Duncraft, the catalog and website for wild bird and nature enthusiasts, knows all the tricks when it comes to making peace with your furry backyard nemesis. Duncraft carries the best selection of squirrel proof bird feeders and an exciting selection of playful diversion feeders to distract their attention away from your bird feeders. If you need a reliable squirrel solution, you'll find it at www.duncraft.com.
Sharon Dunn, president of Duncraft says, "Even customers who adore squirrels don't want them bothering their bird feeders! Our squirrel proof caged tube feeders let birds eat while keeping squirrels out. These Haven and Selective feeders feature easy clean removable bases in their tubes. Our new Squirrel Blocker feeders, the popular Squirrel Blocker Platform, Metal Advantage and Champion feeders, all feature our double grid system that keeps squirrel paws out of reach of your seed."

While Duncraft carries a large selection of squirrel baffles for feeders, Sharon Dunn describes more playful methods - sometimes called squirrel toys -- for managing squirrel activity. "Recently we held an online contest for winning the war on squirrels.' Hundreds of clever ideas were submitted-and our winner included diversion feeding in his tactics. Diversion feeders keep squirrels occupied and away from bird feeders and offer them their favorite foods such as corn on the cob and peanuts. These diversions are great entertainment for the entire family! On our new Squirrel Powered Seed Wheel squirrels quickly learn that a slight movement of the wheel releases a small amount of seed-before you know it, they're spinning the wheel like it's a game--providing food for the birds as well as for themselves! At Pandora's Box, squirrels simply lift the lid and reach in with their paws to pull out their favorite snack. There's even a Squirrel Kob Bungee Feeder -- so simple and slightly whacky! An ear of corn attaches to the end of the bungee feeder-and squirrels bounce up and down while they eat."

Second only to songbirds, squirrels are the most fed and observed animals. Their teeth are constantly growing to compensate for wear, so squirrels keep them "filed down" by constantly chewing. They even grind their teeth while they are sleeping! And contrary to the opinion of some birders, a squirrels' stomach is not a bottomless pit. They need about a pound of food per week and enjoy a varied diet of bugs, nuts, fruit and seeds. Ecologically, squirrels are important re-seeders of trees and woodland plants-busily burying their stash of nuts and seeds in preparation for winter. A squirrel can hide as many as 10,000 nuts each fall and can find his buried food under as much as a foot of winter snow. Some of these nuts and seeds are not retrieved and grow into plants in the spring. Squirrels' winter survival is dependent on remembering where he has deposited his caches. And what's fascinating is that the portion of his brain that controls memory actually grows by 15% in fall; so squirrels really do remember where they stored all those nuts--and where your bird feeders are!

Visit Duncraft's Wild Bird Blog to read all the terrific entries for Duncraft's "How to Win the Squirrel Wars" contest and also see the winner of their recent Squirrel Photo contest. You're invited to share your squirrel stories, too! Go to Squirrel Stories