Backyard pests can really take the spark out of bird feeding or gardening or even just enjoying being outside. They eat, they dig and eat, they intimidate, they smell, they ruin feeders, they destroy bulbs or newly planted annuals, perennials and vegetable plants, and they poop.
Whether they are squirrels, bears, chipmunks, rabbits, groundhogs, deer, skunks, grackles, starlings, cowbirds or cats, they are not usually part of our bird feeding plan.
How do you deal with them? One thing I used to try was sprinting across the yard, waving arms and “telling” the offending beast what to do. Well, those sprinting days are now gone…
Some change in food can help. Offer safflower to keep away starlings, grackles and squirrels. Add hot pepper (capsicum) to seed to deter mammals; birds don’t taste the spice. While unsubstantiated, citrus peels may keep cats away from the area where the peels are sprinkled. “Irish Spring” soap hanging from branches may keep deer away. Moth balls and marigolds don’t deter young rabbits. Both are just something they must go around to get to what they really want to eat.
Bears? Bring in the feeder at night.
Squirrels seem to raise the hackles of many mostly because they just don’t stop eating! There are feeders touted as “Squirrel-Proof.” Some may slow them down, but there are others that really do work. The Bird House has some with which customers have expressed great satisfaction. Baffles on poles work but there are limits and conditions.
We can’t control nature, but we can sometimes try and tweak it a little.
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