Squirrel Feeders and Pine Martins

[Fisheruk]

I’ve been thinking about that video which circulated a short time ago showing a Pine Martin catching and killing a grey squirrel that had gotten inside a squirrel feeder for a meal. It quickly became a meal for the Martin. If you are in an area without Red Squirrels it may not be such a problem but any area with both or just Reds it clearly is a concern. For many years I’ve been using lift lid feeders with a 2lb jam jar inside to hold the nuts. No squirrel can actually get inside but they lift the lid and eat the nut outside. So they’ll have a chance to see, hear or smell the predator coming. I’ve now developed a larger version which has a plastic drain pipe as an internal lining and again no squirrel can get inside.
 

 

The advantage of having the liner inside the box is that it can easily be washed out and kept clean, which is important to minimise the spread of squirrel pox if the feeder is to be used by both Red and Grey Squirrels.

[Fisheruk]

I put mesh as a bottom which stops mice climbing in but allows the crud to fall through, stopping the bottom getting full of rotting mouldy feed.
 

 

[Eddie B]

Very nice set up👍

[Fisheruk]

5 hours ago, Eddie B said:

Very nice set up👍

Thanks 👍

A better view of the box before I mounted it on the post. It went up at 12.00 noon today and I saw the first squirrel on it at 3.00pm. 
 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2020 by Fisheruk