Here I am, Kate! Been missing in action due to a hip injury that kept me sidelined for a couple of weeks, but I'm back now! I have been feeding birds for about 50 years and have tried every product on the market, and then some. Many work for awhile, many are just a joke. Spring loaded feeders that close when a heavy bird or squirrel gets on them will work until the squirrels figure out they can hang from the roof of it by their back legs and reach down to scoop out the seed without activating the lever that closes the feeder. Feeders enclosed in cages with openings only big enough for small birds to pass through will work for awhile...until you find (as I did) a dead squirrel hanging from one of the holes, where it got its head stuck trying to get in. It's very unpleasant to clean up. Also, caged feeders usually don't allow any of the larger birds in...not even cardinals. Safflower seeds are a good idea for feeders that you want completely accessible, as squirrels don't particularly like them. BUT...they WILL eat them when they are really hungry and if they can't find any other seed around. I usually keep one or two feeders with safflower in them because cardinals and titmice love them so much, but now and then, a really hungry squirrel will empty them. Personally, I think the very best way is to find a baffle that works for you. All of my main feeders hang from "shepherd's hook" type poles. About 4 or 4 1/2 feet off the ground, I mount a baffle on the pole, just under the hanging feeder. It completely stops the squirrels from climbing UP the pole...they run up, get stuck under the baffle, and run back down again. And if you get the height right, they can't jump OVER it, either. You have to locate the pole where they can't jump to the feeder from a nearby tree, of course, but other than that they are very effective. No squirrels are getting to any of my feeders now, and I probably have at least 20 that live in my trees and yard. There are several kinds of baffles. I use the cone shaped ones I get from PetSmart. They are relatively inexpensive (I think less than $20) and last forever. IF an industrious squirrel manages to jump high enough to grab at the baffle, it tilts and dumps him off. There is another type that my friend uses, which is also quite good. It is a cylinder about 6" wide that fastens to the pole. If they run up the pole, they are stuck inside. And if they jump up and grab the cylinder, it's too wide for them to hold onto and they drop right off. BTW, my squirrels have no trouble climbing up PVC pipe at all, no matter the diameter...it gets scratched and roughened quickly, and they can hold on to it with their sharp little claws. And in the same vein, forget about greasing the pole with Vaseline and the like...it melts in summer, runs down all over the ground, and they are soon running right up the pole. Not to mention, dirt and debris stick to it and the pole soon looks pretty bad. The link below will take you to one place online that sells several types of baffles. You can see samples of both the cylindrical type and the cone shaped ones on this page. And if you have hanging feeders, there are samples of the domed baffles here, too. Hope this helps. Good luck! Marcia (ps...I have 2 squirrel chasers, as well, but the trouble with them is, they are just as happy chasing the birds as they are the squirrels! *grin* ) Here is a link that might be useful: Baffle Samples

littleblu87 - is it one of the droll yankees whippers like listed here squirrel proof bird feeders that you have? Those are only meant for places where a squirrel can't get at it from above, like a balcony where it's hung from the ceiling. I put one of these up for an elderly lady who lived in an apartment and it worked great for that, but it's not going to work in a tree unless you use a dome baffle on top, but these can get pricey. In my opinion your money is better spent on a pole system like holly-04 said - the WBU system is very good. I also have one of these - two actually - with stovepipe baffles and it works perfectly. Again, like holly-04 stated, they have different parts to mix and match to build one to suit your needs. They do cost a bit at first but one of mine is their original system and maybe 15 years old. It's in fine shape. I've never needed to replace anything on it.

One thing I've tried but sadly, it only works for a short time is this: Spray the pole and every place the squirrels may touch with oily cooking spray. Then sprinkle it HEAVILY with red pepper. They really hate red pepper. The rain will wash it all away and red pepper is NOT cheap in the bigger containers, but it works. I mostly use it when I'm at my wit's end just to get the satisfaction of watching them try to get to the seed but can't. If someone could come up with a good reliable and affordable solution to this, they could make a lot of money! We've tried all the squirrel baffles, supposedly squirrel proof feeders, etc. but they always find a way around it.

Where do you live? That's important to know. During summer the birds are molting and growing new feathers and may stay in hiding till they can easily fly. Some are staying with their babies fledging. And some have migrated. You also could have some raptors. Squirrels are rare this year by me. They come around when the tree nuts are ripe (acorns and hickory nuts.) You may be lucky enough to have some predators nearby that like to eat rodents (hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, snakes, etc.) Wait till winter and see what returns to your feeders. There are a lot of seeds and insects out there now for them to eat. Around here we don't put out feeders till freeze because of bears who destroy them.