Feeding Your Feathered Friends, How to Choose the Right Bird Feeder for Your Needs
With the abundance of bird feeders on the market today, finding the perfect feeder can be a confusing process. However, with a few tips in mind, you can easily find the ideal fit for your needs. If you have squirrels and raccoons choosing the right bird feeder is vital.
Bird Feeders and Seed Mixtures
While most average seed mixtures can easily be fed from many available bird feeders, some specialized foods will need a feeder to accommodate them.
Suet, for instance, comes in a cake and needs to be fed from a suet feeder. Most suet feeders are designed in a metal cage that can hang from a tree branch. Some wooden feeders also have a cage attached for feeding suet in conjunction with seed.
Thistle seed feeders have smaller holes than an average tube feeder preventing the thistle seed from flowing freely.
Peanut feeders that attract Pileated Woodpeckers, among other birds, are made of a large wire mesh allowing ample access to the peanuts you’ll fill them with.
Ground feeders have become a trendy choice for feeding standard seed mixtures in recent years; however, if you live in an area plagued with squirrels or raccoons, a ground feeder will serve more purpose to these animals than it will your birds.
Bird Feeders To Keep Squirrels Out
Platform Feeder
A platform feeder can successfully solve the problem of pests when placed at least 10 feet from a tree or other jumping point and at least 5 feet above the ground and paired with a baffle designed to keep both raccoons and squirrels at bay. However, that same platform feeder can pose a problem if you are looking for a low-maintenance investment. Most platform feeders do not provide protection from the elements and seeds will need replacing after each rain or snow.
The Duncraft Squirrel Resistant Platform Feeder is a great choice for a squirrel-resistant platform feeder.
Wood Feeder, Hopper Feeder
For a lower maintenance feeder, you may want to consider a wood feeder, also commonly known as a hopper feeder; likewise, a tube feeder may be a good choice. The wood feeder is a common and excellent choice for a novice bird feeder; most commonly hung from a tree, they can also be pole mounted. Their design allows them to fit in perfectly with their outdoor surroundings, and a well-made cedar feeder can easily last years when appropriately placed to avoid damage inflicted by the sharp teeth of hungry squirrels. They are generally easy to fill; most have a top that lifts off for quick access and replaces to protect the seed from the elements.
Take a look at a squirrel-proof hopper feeder.
Tube Feeder
A tube feeder, also most commonly hung from a tree, can allow a better view of the birds as perches are stacked along the length of the tube, which prevents them from gathering together while feeding. When purchasing a tube feeder, it is essential to consider the reserve or seed left above the highest perch when the feeder is full. In a tube with little reserve, you will need to fill the feeder more often than with a generous reserve. This is because as the amount of seed in the feeder shrinks, so does the level of seed available; the more seed that the birds eat, the fewer perches there will be that have access to the seed that is left.
Here is a caged tube feeder which is squirrel proof.
So, Which Bird Feeder Is For You?
Last but certainly not least, it is essential to remember that your purchase is an investment. At the same time, the more inexpensive feeders can be tempting in the store, be assured they will not hold a candle to the more expensive but better-made feeders when exposed to the elements.
Need More Help In Keeping Squirrels at Bay
Do you find you cannot keep the squirrels away or do you have a problem with any other pest or wildlife animal? Contact NJ Pest Control to see what we can do for you.
