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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!cvl!umd5!jay
From: jay@umd5.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.rec.birds
Subject: squirrel@feeder
Message-ID: <711@umd5.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Aug-85 09:13:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: umd5.711
Posted: Mon Aug 12 09:13:17 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 14-Aug-85 03:28:31 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Md, CSC, College Park, Md
Lines: 27

Well they tried to take our group away and that got everyone excited.  It's
good to see traffic in this group again and I thought I might stir up some
more by posing a question about what is probably the most common annoyance
to those of us with backyard feeders; how do I keep the squirrels from my
feeder?

I tried the trick recommended in the instructions for assembling my latest
feeder.  It suggested using fishing line to hang the feeder and placing a
an album between the suspended line and the top of the feeder.  So, what
did that do?  The squirrels gnawed away at the top of the fishing line and
crash went the feeder.  So I hung it up once again and covered the part of
the fishing line that hangs from the branch with duct tape (I know, it sounds
weird).  This worked for one day.  Once the squirrels figured out that
duct tape is not a menace, they climbed down the fishing wire past the
record album and ate two huge chunks out of the side of the (cheap) plastic
feeder.

Short, of recommending that I buy a gun (I suppose survival knives are
now more in vogue), I am interested in hearing from other bird-feeding
compatriots who have managed to stave off similar competition at their
feeders.  I suppose I'm just as interested in hearing about failure, too,
since then I'll know what not to try.

P.S. Please don't suggest wiring the feeder to the house current.
-- 
Jay Elvove       ..!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umd5!jay
c/o Systems, Computer Science Center, U. of MD.