How to make a ● Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder ● U P D A T E

It has worked so well I had to share the footage I've collected!! There's a few things I've changed to make it even better, but the original main design has not changed at all and has performed beyond expectations! We've had about 7 or 8 squirrels show up (and that's only what we've seen) and climb the pole and get on top of the squirrel proof bird feeder to only check every square inch of it and leave dejected!! They cannot get into it or even get a single seed out of it, it works that well!! They are not even able to chew any part of it and damage anything. It is attracting more and more different species of birds every day and has become a source of entertainment watching the birds come to feed with others and leave.
I used my new GoPro Session camera. I was able to put it inside the squirrel proof bird feeder to get some great shots of the birds coming and going.
P.S. It turns out the ABS pipe perch only worked for a few weeks then fell off. Each time a bird landed on it, it moved a bit and eventually walked its way off. The solution has been to cut a length wise groove in a piece of 3/4" x 3/4" pine and adhere it to the edge of the glass with silicone. It's now been in place for 3 years.
Here's the Original build ....Squirrel-proof feeder • How to make ● a SQUIR...
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[@chrisnotap]

Find my favourite tools here! www.amazon.com/shop/chrisnotap

[@placerdemaio]

i hope u dont kill the squirrels with that trap T.T

[@donaldfarra3910]

As an engineer, I have to tip my hat to you sir. The experiments you conducted to determine the proper diameter to use and the construction techniques were excellent. Combined with the videos and follow up notes of improvements made are all genius.

[@chrisnotap]

Thanks for that. I am working on version 2. I will be using steel rods, about 3/8", horizontally. I will experiment the same way to see what is the perfect distance apart for birds to enter but not squirrels. Stay tuned.

[@DDFreeman]

Wow... and the birdies feel safe inside when eating since nothing other than a small bird can get inside !!!! ♥

[@883mobelly]

Wow THIS is the first bird feeder that I've seen that is actually squirrel proof... Most squirrels figure out how to get through in a few days... This could be your ride to wealth and riches if you started to sell em!!!! I would buy one in a heartbeat if I could afford it!!!! Wow. Love it!

[@jewelarender2451]

AWESOME! NOW THAT IS A B-I-R-D feeder!!!!! Love it😁😁😁

[@marykay55]

Can we buy this somewhere?

[@medicbabe2ID]

It's so beautiful, in addition to being 100% effective. Bonus, there's pretty much zero seed waste. Outstanding work, good sir.

[@sooz9433]

I can't believe it took me 6 years to catch up to you!! Six years late but what a genius idea! Great creation and the birds love it! 😊 You really remind me of my Dad. He was crafty and creative just like you but he died in the 70s. (He was really young) I can't help but believe if he were alive today making Y.T. videos would be his passion... thank you for this great video. Sorry I'm so late.😊

[@miric6224]

Congrats on winning the battle. The feeder is cute, clever, watchable, strong, user friendly for feather friends, magic. Wow, we’ve been through a lot of feeders never thought I’d see success. Thanks for sharing and let’s hope it keeps on truckin’

[@richedwards3847]

I built two of these and used 1 1/2 pvc pipe for the rings and added hinges and leather to the roof very nice design thanks for sharing

[@ruggedrickrude1946]

@ Rich Edwards how long before they were chewing on pvc pipe THANK YOU

[@anthonyperrisr.4138]

What size are the rings

[@licksnkicks1166]

I am watching this during the pandemic, 3rd lockdown. It’s been taking off and on for the last 3 days. Getting really depressed. It’s so nice to see this beautiful sunshine and all the happy birds. This made me forget about everything for a bit. This is a beautiful bird feeder. You are very clever! Thx for sharing! 🇨🇦❤️

[@viclaney6575]

I love how it protects both the small song birds as well as the food from the elements, as well as being sturdy, easy to fill and clean, of secure perch and hand made. Kudos for a job well done!

[@chrisnotap]

Thanks! I found that the perch with the abs pipe did not last long. The best has been a 3/4" x 3/4" piece of wood siliconed to the glass

[@sliewood]

Hi from UK! I watched this in awe some time ago but here i am back again-not cos I have a squirrel problem but a rat problem. I need a feeder which keeps the seed in the feeder and not on the ground and I remembered this brilliant design lurking in my list...Glad i saved it! I shall now attempt to recreate it with polycarbonate in place of glass and cut pipe instead of copper (since i don't need it to be chew proof)! Wish me luck- I'll need it- I'm a retired cake decorator not an engineer and sourcing inexpensive materials will be my hardest task. Im game tho. Thanks for the tutorial. ☮️

[@Mr_Gadge]

Hi from Blackpool lol. Did you get this done? I was wondering about poly, and I have a 3d printer with 'petg' which can be extremely hard when dense for the holes.

[@WonderfulWorldofAwesomeness]

It’s so cute to see them squish their little birdly nerdly bodies into those holes. They’re also protected from larger predatory birds while they’re in there, so that’s cool!

[@bbrown6515]

Excellent design, I really like that you thought this through. Thank you for sharing both the build AND update.

[@chrisnotap]

The perch did not work out. It ended up walking itself off after about a week of birds landing on it and it bouncing that small bit each time. I found the best has been a strip of wood 3/4" x 3/4" x 5" or 6 " siliconed to the glass is best. Solid. Been on for 4 seasons and now into it's 5th.

[@breakinn403]

Great simple, effective and eye pleasing design. Good job!

[@pollya6412]

I like to feed wild birds in my yard,too. Those black sunflowers they love. I ended up with a large patch of giant sunflowers,to. They keep producing,and feed the birds. Awesome birdfeeder.

[@DanaDana-fn9ff]

amazing! Great squirrel keeper outer! Add a little thistle in with your sunflower seeds and you will attract a lot of goldfinches. You should market this on Amazon!

[@mothersgauri4137]

This is the very first squirrel proof bird feeder I've ever seen that is actually squirrel proof !!! Bravo ! You could make a mint selling these !

[@cq608]

There is a glue specifically made for plexiglass, works very well, melts it together, similar to a super glue but made for it. Also, have you thought about using a weather strip along the door glass to prevent it from chipping the glass edges when they close? All in all this is the best squirrel proof feeder I have ever seen, love your idea.

[@j.m.7056]

Thanks for sharing the improvements!

[@markburns4497]

Thanks for the update! Tremendous job with the original design and improvements. I might actually try to make one of these.

[@martasarber7133]

Love it. Modern, clean, efficient. Thanks for the takes in the feeder. The close ups on the birds is priceless. 👍👍👍

[@gregorskiff]

Like the design a lot. Squirrels foiled!! You can "weld" plexiglass with acetone. To keep it clean, get all the parts fitted and held/clamped the way you want them, then use a nice sharply pointed round wood toothpick that has soaked in acetone for a few minutes and let the first couple drops fall off then touch the wet point directly on a seam and the acetone will leech into the seam. The bond happens quickly and there is no second chance at it. Once you get the hang of it you can make some really nice looking plexiglass projects.

[@chrisnotap]

That is very interesting. I may try that.

[@dankrautheim4508]

@@chrisnotap There is a specific glue which welds plexiglas together available from Amazon get it in the tube easy to apply

[@JimsEquipmentShed]

Dan Krautheim I think he used actual glass. If it was plastic the squirrels would have been inside already.

[@jtc1947]

@@JimsEquipmentShed Hi JIM? I think that they are talking about the FEEDER TRAY DEAL which is NOT exposed to the squirrels??

[@JimsEquipmentShed]

join the conversation Ahhh, ok, that makes sense.

[@TylerSkovdalStudio]

its looks like bird restaurant.

[@TylerSkovdalStudio]

@John Doe ik

[@TylerSkovdalStudio]

@John Doe it's kinda weird

[@ulrikaschloss5848]

A busy one at that!

[@TylerSkovdalStudio]

@@ulrikaschloss5848 exactly

[@moege1979]

Great job Chris. You should start a business and sell those great looking bird feeders. Eventually with a camera as an option because it makes great movies or pictures!

[@CatherineSTodd]

Erik, that's a great idea... making and selling the feeder with a camera! I'd love to have one myself (if I could afford it - lol)

[@briantruckinglanders6375]

Erik Dauwen : I agree. I don't know if Canada has places to sell crafts and produce, but that would be a great item to sell.

[@cfjruth]

You could sell these on Etsy or something.

[@williambuchanan2542]

I just finished mine. The hardest part was finding seatbelt strap...also, i think my glass is too thin. I used a burr removal tool $6 from home depot to smooth the inner edge of my copper napkin rings. looks great. Thanks.

[@RoxieWank]

@@williambuchanan2542 Would you send me a link to where you bought the copper napkin rings?

[@778Biggt]

Thanks Chris, brilliant, simple, looks good and effective. Not much more to say.

[@amw1118]

What a beautiful feeder!

[@LadybugAdventures]

I use the sun flower seeds only just like yours and wow, they love it. Mainly Cardinals, Goldfinches, Bluejays, and chickadees. Some other blue finches that I haven't identified yet.

[@TheWrinklyPug]

Birds are so beautiful, thank you for the update

[@ja-uh9gz]

Nice adaptations to the lovely feeder. I really like the perch idea.

[@bigdave6591]

Absolutely brilliant and beautiful can't wait to build this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@bigdave6591]

[e-mail] cheers for that

[@grandmomcrafts]

I can watch your bird cam all day! love the design and love the company you have!

[@alexpowers3697]

I love how the birds always smack the camera once or twice inside.

[@ShlisaShell]

I always buy the 50 lbs BLACK OIL sunflower seed. I am very glad to see you switch to the black oil sunflower. The birds tend to make a mess by tossing all the little mixed seeds just to get to the b.l. sunflower seeds. They are after all the birds favorite (unless it's a suet or thistle eating bird.) Love your bird feeder so much!

[@mikeh9308]

Super awesome in every way!!!! So well done, sir!!!!! Building one this summer!!!!!

[@korishan]

This is a really neat feeder. What I was thinking for the perch, is that you could frost the glass. This would give the birds a little bit purchase to walk on. I noticed their feet were slipping around a little bit as they were walking on the glass. For the plexiglass, use some superglue to bond the two pieces together. Plexiglass is like plastic, so the super glue will melt the plexi and allow it to bond to itself. I like the idea of a tray as you can take the tray out and wash it if need be. The rest of the unit you just rinse it out with the hose.

[@chaddamp2894]

Fantastic..also magpie and starling proof too Thanks !!

[@kccustomuph]

Its a very nice bird feeder. I enjoyed all your video's about it. Thanks for sharing.

[@aarongarza5833]

Incredable video! You are amazing! You are the smartest! Great Job!

[@catclark9488]

It looks great and the birds love it! Very well made :)

[@maryahlbrandt277]

Thanks so much for sharing your idea! We made one using white 2” PVC pipe. We taped the edges of the glass with black duct tape and placed wooden dowels around the base to hold the glass in place. Waiting for the birds to show up.

[@pricetagg9730]

good job, birds feeder ,i like it.you rock...keep it up ...

[@jaexsong90]

beautiful bird feeder & beautiful backyard!!

[@chrisnotap]

Thanks!!

[@eduardog.465]

Yeah before somebody does it just patent it.

[@ja-uh9gz]

If this feeder was sold, I'd buy one!

[@ZoomILike2flyAway]

too late

[@wingrider1004]

Creativity at work. Well done!

[@gdpipes]

Very well done!!

[@41divad]

You’re having fun and so are we, thanx!

[@godisnotmocked1345]

Beautiful design. So fun to watch both the birds and the squirrels. You should sell these.

[@speedsterh]

Great, durable design. I make a mental notice of this video, if I ever want to make a bird feeder like this one

[@ignatiusdemonseed]

I am addle-headed observing your effective and so-simple-it-hurts genius design. I now know what I am doing with my retirement time.

[@nthgth]

Awesome feeder and video!

[@Myusernameistakenwtf]

This is ingenious! You should license this idea!

[@Tommy_Mac]

Very cool! I saw another video where they hung a slinky around the vertical pole, making the pole impossible to climb. I gave up feeding the birds, due to the many squirrels attracted to the easy access "squirrel proof " feeders I tried. Going to give this one a try, since you've proven it works. Thanks!

[@maranathachung969]

Beautiful work!

[@chrisnotap]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Sctronic209]

That’s a really nice feeder.

[@CiderMillBarbecue]

Well done sir, great videography

[@geoffreyweiss3848]

Great Job!

[@bonniecarlstrom6014]

So very impressed!!

[@ticklemeandillhurtyou5800]

I love that bird cam

[@CatherineSTodd]

I bet you won your go-pro camera on Instructables! And such excellent instructions you give. Thanks!

[@charlesnorman791]

That's an uptown bird feeder for sure. Good job.

[@gilbertroy9784]

Great design!🙂

[@SmokyMountainBlessed]

nice updates 👍🏼

[@fishyhobby3697]

Really nice! I might even attempt to make one.. Cheers!

[@lol5776]

I feel the glass is the icing on the cake. It looks so good.

[@chrisnotap]

It really does give it a unique look. Thanks.

[@nikodimosmarkose6962]

Excellent! I’m making one exactly like it but I’m using pvc for the holes. Thank you!

[@paulflores9035]

Quite surprise the silicon has held up this well. Great job!

[@Blillian]

Wow! Very good job. We have a problem with the squirrels with our bird feeder. They even got into the house walls. We'll have to try this out! Thank you for this idea!

[@chrisnotap]

Thanks!

[@user-gb6hz9ud8j]

That is so cool Chris! I’m really enjoying your videos!

[@chrisnotap]

Glad you like them!

[@moannaleesa523]

Thanks for this video. My problem is not so much squirrels but magpies in Canada. I made this but used PVC pipe for the circles (cheaper and easier) and then took your further advice and did not silicone the tray but rather I sanded the edges and contact cemented it. So far so good.

[@shreddder999]

This has become a life's work!

[@baburejaz]

Excellent educational videos

[@shirleywilhelm1495]

This is great! Thank you for sharing!

[@AidaJof]

Very nice work!

[@ahomeinpisgahontheroad4481]

Amazing!

[@RichCoppensRCKenpo]

Cool idea, well made.

[@TurkeyDart]

Me and a friend found your video and decided to build one as well. Beautiful design

[@chrisnotap]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@chrisnotap]

I am working on another design. I will be using steel rods, about 3/8", horizontally instead of the circles. First I need to determine the perfect distance apart that the rods need to be so a squirrel cannot enter and will still allow the birds to get in which will be another video in itself!! If you want, you can Subscribe Here: ( and don't forget to click the Bell to Get Notified! ) kzbin.info

[@Bob_Adkins]

That's 1 of the most creative bird feeders I have ever seen. Excluding squirrels is a bonus. The only down side is cleaning. Hosing it out is plenty good for me, but some would want to keep the glass wiped very clean, and it would be a 2-3x a week chore if there are lots of birds.

[@chrisnotap]

Yes. The glass does get stuff on it from the squirrels climbing on it and from the birds.

[@nominasuntodioza2725]

cool design never seen anything like it

[@SethKohei]

Awesome video!

[@lawrencejneuser8801]

Good job on the feeder

[@lesliemeier4225]

That squirrel really clears out the birds when he/she gives it a go

[@prieten49]

You're a genius!

[@acet7]

thanks for the update, i liked the use of the camera inside.

[@chrisnotap]

It was my first time using it and I was quite happy with the results. It's a GOPRO "Session" and it is quite small. It's just a cube. Very compact. The birds didn't even care it was there.

[@Nani635]

Chris Notap Just videos of birds would go a long way as people enjoy watching the videos!!! You should definately keep filming them!

[@joannehansen4113]

Awesome idea. No squirrels here in Australia but a great weather proof idea to watch the small native birds here. Great way to stop the big cockatoos and other large birds from eating all the seeds

[@blaster-zy7xx]

I didn’t know you guys didn’t have squirrels until we had some Aussie guests who saw squirrels for the first time here in the states and didn’t know what they were. I thought that was funny. .

[@alisonhendry2928]

Wow I love this thing, but making it way beyond my skills. This summer is my summer to beat the doves and squirrels. Had enough of those rats eating all the food and beating up all the lovely song birds. Your design has given me a couple of ideas. Thank you!

[@chrisnotap]

I have built another style and this time I found something other than copper which has become so expensive since making this video. I will be uploading in a few weeks or so. Stay tuned!!

[@mooshibon9136]

Nice!

[@parjacpar3077]

Simple but great idea

[@spudnikc6832]

Amazing!!

[@acoustic61]

Looks like a great design! Simple with no mechanical gizmos to fail! Maybe the squirrel will be able to fit when he loses enough weight from starvation!

[@pravinkamble1443]

all videos are amazing

[@UNUSUALUSERNAME220]

A smart squirrel will just sit around and wait for a crow to figure it out.

[@angelaguerrero3808]

Crows be like: hah i can peek food from the holes

[@jimheckert5383]

Great video. Thanks

[@marykent6749]

this is so beautiful and effective. I wish someone would make these for sale! I would definitely buy one!

[@chrisnotap]

If I decide to sell them I will let you know. Thanks!

[@muscleheadfireman2231]

Love it! Please let me know as well if you decide to sell them as well. Thanks

[@spoonerandforker]

Excellent Design thanks...

[@chrisnotap]

+spoonerandforker Thanks for that!

[@doodsydoodsy5370]

Love that it's great well done

[@mefirst4266]

WOW LOOKS LIKE YOU MADE THE FIRST SQUIRREL PROOF BIRD FEEDER !!!!!!!!!

[@Croseenuf]

Chris. I'd be glad to purchase a couple of those from you. I am just too busy to do it myself plus I don't have the tools. Patent that thing because great ideas should be rewarded. I still like the original tray that can come completely out.

[@CatherineSTodd]

You must be a model-maker engineer of some sort... what ingenious ideas you have! And I loved the time-lapse with the different shadows falling across the yard. And such a lovely backyard you have! It must be a real pleasure to spend time out there. Thank you for sharing your most interesting videos!

[@chrisnotap]

None of the above. I am just a curious guy that gets an idea and goes with making it. It's just my nature. Thanks for your most uplifting comments.

[@rickmoman2708]

This is so well designed and built. One simple request - PLEASE let me BUY one (I don't have the eyesight or skills to build myself).

[@carolalter6697]

You mentioned the hinge and how you feared the squirrels may chew it - If they do you could place a small copper rod on the groove - Silicone a small copper ring on one piece of the glass at each end for the rod to pass through - It could be threaded and a decorative nut attached to keep it in place - More work, but it would match your beautiful design

[@alanlevy3422]

My thoughts are ( if I see the image correctly) is that there would not be a water proof seam at the top where the two pieces of glass come to a point.