I need bird feeder suggestions (not completely OT)

I took Louie to TED yesterday for a goopy eye (he's fine), and they
had a nice bird feeder set up just outside a large window in the
waiting room. I took Louie over for a look (he was too nervous to be
interested) and I'm totally falling in love with the "new" birds out
here in the Pacific NW, as well as the variations on some old
favorites. So, now I'm jonesin' for birds at my house. I've got quite
a few windows where I could set some feeders up, and window ledges
wide enough for cat bottoms. So, those of you who feed the birds, any
suggestions for good quality squirrel-proof (and BIG bird proof)
feeders that are also easy to maintain?

Thanks!
Caroline S.

"Caroline S." wrote in message
...
I took Louie to TED yesterday for a goopy eye (he's fine), and they
had a nice bird feeder set up just outside a large window in the
waiting room. I took Louie over for a look (he was too nervous to be
interested) and I'm totally falling in love with the "new" birds out
here in the Pacific NW, as well as the variations on some old
favorites. So, now I'm jonesin' for birds at my house. I've got
quite
a few windows where I could set some feeders up, and window ledges
wide enough for cat bottoms. So, those of you who feed the birds,
any
suggestions for good quality squirrel-proof (and BIG bird proof)
feeders that are also easy to maintain?

Thanks!
Caroline S.

My parents found some very good squirrel and large bird proof feeders
at a feed store. (They often have large pet and wild bird
departments. If anything that weighed as much as a squirrel touched
one of the 'perches' it would drop down and cause the feeder to close.

Of course, once they found such a feeder, after many years of
searching, they promptly started feeding the squirrels too.

Feeders that dangle from wired or from long thin metal rods and not
squirrel proof. Collars won't keep a squirrel out either.

Jo

I tried everything to foil the squirrels last winter to no avail. This
winter I have decided to not feed sunflower seeds at all. I am just
putting out suet. Sunflower seeds have gotten too expensive anyway and
suet is cheap.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

"Caroline S." wrote in message
...
I took Louie to TED yesterday for a goopy eye (he's fine), and they
had a nice bird feeder set up just outside a large window in the
waiting room. I took Louie over for a look (he was too nervous to be
interested) and I'm totally falling in love with the "new" birds out
here in the Pacific NW, as well as the variations on some old
favorites. So, now I'm jonesin' for birds at my house. I've got quite
a few windows where I could set some feeders up, and window ledges
wide enough for cat bottoms. So, those of you who feed the birds, any
suggestions for good quality squirrel-proof (and BIG bird proof)
feeders that are also easy to maintain?

Thanks!
Caroline S.

I have a three feeders that have worked very well for me (for the purposes
you stated). If you scroll down one of my albums to the one that shows
goldfinches, you will see one of them:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/4688545
The importance of this one is that the "squares" are small enough that a
squirrel cannot get through, and neither can larger birds. The other vital
point is that this one is large enough around that a squirrel cannot reach
through and get to the feed ports. Squirrels do sometimes hang upside-down
from the base and "scoop" seed that has been thrown out by the birds. I
actually like that -- I enjoy the squirrels but just can't afford all the
food they would like, and they keep the base of the feeder clean. I got
this one at www.duncraft.com. It is called Metal Safe Haven. They have
some similar-looking ones, but be sure to get the one that is larger in
diameter because that is the one that is too wide for a squirrel's reach.
This is also rather expensive, and you can probably find better buys at some
farm markets. I even got one on eBay.

The second feeder that works well for me is a pole-mounted "Mandarin Cafe"
with a squirrel baffle mounted on the pole *under* the feeder. They can be
pole-mounted or hung from a tree or other support..As someone else said, the
baffles/domes mounted above the seed do not do any good, so I think
pole-mounting is superior (be sure to order the pole-mount attachment). The
trick to this one is that the pole has to be positioned at least 6-8 feet
from any surface where the squirrel could leap. Here are some pictures:
http://www3.shopping.com/xPO-Bird-In...en-Each-AR360G

The third feeder is Absolute II (there are other versions, but this one has
windows on both sides to make it easy to view the amount of seed left).
Again, I got this from Duncraft. I have seen much cheaper versions, but
this one is all metal. Some of the cheaper ones have wooden perches, which
do not last as long and are harder to keep clean. If a squirrel lands on
the perch, it will close and prevent the squirrel from getting to the grain.
It can also be adjusted for the weight of the bird. Here are some pictures:
http://www.duncraft.com/search.aspx

I have had all of these for about 10 years, and all are still in good
condition and have been very effective. I have others, but these have been
the best. I feed large numbers of birds all year around, and the only
problem I have had with squirrels was when I let some bushes get close
enough to the Mandarin that the squirrels began to leap from the bushes to
the feeder. I moved the feeder so it was farther away, and that solved the
problem. If you do not have clear space such as what I described for the
Mandarin, I would recommend the Absolute.

MaryL

On Nov 11, 11:57*am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"Caroline S." wrote in message

...

I took Louie to TED yesterday for a goopy eye (he's fine), and they
had a nice bird feeder set up just outside a large window in the
waiting room. I took Louie over for a look (he was too nervous to be
interested) and I'm totally falling in love with the "new" birds out
here in the Pacific NW, as well as the variations on some old
favorites. *So, now I'm jonesin' for birds at my house. I've got quite
a few windows where I could set some feeders up, and window ledges
wide enough for cat bottoms. So, those of you who feed the birds, any
suggestions for good quality squirrel-proof (and BIG bird proof)
feeders that are also easy to maintain?

Thanks!
Caroline S.

I have a three feeders that have worked very well for me (for the purposes
you stated). *If you scroll down one of my albums to the one that shows
goldfinches, you will see one of them:http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/4688545
The importance of this one is that the "squares" are small enough that a
squirrel cannot get through, and neither can larger birds. *The other vital
point is that this one is large enough around that a squirrel cannot reach
through and get to the feed ports. *Squirrels do sometimes hang upside-down
from the base and "scoop" seed that has been thrown out by the birds. *I
actually like that -- I enjoy the squirrels but just can't afford all the
food they would like, and they keep the base of the feeder clean. *I got
this one atwww.duncraft.com. *It is called Metal Safe Haven. *They have
some similar-looking ones, but be sure to get the one that is larger in
diameter because that is the one that is too wide for a squirrel's reach.
This is also rather expensive, and you can probably find better buys at some
farm markets. *I even got one on eBay.

The second feeder that works well for me is a pole-mounted "Mandarin Cafe"
with a squirrel baffle mounted on the pole *under* the feeder. *They can be
pole-mounted or hung from a tree or other support..As someone else said, the
baffles/domes mounted above the seed do not do any good, so I think
pole-mounting is superior (be sure to order the pole-mount attachment). *The
trick to this one is that the pole has to be positioned at least 6-8 feet
from any surface where the squirrel could leap. *Here are some pictures:http://www3.shopping.com/xPO-Bird-In...-Green-Each-AR...

The third feeder is Absolute II (there are other versions, but this one has
windows on both sides to make it easy to view the amount of seed left).
Again, I got this from Duncraft. *I have seen much cheaper versions, but
this one is all metal. *Some of the cheaper ones have wooden perches, which
do not last as long and are harder to keep clean. *If a squirrel lands on
the perch, it will close and prevent the squirrel from getting to the grain.
It can also be adjusted for the weight of the bird. *Here are some pictures:http://www.duncraft.com/search.aspx

I have had all of these for about 10 years, and all are still in good
condition and have been very effective. *I have others, but these have been
the best. *I feed large numbers of birds all year around, and the only
problem I have had with squirrels was when I let some bushes get close
enough to the Mandarin that the squirrels began to leap from the bushes to
the feeder. *I moved the feeder so it was farther away, and that solved the
problem. *If you do not have clear space such as what I described for the
Mandarin, I would recommend the Absolute.

MaryL

Wow, thanks Mary! Just what I was looking for. I had a WBU Squirrel
Eliminator (http://www.shopwbu.com/product/
part_number=2720/567.0.25206.25760.0.0.0) in Virginia, which worked
pretty well for a while. The squirrels tried to gnaw through the metal
top, which made the edges really sharp. And the spring mechanism got
gummed up after a while and quit working reliably. I think I'll
probably go for the caged feeders for now, fewer moving parts. And wow
did feeders get expensive over the past few years! Looks like this is
going to be a gradual process. Still, Dad just asked me what I want
for Xmas...

-Caroline S.

"Caroline S." wrote in message
...
I took Louie to TED yesterday for a goopy eye (he's fine), and they
had a nice bird feeder set up just outside a large window in the
waiting room. I took Louie over for a look (he was too nervous to be
interested) and I'm totally falling in love with the "new" birds out
here in the Pacific NW, as well as the variations on some old
favorites. So, now I'm jonesin' for birds at my house. I've got quite
a few windows where I could set some feeders up, and window ledges
wide enough for cat bottoms. So, those of you who feed the birds, any
suggestions for good quality squirrel-proof (and BIG bird proof)
feeders that are also easy to maintain?


We just put out food for the squirrels too. The little suckers love brazil
nuts. We give them any left over nuts from the holidays. Works out well
for all of us.

Pam S

Caroline S. wrote:
On Nov 11, 11:57 am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"Caroline S." wrote in message

...

I took Louie to TED yesterday for a goopy eye (he's fine), and they
had a nice bird feeder set up just outside a large window in the
waiting room. I took Louie over for a look (he was too nervous to be
interested) and I'm totally falling in love with the "new" birds out
here in the Pacific NW, as well as the variations on some old
favorites. So, now I'm jonesin' for birds at my house. I've got quite
a few windows where I could set some feeders up, and window ledges
wide enough for cat bottoms. So, those of you who feed the birds, any
suggestions for good quality squirrel-proof (and BIG bird proof)
feeders that are also easy to maintain?
Thanks!
Caroline S.
I have a three feeders that have worked very well for me (for the purposes
you stated). If you scroll down one of my albums to the one that shows
goldfinches, you will see one of them:http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/4688545
The importance of this one is that the "squares" are small enough that a
squirrel cannot get through, and neither can larger birds. The other vital
point is that this one is large enough around that a squirrel cannot reach
through and get to the feed ports. Squirrels do sometimes hang upside-down
from the base and "scoop" seed that has been thrown out by the birds. I
actually like that -- I enjoy the squirrels but just can't afford all the
food they would like, and they keep the base of the feeder clean. I got
this one atwww.duncraft.com. It is called Metal Safe Haven. They have
some similar-looking ones, but be sure to get the one that is larger in
diameter because that is the one that is too wide for a squirrel's reach.
This is also rather expensive, and you can probably find better buys at some
farm markets. I even got one on eBay.

The second feeder that works well for me is a pole-mounted "Mandarin Cafe"
with a squirrel baffle mounted on the pole *under* the feeder. They can be
pole-mounted or hung from a tree or other support..As someone else said, the
baffles/domes mounted above the seed do not do any good, so I think
pole-mounting is superior (be sure to order the pole-mount attachment). The
trick to this one is that the pole has to be positioned at least 6-8 feet
from any surface where the squirrel could leap. Here are some pictures:http://www3.shopping.com/xPO-Bird-In...-Green-Each-AR...

The third feeder is Absolute II (there are other versions, but this one has
windows on both sides to make it easy to view the amount of seed left).
Again, I got this from Duncraft. I have seen much cheaper versions, but
this one is all metal. Some of the cheaper ones have wooden perches, which
do not last as long and are harder to keep clean. If a squirrel lands on
the perch, it will close and prevent the squirrel from getting to the grain.
It can also be adjusted for the weight of the bird. Here are some pictures:http://www.duncraft.com/search.aspx

I have had all of these for about 10 years, and all are still in good
condition and have been very effective. I have others, but these have been
the best. I feed large numbers of birds all year around, and the only
problem I have had with squirrels was when I let some bushes get close
enough to the Mandarin that the squirrels began to leap from the bushes to
the feeder. I moved the feeder so it was farther away, and that solved the
problem. If you do not have clear space such as what I described for the
Mandarin, I would recommend the Absolute.

MaryL

Wow, thanks Mary! Just what I was looking for. I had a WBU Squirrel
Eliminator (http://www.shopwbu.com/product/
part_number=2720/567.0.25206.25760.0.0.0) in Virginia, which worked
pretty well for a while. The squirrels tried to gnaw through the metal
top, which made the edges really sharp. And the spring mechanism got
gummed up after a while and quit working reliably. I think I'll
probably go for the caged feeders for now, fewer moving parts. And wow
did feeders get expensive over the past few years! Looks like this is
going to be a gradual process. Still, Dad just asked me what I want
for Xmas...

-Caroline S.
Just one thought....We have raccoons here and the squirrel baffle
doesn't even slow them down, once they get the hang of it. They just
tip it to one side and reach over the top to pull themselves up. Then
they drape themselves over the top of the feeder and eat themselves into
a stupor (or until the feeder is empty!). I had to go to a bona-fied
raccoon baffle from Wild Birds Unlimited to foil the little buggers.
This thing is 4(?) feet high, so they can't reach over it. Now, though,
nothing eats at my feeder except the birds.

--Kim

On Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:57:23 -0500, "tanadashoes"
wrote:


"Caroline S." wrote in message
...
I took Louie to TED yesterday for a goopy eye (he's fine), and they
had a nice bird feeder set up just outside a large window in the
waiting room. I took Louie over for a look (he was too nervous to be
interested) and I'm totally falling in love with the "new" birds out
here in the Pacific NW, as well as the variations on some old
favorites. So, now I'm jonesin' for birds at my house. I've got quite
a few windows where I could set some feeders up, and window ledges
wide enough for cat bottoms. So, those of you who feed the birds, any
suggestions for good quality squirrel-proof (and BIG bird proof)
feeders that are also easy to maintain?


We just put out food for the squirrels too. The little suckers love brazil
nuts. We give them any left over nuts from the holidays. Works out well
for all of us.

Pam S

One of the hoomin words all my girls seem to understand is
"squirrelly". I think they'd almost rather see the squirrels than the
birds - maybe because they don't come as often.

As far as the type of feeder- I just have the tube type and hang them
from metal posts. I've never seen a squirrel get any seeds from the
feeder itself, but they do come and clean up what the birds drop on
the ground. Years back, even before I had any cats of my own, I used
to hang feeders around my patio from the bottom of the balcony of the
apartment upstairs. Once the neighbor's cat tried climbing down onto
the feeder to get at the birds, and the combined weight of cat and
feeder was enough to bring the feeder to the ground - nobody hurt but
it did break the plastic feeder
--
Steve Touchstone
Little Bit, Sammy, Spotty, Princess, Furby
and Rocky (RB)
Pix at http://tinyurl.com/22pfn8
Vids at http://tinyurl.com/4yb6nj

I have a tube type feeder on a shepards hook. I do grease the pole to keep
the squirrels off.

--
Ann
in Connecticut
see my cats at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ann791/sets/
read Sam's blog at http://kittens-3.blogspot.com/
*
*
*
"tanadashoes" wrote in message
...

"Caroline S." wrote in message
...
I took Louie to TED yesterday for a goopy eye (he's fine), and they
had a nice bird feeder set up just outside a large window in the
waiting room. I took Louie over for a look (he was too nervous to be
interested) and I'm totally falling in love with the "new" birds out
here in the Pacific NW, as well as the variations on some old
favorites. So, now I'm jonesin' for birds at my house. I've got quite
a few windows where I could set some feeders up, and window ledges
wide enough for cat bottoms. So, those of you who feed the birds, any
suggestions for good quality squirrel-proof (and BIG bird proof)
feeders that are also easy to maintain?


We just put out food for the squirrels too. The little suckers love
brazil nuts. We give them any left over nuts from the holidays. Works
out well for all of us.

Pam S

"hopitus" wrote in message
...

LONG
Pacific NW....dunno what kinda birds you have there. At my place, we
are
talking large closely railed deck, 3 floors up (top floor) and I
assume you
have a house. My cheap, foolproof food bowl for the peanut mix I put
out -
for the squirrels - is recycled plastic bowl from margarine product,
*nailed*
to the railing for stability. I get this peanut mix from PetsMart, it
has a few
dried raisins as well as peanut, which are shelled but not salted. We
used
to put out nuts in shells but the squirrels made too big a mess on the
deck.
I don't like birds except for one kind but they sneak in and eat the
nuts (they
are very little birds, not the bluejays, robins, mockingbirds I
remember from
south FL) but they gobble down the big peanuts in between squirrel
forays
out there. It would be a big thrill for me if an owl would show up but
they
get around at night, when we're not up anyway, much less to see
anything
out there very well. I know nada about feeding birds of any kind, but
from
what goes on outside on the deck, I'd guess they'd settle for most
anything
they could get down these days, LOL. Exception: I made the mistake of
buying *guinea pig* food recently....no one would touch it and the
squirrels
fussed mightily out there! I took it up to the Animal Control shelter,
where
they were happy to get it, and they informed me it's *grass pellets*!
- no
wonder the squirrels and/or birds turned up their noses at it!.Every
day now
I see a sight we *never* saw in south FL: that V-shape squadron of
birds,
heading due south, outa here.....food getting scarce already, I think.
Good
luck with your feeders; our critters appreciate most anything now.


Could your little nut eating birds be black capped chickadees?

http://animal.discovery.com/guides/w...chickadee.html

They are cheeky little guys and a delight to watch in action. They hop a
lot.

Pam S. who misses them