Looking for a way to finally stop those pesky squirrels from robbing your bird feeders this winter? Me too! Squirrels are notorious for stealing from bird feeders at will. With their ability to climb, spring and jump, they can be difficult to keep away. Every winter I like to sprinkle birdseed all along my back deck rail. I really enjoy seeing the various small birds like chickadees, sparrows and finches land on my rail to feast on the seeds. The problem is that my neighborhood squirrels have also discovered the birdseed and now descend on my deck early every morning to devour it before the birds arrive.
Ask ten people with bird feeders how to deter squirrels and you’ll get ten different answers. Since I don’t use an actual bird feeder, I have to rely on the best deterrent I have: a bear. Okay, not a real bear—my dog Bear, a 190-lb. Newfoundland. Unfortunately, while most dogs love to chase squirrels, Bear couldn’t care less about them. What he loves is chilly winter weather and sleeping out on the back deck on cold nights. In the morning, I’ll look out there and see two, three, sometimes as many as five, squirrels all happily munching away on my birdseed while Bear sleeps soundly right below them. Anyone have a Jack Russell I can rent?
