Have I Finally Invented THE Squirrel Baffle Which They Can't Get Past?

May 17, 2024

#479

Gentle reader,

Like many folks around the world, we like to feed the local birds. Some people think that we should not. I have been told by my older sister, "There is plenty of food out there for them to find and eat!" 

However, it gives us pleasure watching so many MORE birds coming into our yard than would normally show up. All kinds and colors. Even a Coopers Hawk. Sadly, it lays in wait in the branches above, to swoop down and grab an unsuspecting little bird who just took off after filling it's tiny stomach with yummy seeds. The circle of life.

Then, there are the squirrels. Cute and funny though they are, they are also smart! I have tried many ways to keep them from getting to the bird feeders. But, eventually that really determined squirrel finds a way! Then the others copy the leader.

I mean, just look at all these Goldfinches! One morning, I opened the living room vertical blinds to look out the front window. What do I see? A squirrel happily munching on the seeds of this feeder. I tapped on the window, it looked at me, panicked and jumped off the feeder! Yeah, you BETTER run!

I've always been handy, and I've invented a few things in the past which helped my coworkers do certain tasks more safely. Nothing worth patenting, however. Therefore, it occurred to me, that if I had a large flat disc of metal, perhaps with a slit from the edge to a small hole in the center. I could slide it onto the line (seen above) and the squirrels could not get past it! I looked and looked for a flat squirrel baffle, to no avail. Plus, how would this disc stay vertical?

I tried adapting a cone shaped squirrel baffle to the line, but there was no way to make it stay the way I wanted it to. Gravity wins every time. 

Then, I thought, "How about a trash can lid!" With a hole through it's center AND through the handle, it should stay vertical.

During an online search, (not Amazon!) I found these galvanized steel lids made to fit 30 gallon steel drums. I deemed ones for 55 gallon barrels would be overkill. They are 25 inches in diameter. However, the low cost pressed sheet steel handles which they came with are quite flimsy. I needed something stiffer. Off to the hardware store!

I also needed some kind of metal tubes to run through the lid and the handle with a way to tighten everything together. 

Home electric lamps and fixtures of many kinds have threaded tubes which are used to feed the AC cord through the middle of the lamp and often, depending upon design and construction, to the secure all the pieces of the lamp together.

The hardware store also had these six inch long threaded tubes and the heavy duty door hinges. Some large black wire ties do the trick to keep the baffles in place on the line.

Having been handy all my life (I'm 67 now) I tended to save things which, "Might come in handy someday." The pieces seen threaded onto the two tubes can be seen in the two photos are saved items. I also bought two brackets threaded for these electrical tubes and riveted them on the bottoms of the lids located where the original handles protruded through the lids and were flattened. The lid-mounted door handles, I placed at a 90 degree angle to those brackets for added strength. They are also riveted to the lids.

Between the tops of the large can lids are birds-only feeders. If a squirrel manages to get on top of one of the baffles, it will roll it right off and drop safely to the ground. Today, I saw a cardinal land on the closest baffle seen in the photo above. It quickly realized the baffle was rotating and flew off in alarm.

The photo above shows the sacrificial feeder placed to the outside of the baffle. I added the orange platform to allow blue jays and doves to be able to land on the feeder. The squirrels found it a wonderful thing to sit on while they feast! Now birds who land on it, so far blue jays and grackles, have dined there as well. Later in the day, I noticed that the weight of a squirrel on that feeder had caused it to slide down to and against the baffle. I added the unused long empty hook to the top of the feeder. It can no longer slide.

And lastly, this feeder platform is the sacrificial one at the other end of the line. So, you see, I still provide food for the squirrels and yet, (hopefully) the squirrels will not be able to defeat my efforts again. Not a better mousetrap, but hopefully and better baffle.

Thank you for taking the time to read my humble blog. This still counts as a collection since we have so many different bird feeders.

Feel free to comment below or via Facebook.

Scott Robb

#479

May 17, 2024