[Carl in Tampa]

I've had a different experience. I've had bird feeders in my back yard in Tampa (75 miles away) for decades and have found ways to deal with the squirrels, et. al.

I put a 5" pvc pipe around the poles supporting each bird feeder. I painted them dark green so they blend with the scenery. Now it's true that occasionally a squirrel will climb the pole anyway, but the feeders I use have doors that close when the weight of a squirrel is detected. The weight detector can be adjusted.

Now, it's true that even this doesn't keep all rodents away. The song birds, particularly cardinals, spill bird feed on the ground when they eat from the feeders and the squirrels, et. al. will feed on the ground.

There is a "squirrel proof" feeder available that hangs from a tree limb or pole which makes it difficult for the squirrel to get to it. It is a long plastic tube, similar to a finch feeder, but when the squirrel gets to the feeding platform his weight activates a battery operated motor which causes the entire feeder to spin, throwing the squirrel to the ground.

It's called the Yankee Flipper Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder.

You will love this; it gets better at the end. xhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEW9TG6Dcgg You will have to copy this link, remove the x on the front and put it in your browser. I found that if left as a link it changes each time it is watched.


As a "Florida Boy" I'm often amused by the concern expressed by people from other states who are overly concerned about the presence of bugs, rodents, snakes and wildlife coming in their yards. Folks, this is Florida. They are there. The presence of a little bit of bird seed isn't going to make a lot of difference and the joy of having song birds constantly visiting your yard is worth the cost.

In our yard in Tampa we had regular visitors who came so often that we could recognize them as individuals. Also, Cardinals almost always came in pairs and certain ones came at certain times of the day.

Birds in your yard are a source of great joy.