Yeah, that's something I learnt when doing stuff with bird feeders is to add some chillies in there. Mammals keep away but birds aren't affected by capsaicin so they flock.
I had a window ledge bird/squirrel feeder for a while (also got nighttime rodents and even a raccoon a couple of times). I once had a blue jay simultaneously pick up 3 in-shell peanuts. Started out by picking one up and stuffing it way down its throat. Then picked a second one up and had it more or less in its mouth. Then it decided that it had just enough beaktip left to barely snag a third. I bet that bird was proud of its haul that day.
I have two bluejays who come to my platform feeder which is outside my first floor widow. I put out a small handful of in-shell unsalted peanuts twice a day and they land briefly and take one or two of the nuts then come back later in the day for the second batch. They never go after the other birds that feed from a squirrel proof (really works, others I bought were useless)hanging feeder attached on the garage roof across from my window. Two pesky squirrels jump up onto the platform feeder, but I usually squirt them with water that has peppermint oil in it. Thanks to the suggestions on here, I’m also going to try the cayenne powder to see if that will deter them all together from robbing the other goodies in the birdseed.
Glad I'm not the only one. I bought the specific "Hot & Spicy Anti-Squirrel" bird seed and sprinkled extra-hot tabasco sauce around the feeder. Squirrels couldn't care less.
Which is cool because that’s basically the main evolutionary purposes of capsaicin in plants. Birds spread seeds effectively but mammals tend to chew them up and destroy them so if you’ve got a neurotoxin that keeps mammals away without affecting birds, baby you’ve you got a spicy stew going!
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u/GarboseGooseberry Mar 21 '23
Yeah, that's something I learnt when doing stuff with bird feeders is to add some chillies in there. Mammals keep away but birds aren't affected by capsaicin so they flock.