Feeders

Up here in the woods, animals can be pretty hard on bird feeders. The birds become easily tamed and return to feeders all day long as they work to survive. Of course, the birds don't need our help to survive, but it feels good to be able to help out and look out the window and see birds close at hand.

Unfortunately, the birds are the only ones who enjoy the free handouts. Almost as quick as the birds to come to a feeder are the Squirrels! In my case, I get Fox and Red Squirrels everyday at my feeder. They tend to move in, bully birds, and not give up their feeder until its empty. The biggest treat to them is another of they own kind. As soon as a squirrel sees an interluder coming in, they sound the alarm and dash off the feeder and chase the newcomer across the ground and tree limbs.
The problem for the feeders are they bad habit of tearing and chewing their way into the seed holder. They will chew off plastic and wooden perches; they chew into plastic bodies, and generally are pretty hard on a feeder.

Next up are the masked bandits - Raccoons. The biggest problem with Coons is that if they can, they'll haul off the feeder into the woods to eat in solitude. This is especially true for suet feeders. In addition, because of their dextrity, they will work on any feeder until they get it opened. At least they eat all of the seeds unlike the squirrels that simply want the sunflowers.

One thing I've done, is to provide lots of feeders for everyone to share. Over on my birding website - www.mi-birder.com I've posted my quick solution to making a nice feeder from a cedar replacement fence picket. For a couple of dollars, I have created a number of small feeders to place on trees and posts in order to feed my natural neighbors.