Tag: squirrel proof birdfeeder

23rd Annual Great Backyard Bird Count

It’s that time of year again! The 23rd Annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is this weekend, Friday, February 14, through Monday, February 19, 2020.

During this weekend, volunteers from around the world count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes, on one or more days of the count and then enter their checklists at birdcount.org. It can be as simple as looking out your window, or going out to your favorite birding spot and report on what you see.

White-breasted nuthatch at my new Squirrel Buster Peanut + feeder from Brome. Filled with shelled peanuts it’s a great feeder for attracting nuthatches and woodpeckers.

Why does this matter?

There was a recent study in the journal Science last fall that described the decline in the overall number of North American birds by 29% since 1970. Birds also face a number of issues that certainly could affect their future numbers. Citizen science projects like the GBBC give scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society valuable information on where the birds are, how their numbers might be changing overall or regionally, and how they may be adjusting to new habitats. You can learn more about the GBBC at https://gbbc.birdcount.org.

Wondering what the #1 reported bird is in the U.S.?

Most years it’s been the Northern Cardinal, a favorite at my feeders. I have this Squirrel Buster Standard Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder from Brome with perches perfect for cardinals right outside the kitchen window. I fill it with striped sunflower seeds which have a thicker shell than black-oiled sunflower seeds. House sparrows and house finches can’t really eat them, but are just fine for the cardinals. Makes dishwashing much more entertaining watching these beautiful birds.

What did I report this morning in my 15 min of watching my feeders in the backyard?

  • 1 Northern Cardinal (female)
  • 1 White-breasted nuthatch
  • 3 Black-capped chickadees
  • 2 Juncoes
  • 6 House sparrows
  • 4 House finches
  • 1 Downy woodpecker
  • 1 squirrel – no, I didn’t really report it, but it was there eating the crumbs off the ground so I’ll count it.

Too bad there wasn’t anything unusual today, but happy to have anything in addition to the ever present and obnoxious house sparrows and house finches.

Need help identifying what you see? Check out these mobile apps, these online resources, or order my favorite bird book for beginner to intermediate birders, Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification.

Interested in what everyone else is seeing? On the GBBC website you can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting.  Be sure to check out the Explore a Region tool to see what everyone else is seeing in your area. Want to have your own checklist specific to your area? Check this tool out.

I did my part!

You can get your own certificate, just follow this link.

Want to help count birds all year round? You can keep counting throughout the year with eBird, which uses the same system as the Great Backyard Bird Count to collect, store, and display data any time, all the time. I love this tool to see what birds others are seeing (and where) when I’m out and about.

Happy Birding! Hope you see something interesting, but even if you don’t, know you’ve made a difference for science. Let me know what you saw this weekend!

BTW, these Brome feeders really do keep out the squirrels! This guy tried a few times and has since given up.

2018 Stephi Gardens Holiday Gift Ideas

Struggling with what to get that special someone for Christmas? Here’s some ideas from the things that I love!

Birding:

Do you enjoy feeding the birds, but dislike feeding the squirrels? I tested out a number of squirrel-proof feeders and can report that they actually all work as advertised. The squirrels don’t even waste their time anymore trying to get at the seeds. See my reviews at Who Won The Squirrels vs Feeder Contest? and New Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders.

Here’s some of my favorites:

If you want to know what you are seeing at your feeders, my favorite ID guides are:

Gardening:

I love my plastic Tubtrubs. I’ve had mine for years and use them to use them to move things all over the yard. I’ve found the 7 gal (26 l) and 3.6 gal (14 l )particularly useful.clematis wilt

My Felco #8 Pruning Shears are pretty much with me all over the yard as well. Oftentimes in my Tubtrub, which is a safer place for them than setting them down in the grass. They may be a bit pricier than other shears, but these really will last you a lifetime. I have #8, which have an ergonometric handle, but I’d also recommend #11, same as the original #2 but with a replaceable blade, or #6 for smaller hands.  I’d also recommend a leather holster to keep your investment safe and convenient to carry around with you.

A nice set of garden tools is always appreciated. There’s nothing worse than a cheap shovel that literally bends in your hand trying to transplant something in my awful midwestern clay soil. I’ve had a set of stainless tools for over 20 years, but I do like the cushioning on the Fiskars tools I’ve bought more recently. So far, I haven’t had any issues with breakage like some have reported in the reviews.

Growing seedlings indoors? The 2 ft Hydrofarm T5 Grow Light Systems have worked great for me. Spacious, energy efficient and adjustable. It’s made all the difference in growing healthy seedlings indoors.

What to wear in the garden? I think nothing is better than my Slogger garden shoes and rain boots.  I have both styles and they are comfortable, easy to get on and waterproof!

Garden cocktail cookbooks are a fun (and tasty) gift. Two favorites on my bookshelf are The Cocktail Garden and Summer Cocktails.

Not sure what they might already have? A gift certificate to a local garden shop would always be appreciated!

Cooking

I have a couple of go-to pans that I just love:

My Calphalon hard-anodized 13″ stir fry pan is excellent for sautéing my garden fresh vegetables as a side- or main dish.

One of my first pieces of Le Creuset enameled cast iron cookware was a 3.5 quart Chef’s Oven in flame. I love this pan for sauces, soups, risotto, sautéing, pretty much anything. I thought it such a perfect pan I got one for my daughter when she moved into her own apartment. It is on the smallish side but there are larger versions available (and other colors).

I invested in a spiralizer and love spiralizing all kinds of vegetables. The spirals can be used as a base for a sauce, part of a stir-fry or just as a sautéed side dish. So many options for a starch alternative! I wrote about my experience with the Paderno World Cuisine Spiralizer Pro in “A Fun Garden to Table Kitchen Gadget-A Countertop Spiralizer”.

I also love kitchen gadgets. Probably have far too many single purpose things, but they are just so handy! What are some of the things I use all the time?

Reading

I love to read. Always have since I was a little girl taking out a stack of books from the library. I think books always make a great gift and you can follow what I’m reading by the list on the right side bar. Don’t worry, if I wouldn’t recommend a book I’ve read I won’t put it on the list!

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

Christmas Tree

(Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post. All reviews are my own and are not influenced by any compensation I may receive.)

New Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders

I had such success with my squirrel proof feeders (Who Won The Squirrels vs Feeder Contest?) that when I needed to replace my peanut feeder, I searched again for a squirrel proof version. I found two options that seemed like they would work and ended up ordering them both!

squirrel proof peanut bird feeder

The first was the The Nuttery Classic X-large Peanut/Sunflower Seed Feeder (NT066). It seems to have a heavy duty outside cage to keep squirrels from chewing through the mesh. One complaint that I saw in the reviews was that its hard to fill. Using a handy seed funnel scoop I didn’t really have a problem.

I really liked that if the squirrels were able to get the top off, there’s a strong grate preventing them from emptying the feeder! A nice touch and definite plus. 

squirrel proof peanut bird feeder

The second one was an Audubon Squirrel-Resistant Caged Screen Feeder (Model NACAGE).  Again, people’s biggest complaint was filling it. 

squirrel proof peanut bird feeder

I think since I already was used to the disc method of locking down the top from my Duncraft Eco songbird house that the House Wrens love, lifting the lid isn’t a problem. Very effective against a squirrel getting it open. But, I do think it would have been nice if the wire loop would tilt out of the way when the top is up. It does get in the way of filling the feeder, but again using the funnel scoop or my Perky Pet Seed scoop, I was able to fill it ok.

Now I waited for the birds! Why did I want a peanut feeder so badly?  For the nuthatches of course! Especially the Red-breasted Nuthatch. Apparently it’s an irruptive year for them and I have a couple that have been visiting my backyard with the White Breasted Nuthatch for a few weeks now.

peanut feeder

squirrel proof peanut bird feeder

They are the cutest, friendliest bird around.

Definitely one of my favorites, as you can tell by my morning tea mug that I bought at my local Wild Bird Unlimited store. Of course this time of year my go to tea is Pumpkin Spice from Republic of Tea, and with water heated up in my electric Breville variable temperature kettle.

red breasted nuthatch coffee mug

I would point out that I wouldn’t need any of these squirrel  proof feeders if I had just placed my Squirrel Stopper Feeder Pole the required distance from a tree (check out these previous posts for more on the pole system and other feeders: This Birthday Was For The Birds, The Feeders Are Ready for Winter).  But then I couldn’t see the feeder as well from the kitchen window. I would say though, I have never seen squirrels climb up the pole so I would still whole-heartedly recommend it!

FYI, after my local feed store closed, I was having trouble finding shelled peanuts for my feeders so I ended up ordering them from Amazon.  The birds couldn’t tell the difference and were happy for the treats.

So happy to finally not have the squirrels be a problem, now if I could say the same for the house sparrows and house finches.

Who Won The Squirrels vs Feeder Contest?

I’ve had an ongoing issue with squirrels ravaging my bird feeders. I bought a great Squirrel Stopper pole, but because I wanted to see the birds from my kitchen window, and despite clear instructions not too, I placed it too close to a nearby tree and arborvitaes. So, those very acrobatic squirrels have had fun feasting at my feeders!

In a post earlier this winter, I wrote about finally investing in some well reviewed squirrel proof feeders to try and attract more birds than squirrels to my yard (Happy New Year’s To My Backyard Birds!).  So did they work?

I am so excited to say YES! Continue reading “Who Won The Squirrels vs Feeder Contest?” →

Happy New Year’s To My Backyard Birds!

Happy New Year! I hope this day finds you all well and looking forward to this new year. I’ve been away a bit from blogging, but one of my goals for this year is to keep up much better. So much has happened this summer and fall with great gardening and travel, so I’ll spend the winter catching up!

On to the birds—

Like most people, I have a heck of a time finding balance between feeding the birds and feeding the pesky squirrels. I really love my squirrel-proof pole, but it’s only as good as your placement.

Stephi Gardens

In my case, for me to have it in a perfect viewing spot from the kitchen window, it is just too close to the tree. Since squirrels are quite the acrobats, the pole really needs to be at least 10 feet from any object than can jump from. BTW, I have never seen a squirrel successfully climb up the pole! Since I’m not willing to move it, I either need to put up with feeding the squirrels or try some other feeders or shields.

I tried the clear dome feeder covers and decided those were really only good to keep the finch socks dry. I tried tying shiny ribbons around the tree to distract the squirrels and that only made it look like trash had become trapped on the tree somehow. I also tried the Squirrelaway Baffle, which also got great reviews.  But, alas, my squirrels finally outwitted it 🙁  It did work pretty well with the suet feeder tucked up there, but regular feeders it was able to s-t-r-e-t-c-h and reach around to grab it.

My last attempt was to try some of the squirrel proof feeders. Since it was recently Christmas, I added a couple to my Christmas wish list. I also had a couple around that I dusted off.

Here’s what I’m trying:

Peanut Feeder– I’ve had this one a couple of years and the nuthatches and downy’s just love it. I’m not sure the brand, but I got it at a Tractor Supply Store.  No squirrels can get into it. But, the other day I must not have screwed on the top as tight as I should have since it was missing one morning. I found it quite a ways away from the pole, so someone had quite a feast!

squirrel proof peanut feeder

Sunflower Seed Feeder–I just put out this Perky-Pet Squirrel-Be-Gone®Wild Bird Feeder and hope it lives up to it’s name. If a squirrel gets onto it, the outer wire cage lowers and closes the feeder slots.

Perky-Pet® Squirrel-Be-Gone® Wild Bird Feeder

My only concern is the plastic tube. Hope my squirrels aren’t chewers.

Perky-Pet® Squirrel-Be-Gone® Wild Bird Feeder

The top seems really good and tight to keep them out.

Perky-Pet® Squirrel-Be-Gone® Wild Bird Feeder

My new suet feeder– I’ve really tried to used shields with my suet feeders and they worked for a while. Then this happened. Maybe I just didn’t figure out how to get the feeder hidden in their well enough, or I just have super smart squirrels. Either way a new approach was needed.

squirellbuster baffel

I’m now going to try the Stokes Select Squirrel Proof Double Suet Feeder. Seems to be well reviewed, so we’ll see. Looks pretty solid.

Stokes squirrel proof suet feeder

Stokes squirrel proof suet feeder

Black Oil Sunflower Feeder– And lastly, my new favorite! A Brome 1057 Squirrel Buster Standard Wild Bird Feeder. This seems to be everyone’s favorite brand, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it seems to be made. Comes with really good instructions in case you want to adjust the closure weight.

Brome 1057 Squirrel Buster Standard Wild Bird Feeder

Brome 1057 Squirrel Buster Standard Wild Bird Feeder

Brome 1057 Squirrel Buster Standard Wild Bird Feeder

I chose this one because it has perches that Cardinals seems to like. They were the trickiest to find a squirrel proof feeder for since they like to perch instead of cling. Worst case scenario, they seem to be happy with the spills.

So here we have it. All ready for the birds and hopefully will have outsmarted the squirrels.

img_1520

I’ll keep you posted!  How do you outsmart the squirrels?

P.S. To help keep the sparrows and house finches away from my more expensive seeds, I usually place a couple of other feeders farther away in the yard filled with a cheaper wild bird seed mixtures. That seems to keep them happy!