It’s probably one of the most common annoyances of garden bird watchers: a cheeky squirrel finding new and clever ways to steal the wild bird food you have put out for the birds.
While some might find it entertaining to watch squirrels get in to nearly any type of feeder and stealing food, while scaring away your garden birds, others get quite irritated by the little creatures. Not only are they eating food intended for birds that are perhaps more in need of the nutrition, they might even cause many birds to look for their food supply elsewhere.
So what can you do to tackle the determined squirrels in your garden and make sure your feathered friends keep coming back?
1 – Understand the Squirrel’s Point of View
I think we can all agree that the squirrel probably doesn’t intentionally mean to steal food away from the birds. The food is available, and they quite rightly expect it to be available to them. If you think you are fighting a losing battle trying to beat them and scare them away, you could instead cater for both them and the birds. Try using different foods, feeders and locations to work out which they prefer most. It may be that they are more attracted to certain areas of the garden, perhaps near trees where they have an easy escape route. This way you can feed your garden birds in another area of your garden where the squirrels prefer not to go.
2 – Get Ready for Battle
If you do decide to take on the challenge of getting rid of the pesky creatures, there are barriers and special feeders you could try to prevent squirrels from getting to your bird food. Some squirrel-proof feeders are weight activated and only allow the lighter birds to feed on them.
You can also try baffles, a half-sphere shaped piece of clear Perspex which hangs above the feeder.
Make sure that you hang the feeder nice and high and away from easily climbed surfaces, as squirrels are able to jump up to five feet vertically and ten feet horizontally.
3 – Use “Hot Stuff”
If the barriers and special feeders do not work or are too impractical for your garden, here is the hottest tip in the book: spices. Squirrels can’t stand hot spices like chili powder, so coating your regular wild bird food with it will keep them away. Interestingly, the hot spice doesn’t affect the birds whatsoever and can do them no harm. If you don’t have any chili powder ready to go in the house, any other hot sauces or spices will do, such as cayenne pepper, regular pepper, peri-peri or Tabasco sauce. The only thing to be careful with is not to use too finely ground powder, as the small grains could potentially fly with the wind and land in a bird’s eyes, causing them some irritation.
About the author: John Greenwood is a nature lover who tries to look after the birds and any other creatures that visit his garden. He recommends Peckish wild bird food to any UK residents looking to give our feathered friends a helping hand.