[Joshua B]

My dad thinks they do. I was wondering what you all think.

[-25]

I feed the squirrels happily, but yes in my feeders the squirrels for the most part run off the birds, however scattered seeds on the ground is open for sharing... sometimes in very close quarters. Many times will a ring neck turtle dove stand their ground. Sometimes the House Sparrow will feed right next to the squirrel in the feeder, it was for this reason why I added squirrel proof feeders and feeders with ladders to give the squirrles access easy to their feed..

[Katy Penland]

The squirrels stay off the feeders but they do come in to hoover up what's on the ground, making the birds there give them a very wide berth if they don't leave the yard altogether. When the tree squirrels (Abert's) go on a tear, chasing each other in spirals up and down every tree in the yard, that flushes everybody for a while.

But both the tree and ground (Rock) squirrels never stay long, just a few minutes at a time, so the birds end up getting the, erm, lion's share of the seed anyway.

[tiomet]

they did at first but since I moved the squirrel feeding area a little bit away (not too far or they feel that they need to defend the whole area) the birds feed alongside them quite happily. I have noticed the starlings have little respect for the squirrels and even tend to hop up onto the squirrel tables while the squirrels are feeding (true they do not stay long but the squirrels seem very half-hearted in their threats these days)

I have noticed, though, that the jays often scare the squirrels away. They share the same feed so if two jays are up against one squirrel, the squirrel is the one to leave. Same thing happened with two magpies the other day.

I just make sure there is plenty of food for both jays and squirrels but I am trying to refine what I leave out for them more so the little birds dont try to feed there too.

[turkish van]

We feed the squirrels separately so there are no problems, but yes on the very odd occassion the squirrels do go to the feeders the birds leave. Takes them no time to come back though, even uf the squirrel is still there. Feed the squirrels and you should have no problems though!

[prairiemerlin]

Squirrels do intimidate birds - and it makes me mad! Often they will simply run through a flock of birds feeding on the ground for no reason at all. I feed finches with mesh "sock" feeders, and even though squirrels don't eat niger, they rip up the socks and let the seed fall on the ground, then go back to eating sunflower seed on the ground. I once even saw a squirrel kill a junco that was visiting my feeders. Squirrels are very destructive animals in my opinion, and quite messy too.

[tiomet]

I have never seen my squirrel visitors intimidating the birds at my feeders, either the table or the hanging... or even if the birds are pecking away at the fall of seeds on the ground. I certainly have never seen them kill a bird, nor found a corpse around.

Perhaps this is because I feed the squirrels well, and at regular feed times. There is no competition for feeding territory or threat of shortage of food for them.

Not sure why they would vandalise your niger feeders. I honestly do not think you can call squirrels malicious .. that would be anthropomorphising them and whilst canny, they have no human attributes. I suspect they are simply reacting to what they perceive as a low feed area (from the squirrel point of view) and if you put out plenty of peanuts for them they would not try to repel the birds ... who are competition for the food (from a squirrel point of view).

Please do not get mad with them, they are just reacting from creature habits. The problem would go away if you accommodated them by feeding them and this would not be giving up on your part, simply providing a solution to a problem that will not go away if you simply left it.

[-25]

Originally Posted by tiomet

I have never seen my squirrel visitors intimidating the birds at my feeders, either the table or the hanging... or even if the birds are pecking away at the fall of seeds on the ground. I certainly have never seen them kill a bird, nor found a corpse around.

Perhaps this is because I feed the squirrels well, and at regular feed times. There is no competition for feeding territory or threat of shortage of food for them.

Well not sure really, I have continuously had feed mix/sunflower seeds and corn present in my yard for over a year. I have never been out of food and I still have the intimadation. The squirrels run them off, they don't keep them from feeding but they scare them off and the birds will just wait til the squirrels get their fill and move on. But for this reason I put out more feeders for bird only.

EDIT: P.S. I love the squirrels anyways. Everybody is welcome in my garden except the cats.

[Euan Buchan]

Never seen that happen

[saluki]

Originally Posted by tiomet

they did at first but since I moved the squirrel feeding area a little bit away (not too far or they feel that they need to defend the whole area) the birds feed alongside them quite happily. I have noticed the starlings have little respect for the squirrels and even tend to hop up onto the squirrel tables while the squirrels are feeding (true they do not stay long but the squirrels seem very half-hearted in their threats these days)

I have noticed, though, that the jays often scare the squirrels away. They share the same feed so if two jays are up against one squirrel, the squirrel is the one to leave. Same thing happened with two magpies the other day.

I just make sure there is plenty of food for both jays and squirrels but I am trying to refine what I leave out for them more so the little birds dont try to feed there too.

A quick question - how do the birds and squirrels know what is a 'squirrel feeding area' and what is a bird table, etc?

saluki

[hil5]

Watch your nesting birds next Spring. Squirrels can destroy blackbird nests, take their eggs/young birds etc. I've seen it happen.

You can buy reinforced next boxes (metal plate around the hole) but this is obviously not of help with birds that don't use nestboxes.

[tiomet]

A quick question - how do the birds and squirrels know what is a 'squirrel feeding area' and what is a bird table, etc?

I put different food types down. I was guided really by where the squirrels seemed to prefer to perch, which is on a large wooden mushroom and the top of what was designed as a cat scratching post pre-bird feeding days.

I noticed the preference when I was putting peanuts down originally (I had not learned to crush them at that stage) and the squirrels would grab them and hop up on the mushroom to eat. Then I started putting out peanuts with shells on the areas and they stuck to those places. I generally put out chopped up fruit and larger chunks of bread there also. The chunks are too large for the smaller birds (starlings down) and as I put out loads of smaller food mixers on three bird tables (two up one down) and there are several hanging feeders the birds tend to stick to those.

It was probably originally born out of naivity but seems to work.

Oh plus the mushroom and scratcher are nearest to the fence the squirrels flow over to get into the garden, so that helps.

[tiomet]

Watch your nesting birds next Spring. Squirrels can destroy blackbird nests, take their eggs/young birds etc. I've seen it happen.

This is the sadder thing, aye, though I am told I have more of a problem in my garden from the jays and crows in this regard.

Unfortunately I have no nesting boxes in my garden. A decision I made because of the nature of my suburb ... which hosts kids who think it is funny to throw stones at anything feathered, furred or prickled. As my south facing wall is open to the street I felt the kids would use the boxes for target practise.

(It did warm my heart today though to notice that the neighbours a couple of doors up have hung feeders in the tree in their front garden. As they have kids I am hoping this was an educating exercise.)

[GDC]

I think they intimidate a little bit but as I am writing this I have a couple squirrels at my feeders and there was a cardinal right beside it feeding to. There were other birds coming and going. It looks like the squirrel gets the most but they don't stay that long and fun to watch take a look at them
on the webcam