Brome Squirrel Buster Plus Feeds the Birds … Just the Birds

It may still be unseasonably balmy in much of North America, without too much snow on the ground yet, but it’s nearly winter as far as wild birds are concerned. It’s nowhere near too soon to start feeding them. It takes some time for them to find the feeder, but find it they will and they will come back regularly once it gets really cold and snowy. During the summer, the yard may have held flowers and been bathed in bright sunshine, but the winter can be cold, dark and barren without birds to fly around and liven things up. Wild birds are lively and colorful, and the seed you supply will keep them around and help sustain them. They are endlessly fascinating to watch and hear, and they really don’t eat very much.

Squirrels, on the other hand, ” … rats with cuter outfits,” as Carrie says in Sex and the City, eat very much. You don’t need to feed them, but if they can get to your bird feeder, they’ll empty it in no time at all.

Here’s where the Brome Squirrel Buster Plus comes in. The endless battle of wits between Bird Feeding Man and Squirrel is won most of the time by Squirrel – you will start off grossly underestimating the squirrel’s athleticism and sheer persistence. They can jump, and hang, and climb better than you can ever imagine. Happily, the human’s superior intelligence is manifested by many models of “squirrel-proof” bird feeders. The best of which, especially for the price, is the Brome, made by a company in Canada. Birds, having evolved to be light for ease of flying, perch on the bottom and eat at will. Squirrels, being larger and heavier, weigh the bottom down and close off the openings (thus keeping them from just trying to shake the food out). The quality is high, the pressure is adjustable (to keep out starlings, grackles and other possibly large, unwanted birds) and all the parts are replaceable. It also has a lifetime warranty against squirrel damage. Your bird seed supply will take a long time to run out – the feeder has a large, 3 quart capacity and there will be no thievery …

Affordability: 7                               Luxury: 8

Available from Amazon.

Want more luxury? The American-made Droll Yankee Flipper has rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries and a motor and will actually spin and fling the squirrels right off. It’s endlessly fun to watch, but it it spills seed and costs twice as much. The spilled seed will be eaten, certainly, by a grateful bird (or squirrel).