Help!

Hi, I need advice because I have bird feeders in my garden, but the pigeons, magpies etc are eating a lot of expensive RSPB Bird food and the rest is going mouldy. I used to have rats in the garden until I put a baffle up, but squirrels have found a way to get onto the feeders. I'm considering buying the small squirrel buster seed feeder and the nut one too, but they are very expensive and I don't know what I will do with the other feeders in my garden and the baffles.

Thanks, Skua.

  • I use two types of feeders, the unprotected ones which everything is allowed to have a go at (mostly for suet, fat balls and nuts) and a caged seed feeder which gives the smaller birds a fighting chance. Good feeders are expensive - although slightly cheaper from this site. The only way to deal with the mould problem would be to try and balance the amount of food you put out with the amount that gets eaten. I've had the same problem in the past. You might also try making your own bird pastry, it's cheaper than buying fat balls and suet...

    "Let loose the Kraken!"

  • Hi Skua, there is a cheap way of protecting your hanging feeders, use two hanging baskets over the feeder and the larger birds cannot get inside, there have been pics on here but it is a while back so not sure when, maybe someone else will recollect and put up the link.  

    Lot to learn

  • gaynorsl said:
    maybe someone else will recollect and put up the link.  

        found this link to an older post showing what Gaynor describes with two hanging baskets wired together to protect the feeders from larger birds and squirrels.     If you buy a guardian cage for a ground feeder ensure you buy the pitched roof type as the flat roof design does allow squirrels in  !     Good luck Skua.

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    Regards, Hazel 

  • Well done Hazy, I'd searched my photos for something similar but to no avail, I know it worked as had tried it out to stop the starlings encroaching a couple of years ago.

    Lot to learn