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Re: Squirrel baffel question



David Williams asked about using metal to wrap a tree to keep squirrels
off suet.

I have tried the tin sheeting around the trees, and it helps, but it's
kind of ugly.  Sometimes, it's the only way, though...  This sheathing,
plus a home-made baffle (described below) does the trick for us, whereas
nothing else worked for long...

The baffle is intended to go on trees with no other obvious way for a
squirrel to jump over to the suet, once their pathway is blocked.  You
all know, of course, that the squirrels path has to be blocked both up,
and down the tree.  Hence, you need two baffles.

If the baffles work for you as well as they do for us, the tin wrap may
not be necessary.  Indeed, until a particularly crafty raccoon found a
way to hang onto the baffle I am describing below, we needed no tin
sheeting surrounding the tree trunk, and the baffles kept everyone else
off the suet except for the birds, and flying squirrels, which are cool
to see, anyway.

The baffle is made at a metal shop, normally.  These exist in most
cities, towns, etc., whether you know it or not.  There is a good one in
Durham, for sure, and I think, pretty much anywhere there is a duct
fabrication place...ask an air conditioner repairman for directions to
yours.

Use Aluminum, tin, galvanized steel (thin enough to bend easily) or some
similar, semi-pliable material that is able to be bent by a metal shop,
but is not likely to rust.  Think the thickness of a hand saw, maybe
less.

Basically, you have the shop cut you TWO large "donut" shape flat piece
of metal, perfectly round on the inner and outer edges, with a large
enough hole in the middle to go easily around the tree, allowing some
room for tree growth ( an inch or two over ten years, in my case...your
trees may be different).

Then, the "donut"  shape flat metal piece is cut completely through ONE
side of the ring (I can't remember since it's been ten years, but the
cut may well need to be angled, and not straight for it to fit together
properly...your metal guy should be able to figure this out... and then
the edges of this cut place are further worked on in the metal shop.
One full side of the cut is crimped into about an "upward" (and
backward) bend (maybe an inch across at the most) and the other side is
crimped in a similar, but "downward (and backward)" manner.  the angles
of the upwards and backwards bend need to be severe enough for the two
crimped edges to catch when overlapped, and provide a firm grip on each
other. (Tell the metal shop the purpose for the baffle.  They'll "get
it".)

Once the baffle thingy is wrapped around the tree securely, you can use
pliers, etc., to crimp the two edges tightly together if you need
to...it will become obvious when you get it up to the tree, trust me,
what you need to do.)

Then the finished still-flat sheet of round "donut" shape metal, is
taken to the tree, and folded around the trunk, so that the baffle's
sides slope downward.  The inner hole being a lot smaller than the outer
edge, the metal will produce a tipi like appearance, albeit with a large
hole in the middle for the tree trunk.  The opposing metal crimps will
catch, and secure the baffle to itself.  If the hole in the middle is
too large,  just drive in three nails equidistant from each other, with
an inch or two of the nail sticking out from the tree, for the baffle to
hang on...

Note: the top donut ring baffle thingy is likely to need to be smaller
in its inner diameter than the bottom one, as the trees in my yard
reduce their diameters as you go up the trunk.

Another note or two: Measure the circumference of both the top and
bottom tree trunks before you have the metal shop make you your pair.
Assume these two measurements to differ.  Be sure to allow some extra
room for tree growth, and for the crimped edges to be able to catch and
hold the baffle when it's in place.  In other words, if you have a
twelve inch circumference trunk, include another half inch for the
"upward" and another half inch for the "downward" crimps...then add, say
another inch or so for tree growth.

Again, the metal shop guys make weird stuff like this for a living, and
they should be able to think it through with a little time to figure it
out.

The outer radius of the baffle ring (measured from the inside edge of
the donut hole to the exterior of the ring) needs to be at least twelve
inches, preferable more, in order to deter squirrels, etc.  More is
better.  A lot more is probably a lot better.  If I had it to do over
again, I'd want at least two feet of metal hanging out off the tree in
all directions.  Mine is less, and it still works, though.

I would tend to make the upper baffle larger than the bottom one, so
that a squirrel can't slide off the upper one, and land on the bottom
one, thus allowing him to circumvent the baffle's purpose.  The steeper
the slope of the baffle once in place, the better, provided that the
distance out from the trunk is sufficient.

You may have to have a number of these made, or play around with one a
while before it to become obvious where I'm going with this...the cost
is nominal, anyway, so don't fret if you have to tinker.

I actually think this could be a commercial idea, if anyone is
interested.  It surely works...and no other baffle I know of can be said
to be "squirrel proof" on a tree trunk.  If anyone has a machine shop in
your area of work, etc., I'd be glad to give you more info...just be
sure that the millions you are about to make is reinvested in saving
migratory birds, OK?

Fred Houk
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Williams" <willidl@mindspring.com>
To: "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2003 7:17 PM
Subject: Squirrel baffel question


> I have a Mockernut Hickory (Carya ovata) and a Tuliptree (Liriodendron
> tulipifera) near my dinning room window and they are great trees for
my 3
> suet feeders. I have had 6 species of woodpeckers feed from the
feeders
> attached to the trees...but the squirrels are eating most of the suet.
I
> have considered wrapping some tin or sheet metal around the tree
trucks to
> keep the squirrels from climbing to the feeders. Has anyone ever tried
> this??  How far off the ground should my baffles be??? How wide do the
> baffles need to be??  Will this damage the trees?? The trunks and
branches
> are over 15 ft. from the house and other nearby trees so the risk of
having
> them jump to the trees should be minimal.
> Thank You for your help.
>
> David Williams
> Johnston County
> Clayton,  NC
>