How to Protect Your Bird Buddy from Squirrels, Bears, and Weather
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You set up your Bird Buddy, the photos started rolling in, and then something with fur showed up. Maybe it was a squirrel chewing on the edges. Maybe it was a raccoon at 2 a.m. Out here in the Colorado foothills, it could've been a bear.
The good news: most damage comes down to where the feeder is and what can reach it. Here's what actually helps.
1. Pick the spot first: 10 feet from anything they can jump from
Squirrels are leapers. Bird Buddy's own support page recommends keeping a pole-mounted feeder at least 10 feet from trees or structures squirrels can climb, and Cornell's All About Birds and Project FeederWatch say about the same: squirrels can jump to feeders closer than 10 feet from a tree or building. That counts fences, deck rails, and the roofline too.
If you've been looking at a Bird Buddy mount for the porch railing, keep in mind that a railing is basically a squirrel highway.
2. Get the height (and the baffle) right
A pole with a baffle is the setup most bird folks trust. Audubon's guidance is that the baffle should sit about 4 to 5 feet off the ground. Too low and squirrels hop right over it; too high and they can jump from the pole to the feeder. The feeder goes above the baffle.
- Pole mount: a baffle below the feeder, fixed in place. Our cedar feeder screws onto a standard pole, so a baffle on the pole below it is fine.
- Hanging from a tree or line: a tilting baffle above the feeder, at least 18 inches across (All About Birds / FeederWatch).
Nobody honest calls any setup totally "squirrel-proof." A tape measure gets you most of the way, though.
Bonus Bird Buddy squirrel tip: Bird Buddy's support page also suggests spicy (hot-pepper) seed, since birds don't feel the heat and squirrels do. Go easy on it if you mix your own.
3. Bears: bring it in
This one's simple, and it's not about the feeder at all. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says most Colorado bears are active from mid-March through early November, and it recommends taking bird feeders down during that time. Once a bear finds food at a house, it comes back, and it checks the neighbors too. CPW also notes that leaving attractants like bird feeders where bears can reach them can break state law and some local rules.
If you do feed during bear season, CPW's advice is a pulley system that keeps the feeder 10 feet off the ground and 10 feet from anything a bear can climb, with the ground underneath kept clean of seed and hulls. Some towns, like Durango, also suggest bringing feeders in at night.
So the honest answer to "is there a Bird Buddy bear fix?" is: take it in. No housing, plastic or wood, beats a bear that's learned your yard has dinner.
4. Sun for charging
Your Bird Buddy camera runs on a battery, and if you use solar, the panel needs sky. (On our cedar feeder, the solar roof helps keep your camera charged with sunlight; in long cloudy stretches or short winter days, you may still need an occasional charge.) Pick a spot that gets good direct sun for a big part of the day, and check it in winter, when the sun sits lower and trees and rooflines throw longer shadows. It's worth balancing against tips 1 and 2: open, sunny, and 10 feet from launch points is the sweet spot.
5. Weather and cleaning
Seed that stays wet goes bad. CPW suggests keeping seed dry and cleaning feeders every two weeks (soapy water, then a rinse with a 10% bleach solution), and sweeping up seed on the ground, which also draws in critters.
Why we built a cedar Bird Buddy housing
Here's our part of the story, in Peter's words from the product page:
"Living in the foothills of Colorado, my plastic Bird Buddy feeder was destroyed by bears, elk, and raccoons, so I designed a stronger, better-looking one. Hand-crafted to fit the Bird Buddy camera for close-up photos. Easy to clean. Easy to add a pole mount."
That's how the Solar Cedar Bird Feeder came about. It's a handmade cedar housing that fits Bird Buddy Original, Bird Buddy Pro, and Nature Cam Pro, with a solar roof that helps keep your camera charged with sunlight. It's built from durable cedar, finished with food-safe tung oil, and it's designed for pole mount only: most poles mount easily with screws into the wood base (pole and mounting plate not included), which pairs nicely with the pole-and-baffle setup above. It's about 10.75 in H × 9 in W × 11.5 in D, and a care and install sheet ships with every feeder.
To be straight with you: cedar is tougher than the plastic it replaced in Peter's yard, but it's not a bear-proof rating. Tips 1 through 3 still matter. Animals are inventive.
It's compatible with Bird Buddy cameras; we're a small woodshop and aren't affiliated with or endorsed by Bird Buddy. Your Bird Buddy camera is not included.
From the shop
If your plastic housing has seen better days, the Solar Cedar Bird Feeder fits your Bird Buddy camera and is handmade in Evergreen, Colorado. It's $115 with free US shipping. Love Birds? So Do We!