Go Watch Birds

I have a friend, Bobby, with an odd sense of humor. We all appreciate Bobby and his method of thinking about the world. One of the jokes he always makes is about tuna safe dolphin. He jokes, “I only eat dolphin if no tuna was harmed in the harvesting of the dolphin”. I don’t have to explain this joke but I will anyway. You read on a can of tuna, “dolphin safe”, what about the poor tuna. This is more prolific now that large predator fish are becoming endangered around the world.

The same can be said for dogs, cats and other domesticated animals. People are appalled that in some countries people kill and eat dogs and cats. Where in this country pigs, cows and chickens are brutally killed by the millions for us to consume. Pigs are intelligent animals, at least as intelligent as dogs.

Ok, now to continue in this train of thought and to rejoin the topic of the web site. For a nature lover a squirrel proof bird feeder may sound cruel. Why do we go out of our way to feed bird but also go out of our way to NOT FEED the squirrels. There are a large variety of designs implemented to keep squirrels from eating food specifically placed for birds.

There are feeders that take into consideration that squirrels are much heaver then birds so when the squirrel steps on the perch to gain access to the seeds a door closes to deny access. The squirrel buster plus is one of these feeders.

Another design surrounds the bird feed with a cage that has small enough openings that the squirrel cannot get to the food but bird can easily poke their heads in to pick at the food. This type is generally less expensive because they have no moving parts like the weight activated designs.

Another popular design does not allow access to the seed perch other then flying. This is normally done by placing a dome or baffle over the feeder. This can be fun to watch because the squirrel gets close to the bird seed then slides off.  The squirrels can be pretty persistent when trying access the seeds.

Of course with any bird feeder you want to make sure the seeds are well ventilated so they stay fresh. The seeds should be kept dry and proper drainage of any water the would get into the seeds is VERY important.  If the seeds get wet and stay wet they will start to rot in a day and start to smell very bad.

So when you set out to keep the squirrels away from your bird seed try to remember to put some food out for the poor squirrels. This won’t keep them out of your bird seed but it will make you feel better as a nature lover.

Filed under: Backyard Decorating, Bird Feeders, Squirrel Proof on September 14th, 2009