Give a man the proper tools (PVC pipe, duct tape, saw, and WD40) and enough time and he will come up with something. Our birdfeeders on the deck hang over the deck on slanted poles. The squirrels learned how to climb the poles and get at the suet feeder. One squirrel was actually chewing off pieces of the feeder. My husband split a PCV pipe lengthwise (no easy feat) and pried it open enough to snap it over the pole. He used duct tape (do they ever use anything else?) to secure the pipe, then sprayed WD40 over it all.
When the squirrels try to climb the pipe, it swivels and the squirrels scurry back, or fall off. It has worked for a month now, so we keep hoping.
The baffle is quite unattractive. But the deck is not visible to anyone except us, and we don't mind the unsightly baffle. The birds don't mind too much, now that they have learned not to sit on it. I took a few photographs so you could see the result of my husband's labor.
I'm so sorry that darned woodpecker got in all the pictures! She might have distracted you from looking at the baffle. But I didn't have the heart to shoo her away.
23 comments:
Gosh darn it Carolyn, I didn't see that baffle for at least 10 seconds..due to the distraction of that incredible woodpecker you caught in your pics..HOW I WOULD LOVE to have that show up on my feeder! So glad your baffle is keeping the SQs away..is there anything in this world that duct tape can't fix!! Great post!!;-)
Carolyn, beauty (or the lack thereof) is in the eye of the beholder. My feeling is that if it works it's beautiful. And your husband's handiwork obviously works (so far).
Congrats to your hubby, Carolyn... He did a great job--with such unusual tools!!!! ha ha ha...
If it works, so be it. That makes it a beautiful baffle, doesn't it??? In fact, watching the squirrels fall off would be such a JOY to behold!!!!
What woodpecker??? You mean there was a woodpecker in those pictures??? Golly Miss Molly--I need to look again. Har Har..
Hugs,
Betsy
LOL! That's a terrific idea! Tell Hubby I'd like to make one too.
Ingenious......smart man and I think it looks very inventive!
That Woodpecker id beautiful!
Baffle,.. what baffle, all I see is the wonderful woodpecker! OK, kidding aside, that is quite ingenious and he should market the idea. It's a problem that many people have. I take it that the distance is too far for the squirrels to from deck to feeder? Kudos to your hubby!
I LOVE reports on the "squirrel wars" from dedicated feeders of birds!
I am afraid I was so entranced by the woodpecker, I didn't notice the baffle until the last photograph.......
If it does the job great.......
Oh how I love your beautiful pileated! And great solution on the baffle - I need to show this to the hubby to see if he can duplicate for one of our feeders.
Oh good job with the woodpecker photo...oops I mean baffle...tee hee
Hey, I LIKE the pics of the woodpecker! LOL
Stopped by via a comment on Mary's blog...so glad I did! The pics of your Golden's are a joy!! They are such a great breed of dog. Enjoyed my time here...I will be back to visit. :)
Loved the woodpecker, loved the falls, loved the whole thing. Thanks. We have only a squirrel on the ground, covered with snowflakes, and having his reakfast in the snow where he cleared a place for himself. http://wonderfulworld-today.blogspot.com The snow to start was 12 inches deep but he burrowed and burrowed until he was satisfied. He can't get at the feeder but he jumps at it and dislodges the seeds.
Gald that your baffle is still working and that the squirrels haven't figured out how to circumvent it. (I'm not even going to add "yet" to the end of that, in case it is bad luck!) And of course, beautiful woodpecker, as well!
I don't think it is unslightly. Squirrels can leave a real mess. I put out a new feeder after Christmas and the squirrels destroyed it in 24 hours. I still cannot get over seeing a Pileated Woodpecker at a feeder.
Oh, leave the woodpecker eat. We can figure out which part is the baffle!
maybe wrap it up in some camo mesh????
What a creative idea! I am so jealous of your woodpeckers. They are just magnificent.
I think, no, I know I'd pee my pants to see a Pileated at my suet feeder... uh, nice baffle too...lol!
Actually, compared to the contraption that my husband built to keep our feeders safe from bears, your baffles are absolutely beautiful. I haven't blogged about our contraption yet (I do plan to before too long) but we have some great photos of a bear examining it - and then leaving. BTW, ours also works for squirrels but they weren't the subject of my husband's obsession. He's so proud that he's been proven to be smarter than a bear for three seasons in a row!
LOL! Darn woodpecker!
I like his idea. Hey, if it works... I could use one of them on one of my poles.
Keep us posted!
Carolyn: Very nice captures of the big woodpecker.
Darn those woodpeckers!
Back when I feeding birds, I used a 4" white PVC pipe around the vertical post holding my platform feeder. The squirrels couldn't navigate that either.
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