Basic Squirrel Facts

Before you decide on the best squirrel proof bird feeder for your yard, it might help you to understand a thing or two about wild squirrels. Any gardener will tell you these little guys are persistent and determined. As much as we enjoy seeing Gods creatures in our gardens, we can’t help feeling a bit frustrated with these furry thieves. We lovingly fill our bird feeders to attract and help out our feathered friends, only to see it regularly pilfered by squirrels. And if they don’t manage to steal all the food, they’ll manage to wastefully spill it on the ground. What is a garden and bird lover to do?

Let’s start by looking at what makes a squirrel a squirrel and how it relates to our birdfeeders. The common squirrel is well populated throughout North America. They live as far north as Alaska or Canada and extending down south to California and Mexico. We’ll concentrate on the North American Gray Squirrel, since most of the visitors to this website live in areas affected by this specimen. Note although that a lot of this information will also apply to other squirrel specimens and also to those pesky chipmunks.

So what features make the squirrel so efficient at stealing from bird feeders?

Body

These rodents have a body built for balancing. Their long bushy tail helps them balance and their sharp nails give them the grip that allows them to carefully climb across wires, thin branches or fences. Thanks to their strong little legs the grey squirrel has the ability to jump up to 8 feet from trees, walls or fences.

Senses

Wild squirrels have excellent eye sight with a wide field of view. This allows them to see you coming usually before you notice them. They can also see well in dim light, although they are most active during the day. Like our canine friends, squirrels have a keen sense of smell which allows them to sniff out the location of food. (Their memory isn’t as good although, since they do forget the locations where they buried their nuts.)

Diet

As far as food goes, well they’re not too picky, whatever snack they can find will do. It does appear that they do have a sweet tooth although, and this makes a hummingbird feeder a particularly favourite treat, along with fruits and berries. They also enjoy nuts, chewing on tree bark, plants and flower buds and bird eggs. They have also been known to eat birds. Not such cute little animals now are they?

Daily Routine

The common grey squirrel is active year round, so don’t expect your bird feeder to be safe in the winter months. Although they are most active in the fall, rushing about looking for nuts to store for the winter, expect to see them in winter as well as they dig up their buried nut supplies. On a typical day, you are more likely to see them in the early morning and in the early evening.

Habitat

Although wild squirrels prefer woodland areas that are heavily forested, they have grown quite adaptable. They can now be found in urban and sub-urban areas or wherever there is food for the taking. Preferably yours of course! Wild squirrels have an average lifespan of only 1 year. This is due to various factors including predators and the dangers of automobiles.