Bird Feeders? Smart ones?

S gave me a hummingbird feeder for my birthday. Got that setup using a pole on my deck railing. Got a regular squirrel proof feeder too - had to get a longer pole to make this truly squirrel proof.

Have thoroughly enjoyed having the feeder. We get lots of birds, different species and it’s been fun identifying them and watching them. There’s lots of competition and a “waiting room” as I call it - the birds line up on the sunroom roof waiting for their turn. Some are aggressive and chase away others.

I’d like to get a larger feeder for the bigger birds. But was also thinking of getting a smart feeder so I could get pictures/videos. There’s one yellow bird (goldfinch?) that I’ve seen, but he’s too quick for me to get a picture of him.

Any recommendations? Would have to as “squirrel proof” as is possible -

Gave my husband a bird buddy a couple of years ago, it’s fun! It takes photos, videos, identifies the birds, gives bird facts, you can see other bird buddies if folks share. It charges with solar panels.

2 Likes

@Mjkacmom - thanks. That’s one that came highly recommended. Where/how do you have yours installed?

My sister has a smart Birdfy feeder that she loves. But she does have to deal with squirrels and raccoons. Thought she had it solved with cayenne laced bird food that the birds didn’t mind, but the critters didn’t like. Then the raccoons developed a taste for the spicy… Some of her best videos are the animals.

I have a smart Soliom Hummingbird feeder that is on a shepherd’s hook in the pollinator part of my garden. Had to rig a stand to keep it from swinging in the wind and recording false videos. Then made an ant moat to keep them from climbing up the pole and getting into the feeder. Seems to be working. Takes great videos (below is a screen capture).

5 Likes

Can you say more about the ant mote?

We have it hanging from a hanging basket post by our back fence facing our house. We just happened to have the post already, nothing needed to be installed, just pushed the post in the ground.

To make the ant moat I drilled a hole in a mini round Glad disposable container and screwed it in between segments of the shepherd’s hook, then sealed it with clear waterproof caulking. I keep it full of water.

2 Likes

Brilliant solution. :+1::+1:

1 Like

You are clearly both brilliant and industrious!

1 Like

@aMacMom - do you have a picture?

I watched the squirrel yesterday try to get to my bird feeder. Must say this is very entertaining. This guy was very enterprising - he dared to climb out all the way to the tip of the long pole, then hung by his tail as he tried to get to the feeder. The spiral bars that surround the feeder jerked him and he quickly retreated to safety.

1 Like

We have a bird feeder with openings that collapse under the weight of a squirrel so the seed is not accessible. Watching a squirrel trying to get to the seed is great entertainment!

3 Likes

H has a bird feeder out front to provide entertainment for our indoor cats. H has it hanging so the rats are not able to get to it.

I remember when our girls were little and my mom was here with them for a weekend and they made a bird feeder by putting peanut butter on a pine cone and dipping it in birdseed. That did not last very long once I saw a rat eating off of it!

1 Like

Ugh our town has a rat issue, our exterminator put out traps. So we only fill the feeder sporadically now so they don’t hang around. I’ve only seen one squirrel on our bird buddy camera and we have lots of squirrels.

The moat is only there to discourage ants. No other critters seem to be interested in the feeder. I have to watch that the flowers don’t lean on the pole or that becomes an ant gateway.

2 Likes

Thank you! I was happy to solve the problem with materials we had on hand. It makes me miss my late-great father who was excellent about thinking outside the box on home/car projects – always with bonus points for not needing to go to the store.

1 Like

I don’t have a smart feeder but I do have one that’s lucite and attached to my bedroom window. Here are a couple of shots I took when we first put it up. Not great photos, but you get the idea. We love watching them :bird:!



3 Likes

First of all, give up on keeping the squirrels out! If you want to watch an entertaining and absolutely amazing video on squirrels mastering a ninja warrior course, check this out: Squirrel Course

We have the Bird Buddy smart feeder and I love it! Yes, I get squirrels, but they park themselves up there for 10 minutes at a time, and the birds get plenty of seed in between.

Caveat: I love birds but I am a horrible birder. I enjoy the Bird Buddy more than our other feeders because it aims to identify the birds for me. The AI isn’t close to perfect (and makes some pretty obvious mistakes), but where I used to think we had only the European house sparrows, it turns out we also have white throated sparrows and song sparrows in our yard! I keep my bird guide next to the window and I’m constantly checking the species and comparing it to what the app recommends, so I’m learning a lot.

I highly recommend!

2 Likes

@Elpsaa - the problem was that the squirrel would really chase away the birds and empty the feeder in a single day (if not hours!). Couldn’t keep up with that.

I now fill this feeder once every week or so and it’s crazy busy out there! A lot of fun. And yes, now that I am watching closely, I am finding there are so many different kinds of sparrows and finches ! And so many other variations among birds that I had once dismissed as the same!

I think I am going to get a Bird Buddy as my birthday gift :slight_smile:

1 Like

Other little birds (orioles?) like the feeder as a perch.


3 Likes

Guess who I saw eating from our squirrel-proof feeder this afternoon? A chipmunk. :weary:

2 Likes