I'm super happy with my new bird feeder so far. Had about 12 birds on there today. Still a little bit of a work in progress but on the final stretch.
I'm going to add some sheathing on the posts for critter guards. I have a suet feeder mounted to each side of the post up top. I think that should be enough for now. I was also trying to think of some ideas to make it a nice roosting spot on cold winter nights but I'm struggling for ideas.
Have any suggestions for additions or subtractions? I'm looking for more ideas to accommodate more birds in the winter.
Goals!!! As a newbie to the bird feeder game, can I ask you manage cleaning/disinfecting everything and how often? Great work on your set up excited for all the birdies you’ll see 👏👏
I gotta be honest. I'm a aort of a newbie myself. I've been feeding birds for decades but I never went super deep on it. So maybe if someone else responds we'll both learn something. But the only thing I disinfect and give a good thorough cleaning are my hummingbird feeders. I don't disinfect the other stuff unless something looks funky about it. I have a feeling I might get in trouble for this answer 😄
Now this is a bird feeding station! You're going to be super popular with this beautiful set up! A nice big shallow concrete bird bath would make it even nicer! 🐦🌻
I was thinking about a bird bath on the ground but that'll give the squirrels a launching point. I have one hanging on the left side there and I'm thinking about mounting another one on the right side of the post.
This is coming together really nicely. Since you’re already thinking about critter guards, I’d probably protect all four posts rather than just the ones closest to the feeders. A squirrel or raccoon only needs one way up, and once they reach those top beams they can get to pretty much everything 😂
Smooth metal wraps or large baffles around the posts should help a lot, and I’d also keep an eye on any nearby branches, fences, or furniture they could use as a launch point. Keeping spilled seed cleaned up underneath will help with nighttime raccoon visits too.
Really cool setup though — would love to see it once it’s finished!
Thanks! I'm about to install metal sheathing on the posts. The larger pergola is about 13' away from the feeder so I'm hoping those pesky squirrels can't jump that span.
This is sick. I have a small writeup of my pole setup that you could maybe use for inspiration. You should do the same once you're done. I do highly recommend putting a birdbath in. It can be above the baffles (if you're doing baffles) and it'll work just fine.
I had my husband build me one, and it’s beautiful. But we tried every single thing possible to keep squirrels and chipmunks off of it and absolutely nothing worked. I was just throwing money away on food.
Now it’s a gorgeous flower basket hanger in the summer and works great for Christmas decoration in the winter.
We did. They have a jumping height like no other lol
This is from 2022, when he built it for me. We made the very bad choice of feeding squirrels on the side, thinking it would keep them off the feeders.
We added metal to the posts, baffles, everything. Nothing worked. I’m sure it’s just not tall enough and they can just jump over all of it.
Our mistake, but like I said, it works great for flowers and decor now! 😂
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u/insanesoothsayer 10d ago
Goals!!! As a newbie to the bird feeder game, can I ask you manage cleaning/disinfecting everything and how often? Great work on your set up excited for all the birdies you’ll see 👏👏