Once the devoce is positioned correctly (based on feeder size and squirrel metrics) the squirrels will give up after about three tries. They’re not stupid. They’ll simply forage for spillage on the ground beneath the feeder after that.

Also, squirrels aren’t colourful, pretty, diverse, and full of song.

The squirrels will still eat your seeds but they’ll starve to death anyway.

Bwahahaha.

It works. It may melt in the sun which requires another slathering but it works.

House brand versions are cheap.

I’ve also been prevented from gardening becuase of all the peanut shells in my garden. God forbid I should eat somthing with my fingers after touching something in my backyard (which to all appearances and expectations should be safe from peanuts).

One has a spring-loaded frame/cover activated by the squirrel’s weight – covering the feeding holes.

The other is a feeder enclosed by an outer wire grid that where the openings are small enough (and far enough away from the holes) to keep the squirrel’s out.

If you can afford the little bit extra for a giant jug of cayenne pepper then that works wonders in deterring squirrels from eating the seed…birds aren’t affected by the spice. Just mix a generous amount in w/ the seed in the feeder.

I also like seedroller’s idea of fattening them up strategically…free food.

^m^

(I accidentally watched it with the sound off. Reading the comments that mention the, er, audio commentary, I’m not sure whether that unfortunate or not).

I have two feeders out there now – one shepherd’s hook, one pole. Both have baffles which seem to work just fine for me. A big factor is also having enough open ground between your feeder and the surrounding trees, shrubs, fences and so on.

I could drive myself crazy trying to devise a contraption to keep the pigeons (or squirrels, whatever) out, or I could accept the fact that they are the more aggressive species and will eat whatever they can find.

What is your purpose in putting out the food to begin with? To attract pretty birds so you can watch them? If your goal is to attract pretty birds, you have to accept that the less pretty animals are hungry too.

Obviously you put a lesser value on the result (don’t care as much for pretty birds) or a higher value on the work required to prevent the “less pretty animals” from accessing the feeder (lack the ingenuity, lazy).

Someone else may put a higher value to the result or a lower value to the work. Therefore it may be worthwhile in their minds to derive a method of feeding the song birds, while keeping the “less pretty animals” at bay.

I’ve had only one squirrel able to jump high enough to bypass the ducting, and that only when the snow piles up enough. I figure if they’re amusing enough, they can have some of the seed.