Bring it down to reach
Nature's Way Wild Wings 18 in Extending Hook
An 18 in hook that hangs from the branch and lowers the feeder to where you can see it and refill it.
Hanging a bird feeder from a tree
Choose a sturdy living branch, loop a wide strap over it rather than wire or a nail, and hang the feeder at least 6 ft off the ground and 6 ft from the trunk and other branches. Squirrels run along branches, so give a tree feeder a dome above it or choose one that closes under a squirrel’s weight.
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Squirrels coming down
Aspects Super Dome 18 in. #182
An 18 in clear dome that hangs above the feeder, so a squirrel coming down the line slides off; it keeps rain and snow off too.
Shuts when a squirrel climbs on
Brome Squirrel Buster Classic
A squirrel’s weight pulls the shroud down over the four ports; holds 2.4 lb of black-oil sunflower, with chew-proof parts where squirrels reach.
A commission never decides the picks. How we choose.
7 more feeders
Brome · Seed feeder
Squirrel Buster Standard
- Holds 1.3 lb
- Squirrel-resistant
- Comes apart to clean
A compact squirrel-resistant tube, 1.3 lb and 13 in tall, with a spring you can set for heavier birds.
Keep in mind: It needs 18 inches of clear space all round so a squirrel has to climb on to reach it.
Birds Choice · Platform feeder
Small Hanging Platform Feeder
A small hanging tray for cardinals, jays, doves and juncos, with a mesh floor that drains.
Keep in mind: An open tray collects droppings: scrape it daily and wash it every week or two.
Duncraft · Seed feeder
Squirrel Blocker Feeder
- Holds 1.5 lb
- Squirrel-resistant
Clinging birds feed through an outer grid squirrels cannot reach through; no springs or batteries.
Keep in mind: The grid also keeps out cardinals and other big birds.
Brome · Hook and bracket
BirdsUP Stainless Steel Snap Hook
Keeps raccoons from lifting a feeder off its hook and rolling it on the ground.
Keep in mind: Not covered by Brome’s Lifetime Care guarantee.
Duncraft · Baffle
Top Slot Squirrel Baffle
- 16 in baffle
A clear 16 in rain hat for a tube feeder, fitted without tools.
Keep in mind: Duncraft describes it as a rain and snow guard; a dome stops squirrels only when the feeder hangs out of jumping range.
Duncraft · Feeder cage
Create a Haven Cage
Turning a tube feeder you already own into a caged one.
Keep in mind: It fits flat-top tube feeders up to 18 in tall, and the feeder is not included.
Nature's Way · Seed feeder
Squirrel Shield Advantage Cage Feeder
- Holds 3.2 qt
- Squirrel-resistant
- Comes apart to clean
Two defenses in one feeder where squirrels raid: a cage, and a shield that drops over the ports under a squirrel’s weight.
Keep in mind: Nature’s Way does not give the size of the cage openings, so check that the birds you want can get in.
Choose the branch
Pick a living branch that holds the full feeder without bending, with open ground below and a shrub or tree a short flight away for cover. Skip dead or cracked limbs, which can drop in wind or under snow, and branches over a path, a deck or a parked car. A branch you can reach from the ground or a step stool makes the weekly cleaning far more likely to happen.
Squirrels leap to a feeder from the trunk and from nearby branches, so the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension’s wildlife guide asks for a branch that keeps the feeder at least 6 ft above the ground and 6 ft from the trunk and from other branches, with a baffle above it.
Hang it without hurting the tree
Loop a wide strap, such as a tree-swing strap, or a soft rope over the branch and hang the feeder from that. Wire, chain or thin cord wrapped tight around a branch cuts into the bark as the branch thickens and can kill it beyond the wrap; nails and screw hooks leave wounds where rot gets in. Check the loop each season and move it a little so nothing cuts in.
Squirrels, rats and raccoons
Distance alone will never keep a squirrel off a feeder in a tree: the branch is its road, and any squirrel can reach a feeder hanging from a branch, as the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management says. Hang the feeder well below the branch on a smooth line with a dome above it, so a squirrel coming down slides off, and choose a feeder that closes under a squirrel’s weight or sits inside a cage. Brome asks for 18 in between a Squirrel Buster and anything a squirrel can hold on to.
Rats climb trees too, Public Health – Seattle & King County notes: catch the spilled seed and leave none out overnight. Where raccoons visit, latch the feeder to its hook so it cannot be lifted off and dropped.
No good branch? Two trees and a line
Run a line between two trees and hang the feeder in the middle, well away from both trunks. Squirrels walk lines, so the dome above the feeder still matters, and a pulley on one end lets you lower the feeder to clean and fill it. Where neither works, a pole with a baffle beats any tree for keeping squirrels off.