Squirrel Solutions
Intruders eat the birdfood that you have paid for and frighten off the birds you want to help.
"Squirrel-Proof"?
The most prominent intruders are grey squirrels. Many feeder guards state that they are squirrel-proof but squirrels can get through narrower gaps in the Summer/Autumn than in the Winter/Spring when they have grown.
Some feeder guards have a single narrow mesh gap - eg 28mm. This should keep out young squirrels but it severely limits the variety of birds you can feed in Winter/Spring when they really need your help.
Other feeder guards have a single wider mesh gap - eg 34mm - which will allow in birds like Nuthatches but will also allow in squirrels when they are young and small in Summer/Autumn.
Only the Meripac double-meshTM system allows you to easily change the mesh gap widths to exclude young squirrels in Summer/Autumn and to welcome a large variety of birds in Winter/Spring.
Mesh Gap Information
The approximate mesh gap widths which can be passed through by squirrels are:
| 27mm increasing up to 35mm |
Young Grey Squirrels (about May-November) |
| 36mm upwards | Adult Grey Squirrels (all year round) |
Squirrels start finding their own food from early Summer and early Autumn. Then they are about three-quarters adult size. They are nearly fully grown by the onset of winter.
The approximate mesh gap widths which can be passed through by birds are:
| 25mm | Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Goldcrest |
| 28mm | Goldfinch, Dunnock, Great Tit, Wren Tree Sparrow, Pied Flycatcher |
| 32mm | Nuthatch, House Sparrow, Robin, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Siskin |
| 45mm | Starling, Blackbird |
| 50mm | Song Thrush, Great Spotted Woodpecker |
| Over 60mm | Jackdaw, Magpie, Pigeon, Seagull |
The approximate beak sizes are:
| Beak and Head Length | Beak and Head Width | |
| Starling | 75mm | 25mm |
| Jackdaw | 90mm | 32mm |
| Magpie | 90mm | 35mm |
Please note:
- All these figures are approximate and variations are possible
- Different species have different approaches to barriers - some are more timid while others like squirrels and starlings are bolder
- Some choices are unavoidable - for example it is not possible to feed Blackbirds and at the same time to exclude Starlings because their sizes are similar
- To exclude younger squirrels it is necessary to have narrower mesh gaps in Summer/Autumn which will still allow in Blue Tits etc. The mesh gaps can be widened in Winter/Spring (when birds really need help) to allow in Nuthatches etc.
- It is therefore helpful to enquire regarding the mesh gap widths on products labelled "squirrel-proof" in order to judge their likely performance
For details regarding current stockists or for further information regarding distribution terms please contact us at: enquiries@meripac.com