SiLOSSiLOS

Bird feeders that don't feed squirrels

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sunflower seed
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1Ten feet is the starting distance

Position feeders at least 10 feet away from jumping points like the house, fences or trees before adding any other defense — a baffle on a feeder squirrels can simply leap onto from a nearby branch was never going to work regardless of design.

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2Squirrels can jump farther than you'd guess

One extension-documented case had squirrels leaping 20 feet from a nearby oak tree at a feeder, only to slide off a slanted tin roof into the snow — the jump itself often isn't the failure point, landing on the feeder is.

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3Baffles work, imperfectly, and shape matters

A bowl- or dome-shaped baffle on the pole (or hung above a suspended feeder) is the standard fix — tilting or large dome baffles for feeders hanging from a branch, pole-mounted ones for feeders on a post. Extension offices are refreshingly honest that squirrels 'often do' get past them anyway; a baffle buys you fewer visits, not zero.

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4Seed choice does real work too

Safflower seed is eaten readily by many birds but squirrels generally avoid it, and switching from sunflower seed or corn to thistle (nyjer) seed both attracts more songbirds and reduces the odds of drawing squirrels in the first place.

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