Another vote for the Brome Squirrel Buster Classic here. The squirrels quickly learned they cannot graze at this one. It also does a great job when the large grackles decide they want to devour your seed.

Wife likes seeing the squirrels so we don't mind feeding a few of them as well as the birds.

Sunflower seed from TSC are the cheapest, especially if on sale and you stock up when you get a store wide % off coupon. I usually get 120 or 160 lb at a time unless I miss a sale. We feed about a gallon of seed a day.

Our birds seem to prefer straight sunflower seeds over the mixed kind.

Don't mess with the cute little plastic feeders, you will have to refill too often and the squirrels will destroy anything with plastic parts.

I have two of these
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Garde...Bird-Feeder/50333189

Also have a Niger seed feeder of the same mesh type. The gold finches like it the but will ignore it if the seed is the least bit stale. I keep the Niger seed in the second fridge in the garage to help keep it fresh.

We also feed the humming birds.

We make our own suit cakes, especially good in winter when the birds like and need the extra protein. I use the left over grease / lard from cooking and mix with cheep peanut butter, melted and mixed with bird seed... poured in a styrofoam bowl. A little cornmeal added to will help thicken it up so it is solid when cooled. These are feed in a metal cage suit feeder. Also you can catch suit cakes at TSC sometimes for ~.90 cent each on sale.

If you feed multiple feeders or types of seeds try to separate the feeders some distance. that will help prevent some birds intimidating some others kinds.

Put the feeder where you will see them... not too far from the house.

A lot of seeds will get thrown or dropped on the ground, but they won't be waisted, the ground feeders will clean them up.

And last but not least... what goes inn must come out! Keep in mind the area directly around the feeder and nearby will get quit a bit of seed hulls and poop dropped it.

Get a squirrel feeder too

Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNltR4iCRCA

thanks for the Brome feeder option , they look nice

I lived in two apts. where feeders would not work out.

I got a bird bath and the birds were in it in 30 min..

bird baths work very well
and !
a bird bath w/ either a drip system or a fountain works the best !

I got two of these at Harbor freight , they work great!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hboglslyNEM

sadly they no longer offer them

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable, April 21, 2019 04:09 PM

I’ve used EMT conduit to mount feeders. Went to a kitchen supply store and bought some cheap large (12” or larger) stainless steel mixing bowls. Using a stepped drill bit, I put a hole in the center of the bottom of each bowl. The needs to be large enough for a very loose fit on the conduit. Use a set screw stop collar to mount the bowl upside down on the pole. The curvature and wobblyness of the bowl guarantees that the squirrels only get what the little birds throw out of the feeder.
To keep the feed dry and for a little twisted fun, mount a large wobbly mixing bowl atop the feeder like a large umbrella and place the feeder at the extreme leaping distance from a tree. I’ve yet to see a squirrel stick the landing on one of our feeders.

saw two Rose breasted grosbeaks today

lady at the
farm store saw two oriel's and a hummingbird

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
saw two Rose breasted grosbeaks today

Wait til you see the red headed big breasted bed thrasher, so exciting!

If squirrels are an issue, Droll Yankee makes a squirrel flipper feeder.

It's battery powered and when anything too heavy, like magpie, or crows and of course squirrels land on the perch they get flipped off.

I've had mine for 10 years and it still works as it's supposed to.

so ? what did you end up buying ,

do you need additional help with the squirrels?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable, May 10, 2019 11:29 AM

Fine! be that way then .

we had oriole's and hummingbirds show up this week

Perfect and first legit opportunity to cross-post ever!

Link