How to build a "Flexi-Perch" Squirrel-proof birdfeeder for $10 or less

Step 18 Final step & instructions for use

Hold the feeder by the hanging loop and slide the cap onto the top of the pipe. Your feeder is complete!

Hang the feeder so that the bottom is at least 4' off the ground and the feeder at least 18" from the nearest vertical surface. Fill by sliding the top cap up and pour seed into the tube. It doesn't need to be filled up all the way.

Comments

[DavidM45]

Finally ... the squirrels are driving me crazy! well thought out, thanks

[billr]

Good luck and post a photo when you're finished!
- Bill

[suezq]

I think I'll make one of these and take my roto zip tool, cut a groove in one side about a 1/2" wide x 6" long, roughly 4" up from the bottom. Then I'll cut a strip out of a clear 2 liter pop bottle and glue it to the inside of the pipe over the groove so I can have a window to keep track of the seed level. Maybe it's less trouble just to lift the lid and look...
Nice instructable and quite doable. Thanks!

[billr]

I like the window idea. Please post a photo when you finish it!
- Bill

[charlessenf-gm]

You inspired me BUT - watch out for the hole sizes! Apparently, I made mine just right and gave it to my neighbor to "test" as he had more avian visitors than I. When I went back to check, he had it down on the ground and there were blood stains 'round two of the orifices where the neighbor's son had tried to extricate the little birdies that got their heads stuck! Two died in the process! Just a (pardon the expression) Heads-up.

[billr]

charlesssenf-gm, i'm appalled by this story. Also a bit skeptical. Did you actually see any birds with their head stuck in the feed holes? Pictures, please. - Bill

[charlessenf-gm]

Absolutely no need to be skeptical. Dennis (the neighbor) is a straight shooter as are his wife and son. I would suspect that the holes need to be of a certain size (like they do with bird houses) and sanded smooth to remove "edges" as well. I put ti up again with larger holes and had no difficulty. I suspect that, since I simply drilled the holes and did not try and round over the inside and outside edges, it was the sharp edges as much as the small hole size that caused the problems. Since their feathers grow from head to tail, getting in was no issue, but backing ut may have caught their feathers and prevented them from gracefully exiting with a craw full of seed. I don't know how to attach pictures to these responses, but, if you tell me how, I'll take a picture of the device I made and send it along.

[billr]

charlessenf-gm, I'd like to see pictures of your feeder. When you reply to this, there will be a button labeled "add images" above the text entry area. Clicking this button will give you several ways to add an image. You want the last way, at the bottom, which is to upload an image from your computer. - Bill

[charlessenf-gm]

Try a jpg

[billr]

charlessenf-gm , It's a nice-looking feeder (what did you use for a top cap?), but based on the photo, it looks like the baffles (the tubes inside the feed holes) have not had their bottom 1/3 cut away as described in step 11 of the instructable. If so, this may cause a problem since the birds would have to stick their heads and necks all the way into the baffle to reach the seeds. When the bottom 1/3 of the baffle is removed, as specified in the instructable, the birds can reach seeds without having to stick their entire heads in the feed hole. Can you double-check that the baffles have been correctly cut? - Bill

[charlessenf-gm]

"Can you double-check that the baffles have been correctly cut?" Ooops, you are right. I removed the baffles to enlarge the holes the birds had gotten stuck in - forgot that part! I will enlarge the holes a bit more and try inserting some new baffles to hold in the seed better. I'll post a picture later.

[charlessenf-gm]

"what did you use for a top cap" I found these clean out scraps at a construction site. They had a female adapter and a screw-in plug at the end they cut off and tossed when connecting the house plumbing to the city pipes (I assume). The bottom fitting is a temporary cap that fits inside the Sched 40 4" PVC pipe. Its thin translucent plastic cheap, but forget how much! The female adapter and plug, on the other hand are NOT CHEAP - but work great.

[charlessenf-gm]

"the tubes inside the feed holes" Yes, forgot to mention that, to enlarge the holes, I drilled out the tubes entirely. The heads got stuck in the tubes - not since. But, maybe I could make some more tubes/baffles to keep the seed from dropping out (unless in a beak!). Thanks for reminding me about those parts.

[charlessenf-gm]

Never noticed the "add images" tab. Here 'tis

[woodfinery]

Very nice easy to understand simple instructions. This was exactly what I was looking for. Ya gotta love those Squirrels, but not hanging all over the bird feeders!!

[charlessenf-gm]

Great idea. Good detailed instructions and graphics. Love teh image of the finches - how do you do that photography? What do you use, distance, which camera, etc.

[billr]

Thanks, charlessenf-gm! The finch photo is a frame grab from a video recording taken by a Canon ZR60 miniDV camera. The feeder is on my back porch facing my living room windows, so I can set the camera on a tripod in my living room and it's less than 5 feet away from the feeder, making it easy to zoom in. My live webcam at SeattleBirdCam.com is an ancient Sony 8mm camcorder, also on a tripod in my living room. Its recording function is broken, so I just use it for live video.