Mine came with a cone, but it didn't help too much because the squirrels could jump across from a nearby tree and land on the cone. They then tried to climb up the pole and tried to reach across to the hanging feeders but couldn't quite reach. After a few days of attempts, they just gave up. I removed the cone then and I haven't seen any squirrels trying their luck since, not even trying to climb up the central pole as they just seem to slide down it again!
Defeating the squirrels
- Thread starter Harry Bloomfield
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I think they might struggle, to get past the cone, but the feeder is located, near trees and a fence, but we will just have to see.
The feeder was something a neighbour was chucking out, and brought home by Avril. The main pole was a bit rusty, but the arms were OK. I managed to find some surplus to our needs, carbon fibre awning poles stashed in the summerhouse, just the right diameter, so I replaced the rusty poles with those.
Oh, yes. There is no doubt that the cone effectively prevented them from climbing up the pole from the ground. Good luck, and I'm sure they won't be able to eat the bird food even if they can get to the feeders, as the things the bird perch on will sink down under the weight of a squirrel (or even a bigger bird) and in doing so will close off the opening to the food.
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Our problem with bird feeders is pigeons. They mostly can't get to the feeders, but they congregate underneath waiting for bits to fall.
I don't mnd pigeons too much but when there are a couple of dozen, in their flock, kit, or plague, various unwanteds get to be a nuisance.
So I need a different cone, on the ground, of wire mesh the bits can get through but the pigeons can't..
Or an other-way-up dog collar in the pole to collect the bits which fall.
Then the ground-feeding birds miss out.
I don't mnd pigeons too much but when there are a couple of dozen, in their flock, kit, or plague, various unwanteds get to be a nuisance.
So I need a different cone, on the ground, of wire mesh the bits can get through but the pigeons can't..
Or an other-way-up dog collar in the pole to collect the bits which fall.
Then the ground-feeding birds miss out.
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I've got mesh colanders under mine. Catches most of it. Stops the rats getting it as well.
Yes, we get pigeons and several other birds happy to land on the ground and wait for bits of food to fall. Of course, the small birds are quite messy eaters! Personally, it doesn't bother me if they poo all over the place, as it's only on soft earth. If it does bother you, the same manufacturers of the hanging feeders I mentioned also make things which you hang underneath and which catch which are dropped.
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I made some chicken mesh boxes up to stop the wood pigeons and squirrels (we only have grey, if we had red I would be feeding them)
all the little birds can get in - Blackbirds / Starlings can't, but amazingly if the hole is ig enough for a blackbird to get in, a squirrel can too (which very much surprised me)
all the little birds can get in - Blackbirds / Starlings can't, but amazingly if the hole is ig enough for a blackbird to get in, a squirrel can too (which very much surprised me)
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This was also a benifit of above, especially the seed feeders where a lot falls out, with this most of it stays inside the enclosure and gets eaten by the small birds.
Squirrel spotted today, on the lawn, looking up at the bird feeder and weighing up its chances. After spending a while weighing it up, it shook its head, and climber the nearest tree. I call that one /nil so far 
This is my favourite solution to squirrels climbing up a bird feeder:
Though I've never tried it myself...
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If they manage to find a way past the inverted cone, I'll see if can buy a slinky.
Poor little squirrel.
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