Why would you need a Squirrel Baffle?
Birding is not an easy hobby to get into. It takes quite some research and tweaking just to get the right formula to have birds drawn to your yard regularly. Aside from all the time it takes, the effort can be demoralizing to some. After some weeks of work, your efforts would begin paying off.
It’s not only the birds that got wind there are free seeds for all. The squirrels and raccoons doing rounds also discovered a new food source. And they want some. This can end up undoing all the effort you put in to attract the birds.
While the birds can feed while the pests are around, they won’t always feed from the same feeder. The pests will end up bullying the birds for the feed, and they will also end up costing you quite some money to refill the feeders.
This is why a baffle is important. By keeping the pests away from your bird feeders, you give yourself an opportunity to fulfill your hobby undisturbed. You also get to save quite a lot in costs as you won’t need to buy and refill bird feed as often as when the pests are getting what’s not meant for them.
The baffles are also an excellent way to keep your bird feed from getting destroyed by the weather. Whether there is rain, snow or strong winds, a good baffle will help keep out the weather. Some clear baffles also let sunshine pass through. This helps keep the seeds dry, or aid in drying them in case rain got in them.
What should you look out for when getting a baffle?
The people who are interested in the birds all have different characteristics. As such, the bird feeders they put up will all be different. This means that each birder will have different needs for their bird feeder.
Whatever they put out will definitely not be the same. This will definitely affect what kind of things they need for their birding efforts to be successful. In the end, the requirements end up being different.
Before you commit to buying a baffle, here are a few things you should consider.
Materials
There are all manner of baffles out there. Some made of wood, others plastic, others metal and so forth. Before committing to a purchase, consider the aesthetic you are looking for. This will help guide you towards a product that will work for you.
The Cost
The baffle you are thinking of purchasing will definitely be cheaper than, or even much more expensive than something else that’s on the market. You will need to do some window shopping to gather as much information as possible on the material you want, and the prices available before purchasing.
Versatility
For all the utility of squirrel baffles, they are not really the most versatile devices. However, it is possible to find baffles that can work both while screwed to the pole, and also when a hook is put through the middle and it hangs on top of a feeder.
You might want to go for this type if you want to keep things uniform across the garden. If that’s not a problem, you could mix and match the different types.
The diameter of the pole
Not all birding feeders are the same. Some have larger diameters than others. This in turn translates to the baffle you would want to use. It has to be at a size that would either be a snug fit on the pole, or can be screwed in place without much of a fuss.
The size of the baffle
The size of the baffle will also be great at stopping all manner of pests from getting to your bird feeder. While the physically smaller rats may find it difficult to defeat baffles, the larger squirrels and craftier raccoons will make short work of them.
Getting a baffle that’s large enough will be important to completely baffle whatever tools they try to use to beat the baffle.