DIY Designing: Keep Out, Squirrels!

I love birds. And since I’ve moved in I have wanted to have bird feeder in the yard so I can watch the birds from my kitchen window.




While I have some lovely cardinals and finches swing by for a breakfast of sunflower seeds, the primary visitors to my feeder are squirrels. I hate squirrels. With a passion. I don’t understand people who put out special feeders to feed those little rodents. I have spent the past 9 months trying to not feed the squirrels.



To thwart them, I have tried greasing the pole with Crisco. It’s funny to watch them try to climb up and keep sliding down, but after about 4 hours the Crisco wears off and the feeding frenzy commences.

Some of you might be saying, “why, you should buy one of the squirrel-proof feeders out there, silly Meg!”




Though they might have improved the technology of late, my poor Grandma tried for years to keep squirrels out of the birdseed with these feeders. She finally gave up and started putting out corn for them.

Unwilling to concede defeat yet, I’ve rigged up my own squirrel-proofing mechanism for this edition of DIY Designing.

Inspiration:




Cost: $24.99 from Backyard Wild Birds


My solution:



Cost: $0


Here’s the play-by-play.

1. Gather materials
• 1 pot that your potted plants you bought last summer came in (choose one with a good-sized drainage hole or else cut one out yourself)
• 1 rubber band
• 1 large butterfly clip

2. Wrap rubber band around pole. Loop it until it’s a snug fit (you don’t want it to be too tight to roll down to the appropriate height, but not so loose that it will slide easily). This is your anchor.




3. Clip the butterfly clip above the rubber band. Note: you might be able to skip this step if the drainage hole in the bottom of your pot is small enough.





4. Slip the old flower pot onto the pole.




5. You’re done! Your very own squirrel repellent that costs nothing.