Bird table

[Merlin5]

Bah, squirrels are now climbing the table and stealing the loose food I've been putting on the table.

Also, I came home today and it looks like mr squirrel has been trying to get some suet balls.

So I'm going to replace it with a metal feeder.
Wondering if this one will be strong enough?
https://www.homebase.co.uk/peckish-natural-balance-ready-to-use-energy-suet-fat-ball-feeder_p493002

The only other plastic feeder I have is for general seeds and is still intact. The peanut and niger seed holders are metal.

Also, I'm going to stop putting loose seed and nuts on the table and buy a metal squirrel proof cage to put on the table just like one of these.
https://www.homebase.co.uk/peckish-squirrel-proof-seed-feeder-green_p383178

 

[Tee Hee Johnson]

Is it so bad that squirrels get to it?

I love birds, almost to the point of obsession, but I feel that nature is nature.

 

[Merlin5]

I just don't want squirrels hoovering up all the bird food. I'm going to prevent that if I can, and then I'm going to get a dedicated squirrel feeder so that they can be fed while not depriving the birds.

 

[Tony Edwards]

If you dont want your feeders to be attacked by squirrels you need to put out enough food for them. They arent over greedy but they do get ****** off if there isnt any food for them. Id get the dedicated squirrel feeder first.

They will try chewing through metal and have chewed a bit of mine but they dont seem to wreck them. They have gone through one or two wires but the dont seem to really like chewing through metal. If they cant chew through something they try to find another way to get the food. If you make is so they cant get to food that plastic bird seed feeder will be next.

Think yourself lucky. I have three.

What you've got to remember is they dont know they arent allowed the food. They arent doing it to be arses. They just see it as a challenge, like the shells on nuts that need to be chewed through to get the actual nut.

Just put lots more food out.

 

[Merlin5]

Yes, you're right Tony, I should go ahead and order that squirrel feeder first before buying a squirrel cage and metal feeders.

Also, when I walked towards the table the other day while the squirrel was on it, it panicked and successfully jumped to the fence which I thought was too far for it.

So at least I know now that those dishes/bowls to stop them climbing would now be pointless as I can't get the table any further away from the fences or anything else in my garden that it could use as a jump point.

 

[Merlin5]

Just put a couple of screws up and it hooks on and off I had to prop the lid open with a stick for the squirrels to understand how to get at the peanuts to start with. They happily push the lid up now though

I've had mine up since Sunday and the squirrel keeps missing it, and I've propped the lid open for the last couple of days with a screwdriver to encourage it. I've even seen it walk across the top of the fence right over the feeder. At the moment it's still going to the bird table.

I've got birds galore though all day every day. Starlings, pigeons, blackbirds, magpies and had about 6 great **** simultaneously on the feeders this morning, they're even going for the niger seeds now.

 

[IvanDobskey]

I've had mine up since Sunday and the squirrel keeps missing it, and I've propped the lid open for the last couple of days with a screwdriver to encourage it. I've even seen it walk across the top of the fence right over the feeder. At the moment it's still going to the bird table.

It took ages for a squirrel to spot mine. But he's there every day now He's even worked out how to dig out peanuts right from the bottom when it's running low. He hangs upside down from the trunk of the tree, pulls the lid up and lowers himself down. Having to fill it up every three or four days at the moment.

He totally ignores the bird feeders now he knows there's easy access to plenty of peanuts

 

[wandgrudd]

I've had mine up since Sunday and the squirrel keeps missing it, and I've propped the lid open for the last couple of days with a screwdriver to encourage it. I've even seen it walk across the top of the fence right over the feeder. At the moment it's still going to the bird table.

I've got birds galore though all day every day. Starlings, pigeons, blackbirds, magpies and had about 6 great **** simultaneously on the feeders this morning, they're even going for the niger seeds now.

Can see you have goldfinch on the niger seed as well, beautiful looking birds when the sun catches them. Well done

 

[bjorkiii]

Laughing at Mr fat pigeon angry coz his to big to hang on a feeder.

 

[Merlin5]

Can see you have goldfinch on the niger seed as well, beautiful looking birds when the sun catches them. Well done

Wow yes, so they are! I hadn't realised. Well spotted sir. I saw one the other day and noticed the tail was speckled, but thought it was a great t.it. I wondered why the birds were suddenly going for the niger, now I know. It's taken a few weeks. I was told that as it's getting colder, finches have migrated to places like spain, but obviously some are still here

Laughing at Mr fat pigeon angry coz his to big to hang on a feeder.

Hah yeah. I had two pigeons on the table the other day, one eating the loose seed and the other keeping watch and trying not to slide off the roof. I'm not sure if they're wood pigeons.

It took ages for a squirrel to spot mine. But he's there every day now He's even worked out how to dig out peanuts right from the bottom when it's running low. He hangs upside down from the trunk of the tree, pulls the lid up and lowers himself down. Having to fill it up every three or four days at the moment.

He totally ignores the bird feeders now he knows there's easy access to plenty of peanuts

Mr Squirrel finally noticed it! He's been coming and going to it all afternoon. I've removed the screwdriver now he knows what to do.

 

[Mark A]

Aww .

 

[IvanDobskey]

Great pictures Merlin

 

[wandgrudd]

Wow yes, so they are! I hadn't realised. Well spotted sir. I saw one the other day and noticed the tail was speckled, but thought it was a great t.it. I wondered why the birds were suddenly going for the niger, now I know. It's taken a few weeks. I was told that as it's getting colder, finches have migrated to places like spain, but obviously some are still here




Hah yeah. I had two pigeons on the table the other day, one eating the loose seed and the other keeping watch and trying not to slide off the roof. I'm not sure if they're wood pigeons.




Mr Squirrel finally noticed it! He's been coming and going to it all afternoon. I've removed the screwdriver now he knows what to do.

I thought for a second you were going to say hes stolen your screwdriver.

 

[saddler]

Good work on the bird feeders. I've recently had a squirrel in my garden and its facinating watching them figuring out how to get at the food.

 

[IvanDobskey]

Got to love squirrels I could watch them for hours

 

[Tony Edwards]

I've got birds galore though all day every day. Starlings, pigeons, blackbirds, magpies and had about 6 great **** simultaneously on the feeders this morning, they're even going for the niger seeds now.

Nice. After the effort you put in its good to see. I see your grass is going green aswell now.

Good work on the bird feeders. I've recently had a squirrel in my garden and its facinating watching them figuring out how to get at the food.

I had a metal cage with a tray of seed inside on the lawn and I could see they had been chewing at it to try to get in and I thought I might have solved a problem but then one day I went to put seed in and I found they had dug a tunnel under it. That is when I finaly gave up and accepted them as part of the feeding routine.

 

[Merlin5]

Yeah Tony, it's really lovely to see all the birdies making regular visits each day. There are flurries of activity where several birds all come and go for a few minutes, it's like Heathrow airport.
I still get some green grass but it's very patchy.

I thought for a second you were going to say hes stolen your screwdriver.

Lol, now that would have been funny.

Got to love squirrels I could watch them for hours

Me too, they're fascinating. Unfortunately, and I'm assuming it's the same squirrel, it was hanging upside down by it's tail today from the bird table raiding the sunflower hearts feeder. I thought the squirrel feeder would make it stay away. Maybe it'll take a bit more time.

Good work on the bird feeders. I've recently had a squirrel in my garden and its facinating watching them figuring out how to get at the food.

Great video. I watched your others with the woodpecker and the hedgehog. Fantastic! I'd love to see a woodpecker. Looks like you have a really nice big garden.

 

[Tony Edwards]

Me too, they're fascinating. Unfortunately, and I'm assuming it's the same squirrel, it was hanging upside down by it's tail today from the bird table raiding the sunflower hearts feeder. I thought the squirrel feeder would make it stay away. Maybe it'll take a bit more time.

Mix some sunflower seeds in with the nuts in the squirrel feeder. Anything you see it trying to get elsewhere put that in aswell. You cant expect it just to eat nuts when it can see other stuff it likes. My squirrels hoovers up sunflower seed and suet. Or have you already I cant really see. It might be too nut heavy or it might just be time to sort out squirrel proof feeders so its too much effort, but dont hold me to it.

I must get some squirrel feeders soon but it takes me so long to buy stuff as I like to research the crap out of stuff first (or drunk buy) and I just dont have time or frame of mind at the moment. Ive got do it before winter sets in though.

 

[Andrew_McP]

Just sticking my oar in to suggest meal worms. I had middling success attracting birds to the feeding station right by our living room window (so Mum can see it from the chair she spends much of her life in now) until I started putting out meal worms. Expensive unless you buy in bulk, but at least the squirrels don't eat them.

Magpies do though, sadly. A gang of them started waking me up at dawn in the summer, which meant poking sticks through the feeder until they couldn't get at it any more unless it's full to the top.

The main advantage for me of feeding daily is that we're now on the local sparrowhawk's hunting circuit. Occasionally I'll sense movement out of the corner of my eye in the living room's side window. A moment later the sparrowhawk sweeps through the front garden where the feeder is, wheeling up over the high laurels at the end, and off across the road, disappearing in the gap between the houses opposite. Catches my breath every time.

 

[wandgrudd]

If you like the squirrels a nice treat that is fascinating to watch is go buy a bag of mixed nuts (shells on, walnuts etc) drill hole and thread onto a piece of wire, don't use string as the whole lot will get taken straight away.