Waking Up To An Empty Bird Feeder? An Unexpected Pest May Be To Blame

If you've been using a bird feeder to attract more birds to your yard for a while, you may have noticed that your feathered friends aren't the only ones enjoying the free meal. Chipmunks, squirrels, opossums, and even bears are all examples of other animals that may be eating from your bird feeder, leaving the buffet empty once the local birds come around. However, if you're waking up to an empty bird feeder and not sure where to place the blame, there may be another culprit to consider, one that's rarely seen during the day. Flying squirrels — they're cute, they're nocturnal, and they may just be behind your missing bird seed.

These adorable rodents have a widely diverse diet. In the wild you may catch them snacking on insects or fungi, when it comes to your bird feeder, they're more than happy to indulge in the seeds and nuts available. But, because flying squirrels are nocturnal, without a night-vision camera, you may never catch them in the act.

That's why it's important to learn the signs that flying squirrels may be eating from your bird feeder as opposed to other animals. Once you've identified what animal is eating the bird seed — whether through cameras or signs like spotting flying squirrels on your property — you can use humane methods to deter these critters from turning your feeder into their personal drive-thru.

Before you can figure out the best way to deter non-bird visitors to your feeders, you need to identify the culprit. After all, encouraging a flying squirrel to stay out of your bird seed is a much different process than a black bear. Thankfully, there are a few ways to figure out if a flying squirrel is in fact the one behind your missing bird seed.

An easy way to determine if a flying squirrel is eating at your bird feeder is to catch them in the act. You can do this either by setting up a camera with night vision capability near your feeder or by shining a light on it at night. Once you're sure it's flying squirrels, you can begin to humanely deter them without coming into contact with them.

Although they're called flying squirrels, these critters do more gliding than flying. As a result, deterring them from eating at your bird feeders can be as simple as moving your feeder to a location they can't easily reach. They can glide up to 60 feet, so keep this in mind when choosing the right location for your bird feeder. Their gliding ability also means that baffles for keeping bird feeder thieves away may not work, since they don't need to climb to reach feeders. You can also design your yard to provide flying squirrels with other food sources, such as berry bushes — although this isn't guaranteed to keep flying squirrels away.