Our neighbors on both sides also have bird feeders so the neighborhood birds know there is plenty of seeds for them in our little area. Mark and Jody's feeder is very easy for us to watch all the action too.
This year of the pandemic has made watching the birds at the feeder somehow more important. It is comforting. I'm also spending a lot of time in my office chair at the kitchen table writing on my laptop with the window right next to me with a great view of the bird feeder activity. It helps a lot.
Last year I had a running battle with the squirrels. They are always pretty smart and constantly found a way to get at the seeds. The design of this particular bird feeder keeps them out of the main feeder part along with larger birds but the squirrels kept finding ways to get the top off the feeder where you put in the seed. I had it wired shut but they would just keep chewing at the wires until they got it open. Then they would feast all day and as the seed got lower they would squeeze their bodies into the container and get every last seed. They were relentless and I spent a lot of time chasing them away.
This year I figured out a better way. I bought a set of small clamps and set four of them up in a circle around the top of the feeder clamping the top shut. They tried as hard as they could initially to get into the feeder again but they just couldn't get the top open. They might get one or ever two clamps off but not all of them. I would also go out and replace the clamps back in place whenever I saw one off. It didn't take them very long to realize they couldn't get in the feeder and eventually they stopped trying.
Now I just enjoy the birds at the feeder and don't worry about the squirrels anymore. Nice.
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