I’m knocking on wood here, but I may have solved my birdfeeder problems for good. Squirrels and grackles are my mortal enemies, stealing my expensive bird seed meant for songbirds only. The grackles come in swarms, and they can empty a feeder in minutes. And squirrels? It’s like the 100 Years War – never ending.
But two things are turning the tide in my favor. Hearts on Fire sunflower hearts and a domed feeder. I was using Cole’s, a red-hot sauce, and applying it to my bird seed and it mostly worked, except that some of the squirrels were able to nibble around the seeds without the pepper juice and occasionally I’d forget to apply the repellant, and the squirrels took immediate advantage. Recently, I have been buying Hearts on Fire seed, and it absolutely works. Squirrels get about halfway up the pole to the feeder, get a whiff of this chili pepper infused seed and immediately retreat. It is 100% certified squirrel proof. And it’s really not that expensive, about $24 for a large, 10-pound bag. It’s all sunflower hearts – no waste.
My Number Two deterrent (especially for grackles, starlings and other unwanted birds) – is a simple dome feeder. I watch the birds come and go and gradually lower the dome so that only bluebirds, cardinals and birds that size or smaller can squeeze in.
Birdseed is expensive. Let the squirrels and grackles find their own food.
