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Nat
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Reged: 12/14/04
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Posts: 282
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Loc: Lexington NC
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Vickie and I enjoy watching the birds feed from the feeders, but we are having squirel problems. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching the stupid squirels too. We have one of those 4 legged contrapctions that you put corn on the cob on and we like watching the squirels figure how to get some corn without falling off, so getting rid of the squirels isn't an option we want. What I need to know is will they be able to climb a 3 or 4inch PVC pipe if I make a pole out of it and hang the bird feeders from that. My thoughts are to plant a piece of 3 or 4" PVC pipe and put a crossbar to hang the feeders on and then mount a light globe on top so it at least looks somewhat like a lamppost. I don't want or need a light, but can't figure out how to disguise it so it doesn't look like a piece of pipe in the ground to hold a bird feeder.
Can anyone tell me what size pipe to use that is "squirel proof", or any other ideas for stopping the theft of the bird seed?
Here is a pic of the 4 legged thing I was talking about. You just run an eye screw into the end of a cob and it hangs there waiting for the funny stuff to start. Later, Nat
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Nat
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Loc: Lexington NC
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We get a kick out of watching some of the "wildlife" around here. Most of it isn't to wild or they wouldn't get this close to poeple. We see 1 or 2 Foxes everyday, but most of the time I don't think to have the camera with me. Yeserday I had it out to take a pic of the squirel on the feeder and saw one of the Foxes coming out of the woods so I waited and got 4 pics of it. He doesn't pay us any attention as long as we are on the porch. We have a handrail around the porch and it seems they don't look past it. If I'm on the golfcart and they come out of the woods they make a beeline back in, but disreguard us sitting on the porch. We have rabbits, squirels, foxes, deer, and the ocasional skunk that we see daily. I have only seen wild turkeys out there 2 times, but we hear them more often. Here is apic of one of the foxes. He is about 60 feet away when I took it. Later, Nat
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Fred
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Re: squirels
[re: Nat]
05/22/06 08:02 PM
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Cool pic of the fox.
I'm only going to guess on the PVC pipe idea, but the sharp nails of a squirrel *may* be able to grab hold of it, especially in the diameter you're talking. If it was smaller diameter it may be harder, or maybe you could get a "storm collar" like what you put around a metal flue that would deter their climbing. I really have no idea, but let us know if it works. 
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BlueRidge
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Re: squirels
[re: Nat]
05/22/06 08:35 PM
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1 1/4" EMT is about 10 or 12 bucks for a 10' length. I have a hard time believing that a squirrel could climb steel.
BUT! They may be able to jump from a nearby tree. I've seen ours make some fantastic leaps.
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egon
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Squirels will climb 1/2" EMT. A 3/4" black iron pipe poses no problems for them.
They can also traverse a horizontal kite string with ease.
Sugest placing an iverted cone around the pipe to stop the little fellars.
Egon 
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Nat
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Re: squirels
[re: egon]
05/23/06 06:31 AM
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These squirels can shoot up a piece of 3/4 and 1" pipe like they are on a superhighway. they can climb a piece of string and a 1/4" steel rod doesn't even slow theur climbing a bit. That is why I thought of the 3or 4" pvc. Maybe they can't get their paws around it. Later, Nat
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BlueRidge
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Re: squirels
[re: Nat]
05/23/06 01:35 PM
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The diameter certainly counts. But my guess would be that the PVC will be soft enough that they can dig in. I've got some 1 1/4" & 2" EMT - I think I'll try an experiment...
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Nat
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The 2" EMT may be big enough, I doubt they can get thier grubby little paws around it enough to climb, but those little suckers are pretty smart, may find another way. Did anyone see Tremors 2, where the blind Graboids stacked up in a gymnastic manuver to get to someone? Maybe they will try that next. Later, Nat
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DocHeb
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Re: squirels
[re: Nat]
05/23/06 08:57 PM
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I put 18" length of 6" Steel HVAC duct below my feeder and haven't had a squirrel up there since.
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Nat
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Reged: 12/14/04
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Loc: Lexington NC
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I made a fake lightpost using a 10' piece of 3" ABS pipe. I drilled a 3/4" hole thru it to insert the cross bar and siliconed a globe from an old ceiling fan light on top. I drilled a 1/4" hole thru the bottom of the cross bar on each end to hold an S-Hook that holds the feeder. I put it up where the squirels can't jump from other trees and it works!!!!
I have been sitting out on the porch for an hour watching those squirels get so frustrated they were jumping each other. They would jump as high as they could and then slide down, it was ROTFLMAO funny. I watched 3 or 4 of the little suckers try to get up the pole and they would slide right back down.
I had to go to the doc today and get a cortizone shot in each shoulder, and after I have it done I only feel like sitting for 24 hours, but those squirels made my day.
Last Sun morning I watched a fox cross the drive and within a minute here came another, with 2 kits. She walked right by the porch and never paid me any attention. I was wishing Vickie could have seen them cause she was still in bed, lazying around at 6:15, imagine. She came out at 6:30 and as I was telling her about them here came another with 3 kits, so she got to see them anyway.
For future info a squirel can't climb a piece of 3" pipe. Later, Nat
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Pat
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Re: squirels
[re: Nat]
06/04/06 11:04 AM
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Nat, Hope the shoulders are OK now. Great story, I was greatly entertained. Right up there with the PAM cooking spray on the metal stand for a feeder but you don't have anything to keep reapplying. Squirrels climb my rebar based feeders (I provided pix) but cant get the seeds out as the small holes in the feeder requires beaks.
I have seen fox tracks and my wife saw a fox 10 feet from me but it was gone before I could turn around. It was palimino color, not the usual fox color.
Once when I was on San Miguel Island (then military, now part of the Chanel Islands National Monument) I was lying in the sand on the beach 3-4 feet from a very steep sand dune behind me (away from the water) reading a book when I heard something and turned to look. An island fox (Sub species due to long separation from mainland) had walked between me and the dune, couple feet from me) and when I turned to look he paused about 8-10 ft away, hiked his leg, and let me know it was HIS TERRITORY, then troted away on his rounds.
Unfortunately we think "OUR" blonde fox became road kill as we saw one dead in the road within 100 yds of the previous sighting. Hopefully there are more around.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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