Several times I’ve published photos of the bluebirds at my bird feeder and the explanation that they come to an open feeder to eat shelled sunflower seed. (All the birds like the shelled seed, and I like it because there is no shell litter dropping on the patio or garden.) In response to these postings many people have asked about the feeder, and how I keep the squirrels off of it. Here is a breakdown of what this feeder is made of, in case you’d like to create your own ornamental, squirrel proof feeder.
The feeder tray and the clear guard on the bottom are both Droll Yankee products. The entire assembly is actually on one of their black poles as well, and the feeder tray and lower guard (which may actually be intended as a rain guard I think) are held on with clamps made by Droll Yankee as well. I cut two pieces of recycled copper pipe to cover that back pole so all you see is the copper.
All Important Note: if you place a feeder like this too close to a large shrub or tree the squirrels will discover that they can leap from the plant onto the seed tray. This feeder is over ten feet from any tall plantings and so far anyway the squirrels haven’t gotten small parachutes or hang gliders that allow them to sail down and eat the seed.
This shows the various parts I used to make the feeder more interesting. Note that the clear piece on the bottom isn’t really necessary. Even without it the squirrels can’t climb over the the edge of the top tray.
This shows the clamp that holds the feeder on the pole. The decorative copper pole stops just below the clamp. A hose clamp holds the lampshade in place and another clamp holds up the lower guard.
The top piece is a flower pot topped by a metal flag pole topper I found in a thrift store. All the small birds perch on this eagle on their way down to the feeder. The eagle is bolted through the hole in the pot into a nut and washer, and the pot is held on the top of pole with florist’s sticky clay.
Last winter the snow and ice got so heavy on the lower guard that it sank down a bit. Once the ice melted I pushed it back into place.
You could stack any number of recycled glass pieces onto such a feeder.
