Better bird feeders

[MamaHawk]

I picked up a "Clingers only" plastic bird feeder from a garage sale last summer before noticing the little connectors between the "jug" of the feeder and the dish were mostly broken (2/3). Today I noticed the feeder on the ground a handspan away from it's usual post. The dish had been completely smashed off, and carried closer to the tree in our backyard, making me think a squirrel did a flying sidekick off our house and tried to run off with the dregs of the seed still in the dish. Or a deer got curious, or a neighbor kid resorted to vandalism, but I doubt those two.

Anyway, now that I have to find a new feeder, I thought I'd ask; what type should I look for, and what type should I avoid? I don't particularly care what birds I attract, I usually get general cheap seed for now, but I DO want to keep the squirrels out. Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Sean Regan]

I made this ground feeder from stuff I had in the garage and the guard from an old fan. It let the small birds feed but kept the pesky wood pigeons away.



But there was still a mess, so I junked it after a couple of years and put a pot saucer under the azaleas where the birds up to blackbird size could get in but no others.

We had peanut butter feeder on a pergolas post, but a flock of starlings regularly hogged it all. So I stopped using it. But the several blue tits weren't getting any.



I found a few jars of peanut butter in the shed last week so I made this out of a bit of an old feeder attached to the jar plus a plastic top in which I put a hole so that only blue tits can get in.

In the meantime, I'd ordered this.

It came last week.

So far the blue tits haven't used either!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

We have a feeder with a post and spring running through the centre. When there is nothing heavier than a bird on it the seed tray is exposed, when a squirrel tries to get to it the extra weight causes the outside to slide down and it covers the food tray. I have seen squirrels trying and it seems to work well, just slightly more hassle filling it as you have to separate the inside and outside.

 

[Sean Regan]

We've always fed the squirrels, there's never more than a couple. They can't live that long. Several years ago, one would come to the French windows and stand on its hind legs trying to attract your attention if there were no peanuts in the feeder. The two that come now are very timid.
This is the pigeon and starling-proof feeder I made, on the pergola post outside the French windows. It's the mesh insert to a pan my wife didn't want. I put a bit of a plant saucer in it to hold the peanuts. If I undo the wingnut I can remove the mesh pan and give it a clean. There's bits of plastic on each side to keep the starlings out and the bar across the front keeps the wood pigeons out. I just put a handful of peanuts in it each day.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I find pigeons very wary, I can throw a bit of wire over my greens that is open at the end and they won't go in. I guess they think it is a trap.

 

[Sean Regan]

We get wood pigeons, almost the size of chickens, they make a mess on the patios.
That's why I make sure they can't get at any of the food.
We also get a couple of collared doves, they are quite small in comparison, we don't mind them as much. We do get a few pairs of blackbirds. We've had some for decades.

 

[Meadowlark]

This is the pigeon and starling-proof feeder I made, on the pergola post outside the French windows.

Nice...gives me an idea. Do you ever get rain especially driving rain in the feeder? We have some fierce storms in Texas and wondering if your feeder would keep rain out. Thanks.

 

[Sean Regan]

Nice...gives me an idea. Do you ever get rain especially driving rain in the feeder? We have some fierce storms in Texas and wondering if your feeder would keep rain out. Thanks.

Well, it seems too. It is protected a bit by the pergola above it and the side fence. You could make the roof bigger. We're pretty much protected where we live, there's hills, on three sides around Manchester. Our weather is usually pretty mild. That's why I call it, "The Tropic of Trafford."

 

[MamaHawk]

Nice...gives me an idea. Do you ever get rain especially driving rain in the feeder? We have some fierce storms in Texas and wondering if your feeder would keep rain out. Thanks.

That’s what happened to all of my Mom’s thistle based feeders here in Ohio…rain proofing is my next step!

 

[MamaHawk]

We've always fed the squirrels, there's never more than a couple. They can't live that long. Several years ago, one would come to the French windows and stand on its hind legs trying to attract your attention if there were no peanuts in the feeder. The two that come now are very timid.
This is the pigeon and starling-proof feeder I made, on the pergola post outside the French windows. It's the mesh insert to a pan my wife didn't want. I put a bit of a plant saucer in it to hold the peanuts. If I undo the wingnut I can remove the mesh pan and give it a clean. There's bits of plastic on each side to keep the starlings out and the bar across the front keeps the wood pigeons out. I just put a handful of peanuts in it each day.


View attachment 102439

I have at least three common visitors, but they eat so much of the seed…or maybe it just seems that they do. I wonder how to test that…