Coping with Backyard Squirrels
Home
/
Coping with Backyard Squirrels

Coping with Backyard Squirrels

By County Farm Centre
 Ontario is home to four species of tree squirrels: American Red Squirrels (found throughout the province); the Eastern Gray Squirrels (common across the southern parts of the province); Fox Squirrels (limited to Pelee Island where they were introduced in 1890); and two species of Flying Squirrels—the Southern and the Northern Flying Squirrels.

All squirrel species are opportunistic and will visit bird feeding stations. While some backyard feeding enthusiasts enjoy sharing their yards with these interesting and acrobatic mammals, they can become a problem if they chase away the birds; devour all the seed, and/or damage bird feeding stations. The elusive, beautiful and seldom-seen nocturnal Flying Squirrels seldom cause problems, so if you’d like to feed these squirrels, try setting out a few seeds later in the evening for them to dine on during the night.

If you would like to discourage the day-active squirrels from occupying your yard, keep compost, garbage and pet food in secure storage. If you have ground-feeding birds that you like to feed, try scattering a small quantity of seeds for them each day. Scattered seeds can be easily found by the birds but make it more difficult and time-consuming for the squirrels to find.

The best solution to avoid squirrel issues is to use squirrel-proof feeders. These feeders are more expensive than regular tube or hopper feeders but are well worth the investment.

While feeders set atop baffled poles and/or retrofitted with cages can be tried, the most effective squirrel-proof feeders are those that use some type of weight activation. These ingenious exclusion feeders, which come in a variety of styles and have metal components, involve the squirrel (or larger bird) physically closing the feeding portal when it lands on the feeder.

All stores that carry Mother Nature’s birdseed also carry a good selection of squirrel-proof feeders. Choose a style that is solidly built and has clear instructions on how to set the weight sensitivity.

It is also important to prevent squirrels from accessing stored seeds. They can chew through both plastic and wooden containers, so if you don’t have a secure garage or outbuilding to store the seeds in, use metal garbage cans with lockable lids.

Enjoy your squirrels without letting them ruin your enjoyment of backyard bird feeding!

—

June 2026

By Myrna Pearman

Mother Nature’s Naturalist and Backyard Birding Expert