Winter Jewels in the Garden
Birds are an integral part of any garden and are a source of much pleasure, especially during the winter. One problem with feeding them, however, is how to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder. Although squirrels are also a joy to watch as they play around the yard and in the trees, they do not belong in the bird feeder eating the special seed that was purchased for the birds! Some solutions to consider are:
Locate the feeder on a pole that is far enough away from surrounding bushes, porch rails, etc. to prevent the squirrels from leaping to the feeder.
Mix cayenne pepper with the bird seed. This does not harm or deter the birds, but the squirrels definitely do not like it hot! I have tried this method before, and although it works very well, the drawback is that it becomes expensive if you're doing much feeding.
Spray the pole with WD-40. You have heard about the many uses for the wonder product WD-40? Well, it really works to keep the squirrels from climbing the pole! We haven't had even one squirrel in the feeder since we sprayed the pole. They will still eat the seed that has been spilled on the ground, but they have given up pole-climbing!