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Bird Feeding Station With Squirrel Baffle

Bird Feeding Station With Squirrel Baffle

I like putting out bird seed in the winter so I made this bird feeding station to feed birds with. The squirrels think I am putting the food out just for them so they chase the birds away. My running joke is I don't know why they call it bird feed, everything seems to eat the stuff! Because of the way the squirrels act I had to make a cone shaped baffle out of a defunct hot water heater skin and put it on the pole that supports my feeding station.

It is endless fun to watch the squirrels climb up the pole and get completely turned around by the squirrel baffle I put on it. Good stuff! They can get by the platform I have there, but not the cone baffle. I don't know why the squirrels feel like they have to eat the feed I put in the feeders, I put plenty of feed on the ground too. Not all birds eat out of feeders.

Oh, and I didn't harm any trees making the feeder, I have a lot of pole pines down on my property at any given time so I just grabbed a fallen one out of my woods and planted it in my yard. They grow like weeds. Hurricane Irene just broke my original pole, it was rotted badly at the base so it was going to go anyways, so I just replaced it a few weeks ago now. The cone lives! One of my feeders took a beating on the fall but I managed to put it back together again.

I am posting my challenging cone for the cone challenge. I hope you enjoy it.
6 comments
Oct 23, 2011. 5:09 PMDIYerr says:
Great idea recycling material from a hot water heater. The cone works very well for keeping squirrels away from bird feeders, but I tried putting one on a walnut tree, and the squirrels gnawed off all the outer bark. Luckily, the tree lived, but I only use tree skirts on dead trees or feeder stands now.
Oct 20, 2011. 12:39 PMKiteman says:
Baffled squirrels are funny...
Oct 20, 2011. 12:27 PMPenolopy Bulnick says:
Awesome! I have dealt with those pesky squirrels too. Great solution!

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