Bird table

beachBOYken said:
@Merlin5

I purchased a bird feeder earlier in the year that does an awesome job at stopping squirrels and pigeons from feeding on it. I don't mind squirrels myself so put some nuts elsewhere for them. the below has a weight mechanism so anything heavy shuts off the seed.
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Merlin5 said:
But, the squirrel that comes to my garden hangs upside down from the table by its tail and grabs the feeder cage with it's paws and then just puts its snout into the food hole. I'm thinking it might do the same on the buster which would bypass the spring mechanism.
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I just watched some videos on the squirrel buster and didn't realise that the whole chamber moves down to close the feed ports. I thought it had to touch the bottom part to activate it. Not only that, but I also thought it could get seeds from all the holes in the metal cage but I've seen that the seeds are actually in a plastic container inside the metal cage so the squirrel can't bypass the feedholes. This could actually work then! :D

Downside is, £23 for the mini seed feeder and £41 for the peanut feeder! :eek:
But I think it's a worthwhile investment. I'll start with just the mini seed feeder. I'm meant to hang it 18" away from anything the squirrel can hang onto so I'll probably need to buy an extended hook or hanger to screw onto the side of the bird table. But looking at my last photo above, I'm wondering if it'll work as it is now. I mean it's still grabbing the feeder which, if it was the squirrel buster, should close it.
 
Merlin5 said:
I just watched some videos on the squirrel buster and didn't realise that the whole chamber moves down to close the feed ports. I thought it had to touch the bottom part to activate it. Not only that, but I also thought it could get seeds from all the holes in the metal cage but I've seen that the seeds are actually in a plastic container inside the metal cage so the squirrel can't bypass the feedholes. This could actually work then! :D

Downside is, £23 for the mini seed feeder and £41 for the peanut feeder! :eek:
But I think it's a worthwhile investment. I'll start with just the mini seed feeder. I'm meant to hang it 18" away from anything the squirrel can hang onto so I'll probably need to buy an extended hook or hanger to screw onto the side of the bird table. But looking at my last photo above, I'm wondering if it'll work as it is now. I mean it's still grabbing the feeder which, if it was the squirrel buster, should close it.
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Had the Squirrel buster feeder for around 8 month's now, and it's done a very good job at keeping large birds (pigeons) and squirrels at bay from what I can tell, the build quality is worth the price alone. I got the mini feeder I think.
 
We have a hanging bird feeder we usually fill with fat balls, unfortunately our cat caught onto one of the birs that visited it and it became her lunch.
Would a table type bird feeder, positioned away from the walls be a better idea? They look harder to climb for cats.
 
beachBOYken said:
Had the Squirrel buster feeder for around 8 month's now, and it's done a very good job at keeping large birds (pigeons) and squirrels at bay from what I can tell, the build quality is worth the price alone. I got the mini feeder I think.
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Yes, I just received my mini squirrel buster and so far it's doing a good job! It's a good size too, not really mini at all. I think I'll probably still need to buy an 18" bracket to screw to the table to hang it further away. In fact I'm probably going to buy the squirrel buster nut feeder and a second bracket. There doesn't appear to be a squirrel buster for suet balls but I guess the birds will be fine on seeds and nuts. Have a look at my video of today's squirrel efforts. :D

 
Merlin5 said:
Yes, I just received my mini squirrel buster and so far it's doing a good job! It's a good size too, not really mini at all. I think I'll probably still need to buy an 18" bracket to screw to the table to hang it further away. In fact I'm probably going to buy the squirrel buster nut feeder and a second bracket. There doesn't appear to be a squirrel buster for suet balls but I guess the birds will be fine on seeds and nuts. Have a look at my video of today's squirrel efforts. :D

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:D:D:D:D Quality.
 
So although the squirrel buster has definitely made it more difficult to get the food, the squirrels have figured out how to not put too much weight onto the squirrel buster by clinging from the vertical post, lightly grabbing the feeder and can still access the seeds. They also still set the trap off and close the ports, but it's obviously not yet completely squirrel proof.

I kind of expected that as instructions say place the feeder 18 inches away from anything the squirrel can cling to. I've just nailed a length of wood to the table and the feeder is now 18 inches either end. I'd be extremely surprised now if they get any food at all. There's absolutely no way now they can grab the feeder without closing the ports. I look forward to witnessing this tomorrow. :D Not the prettiest solution but cheaper than £15 to buy an 18 inch metal bracket. I'll eventually stain the wood to match the table.

20191209-155954.jpg
 
Merlin5 said:
So although the squirrel buster has definitely made it more difficult to get the food, the squirrels have figured out how to not put too much weight onto the squirrel buster by clinging from the vertical post, lightly grabbing the feeder and can still access the seeds. They also still set the trap off and close the ports, but it's obviously not yet completely squirrel proof.

I kind of expected that as instructions say place the feeder 18 inches away from anything the squirrel can cling to. I've just nailed a length of wood to the table and the feeder is now 18 inches either end. I'd be extremely surprised now if they get any food at all. There's absolutely no way now they can grab the feeder without closing the ports. I look forward to witnessing this tomorrow. :D Not the prettiest solution but cheaper than £15 to buy an 18 inch metal bracket. I'll eventually stain the wood to match the table.

20191209-155954.jpg
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Squirrels have a Barnes Wallis type mentality whereby there's a solution to every problem. :D
 
Merlin5 said:
So although the squirrel buster has definitely made it more difficult to get the food, the squirrels have figured out how to not put too much weight onto the squirrel buster by clinging from the vertical post, lightly grabbing the feeder and can still access the seeds. They also still set the trap off and close the ports, but it's obviously not yet completely squirrel proof.

I kind of expected that as instructions say place the feeder 18 inches away from anything the squirrel can cling to. I've just nailed a length of wood to the table and the feeder is now 18 inches either end. I'd be extremely surprised now if they get any food at all. There's absolutely no way now they can grab the feeder without closing the ports. I look forward to witnessing this tomorrow. :D Not the prettiest solution but cheaper than £15 to buy an 18 inch metal bracket. I'll eventually stain the wood to match the table.

20191209-155954.jpg
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Haha good luck.
 
Tony Edwards said:
Haha good luck.
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Really working well. I've watched the squirrels climbing down onto it and jumping up and clinging on to it. It just closes the ports and eventually they give up. The squirrel buster + the 18" rule is squirrel proof. The odd seed might fly out as they jump on but that's about it. The last squirrel I saw will probably come back with a hack saw. :D
 
Merlin5 said:
Really working well. I've watched the squirrels climbing down onto it and jumping up and clinging on to it. It just closes the ports and eventually they give up. The squirrel buster + the 18" rule is squirrel proof. The odd seed might fly out as they jump on but that's about it. The last squirrel I saw will probably come back with a hack saw. :D
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Hopefully it will work with still having the squirrel feeders filled. I wouldnt be surprised to find out they have lifted the feeder of the hook and thrown it on the floor. :D

So after not being able to get food from the hanging feeders do they go straight to to squirrel feeders or do they bugger off? Or have they just started to go straight to the squirrel feeder now then?
 
Tony Edwards said:
Hopefully it will work with still having the squirrel feeders filled. I wouldnt be surprised to find out they have lifted the feeder of the hook and thrown it on the floor. :D

So after not being able to get food from the hanging feeders do they go straight to to squirrel feeders or do they bugger off? Or have they just started to go straight to the squirrel feeder now then?
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Well, I removed the squirrel feeder a couple of days ago as I just wanted to see how the squirrels respond to the squirrel buster. You might be right about them lifting the feeder off the hook. I remember reading a review on Amazon which said that had happened and that the squirrel buster classic would be better than the mini because it's heavier.

If it happens I'll try closing the hook with pliers just enough that I can still get it off but where the squirrels can't.
I shall wait and see. :D
 
Merlin5 said:
Well, I removed the squirrel feeder a couple of days ago as I just wanted to see how the squirrels respond to the squirrel buster. You might be right about them lifting the feeder off the hook. I remember reading a review on Amazon which said that had happened and that the squirrel buster classic would be better than the mini because it's heavier.

If it happens I'll try closing the hook with pliers just enough that I can still get it off but where the squirrels can't.
I shall wait and see. :D
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So your not feeding the squirrels at all now? That is asking for trouble. Especially in this weather they will be even more desperate.
 
Tony Edwards said:
So your not feeding the squirrels at all now? That is asking for trouble. Especially in this weather they will be even more desperate.
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Nah, it was only for a couple of days, because they were coming back and forth taking food from the squirrel feeder and I wasn't really seeing activity on the squirrel buster. There probably was activity on the squirrel buster but I didn't see it. This morning I had a chance to watch two squirrels chasing each other around the garden and activating the squirrel buster.

I've put the squrrel feeder back.
 
Squirrel buster still going strong. I had one incident a few weeks ago where I found it lying on the ground, squirrel had unhooked it! I've closed up the gap on the hook on the bird feeder a little bit so that it's harder to lift it off.

Getting loads of goldfinches. I've got a nice camera now with a telephoto lens so am able to take close ups. :)

 
Merlin5 said:
Squirrel buster still going strong. I had one incident a few weeks ago where I found it lying on the ground, squirrel had unhooked it! I've closed up the gap on the hook on the bird feeder a little bit so that it's harder to lift it off.

Getting loads of goldfinches. I've got a nice camera now with a telephoto lens so am able to take close ups. :)
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Nice!
 
juliet799 said:
My house has some bluebirds, I use Vista dome feeders, it has dome to protects the seed or mealworm and deters squirrels from getting to the bird feed. I love this feeder
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Nice! I'd love to see some bluebirds in my garden. They don't visit UK apparently. I photographed a robin, dunnock and juvenile finch in my garden recently. :)



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