a question for those who feed wild birds

[Bertha Venation]

Chucky (squirrels) has been eating our suet. We begrudge him the seeds he eats, but damn it, we can't keep a suet block out for a single day!

Right now it hangs from a long arm pole that's attached to the deck. That damned Chucky shimmies up the pole (which is at a 45-degree angle) and ravages the suet.

Squirrel-proof suet cages aren't an option, as our red-bellied woodpeckers are too big to fit inside them.

Got any ideas? I've thought of a baffle, but don't know how to find one or put it onto the pole. (I'm not very crafty.)

[TZ]

1. Grease the pole

The ONLY way to protect it, is to move it away from somewhere they can hang off of it, and make the pole too slick to climb. Even that might work. Its generally a losing battle..I've bought those squirrel proof feeders and they don't work 100%. The only sureproof method is to not set out food. Sorry.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Squirrels are pretty tough to thwart. I've decided

to put up with the little bastards, and I use them for Cat TV. There's a bird feeder right near a window that is frequented by both birds and squirrels (and the occasional raccoon), and the cats love to sit there and make their little chattery noises as they contemplate killing and devouring.