I enjoy feeding the wild birds and watching them flit about the feeder. All totaled I purchase about 200 pounds of black oiled sunflower seed to see all my feathered friends through the winter. By the way, purchasing cheaper bird seed mix is usually a waste of money as wild birds will often discard the millet and milo seed to find the preferred nuts and sunflower seeds.

It’s an expense for sure but I am happy to oblige my feathered friends as they bring me great joy too.  But it’s a total annoyance when I find a fat squirrel sitting in my feeder stuffing its cheeks full of seed that I purchased for the birds. 

Ultimately I came up with this solution…

I took a spool of utility wire, easily malleable but sturdy, and wrapped it criss-cross about the feeder so a bird could gain access but a squirrel, no.  At first, I mistakenly wrapped the roof shut so I could not refill the seed.  Then I revised the wiring so the roof could open.  It is not a pretty fix but since this alteration, I’ve not seen one squirrel at the feeder.

If you are squirrel challenged, give this a try and see how it works for you.

Illustrations by the author

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