Shortly after we got our cat Gordon (which was 3 years ago today!), I decided to put out some bird food, thinking he might find it entertaining to watch the birds. So I got a brick of suet, put it in a little cage, and hung it on the railing of our deck. It sort of worked. Gordon did sit by the patio door and watch the birds, but after a few days, the squirrels discovered it, and the game was over. Whenever I put out a new brick of suet, they devoured it the same day. What I needed was a squirrel-proof bird feeder, but I had a feeling such things existed only in theory.
About a year later, I got some promotional material from the Northern Illinois Food Bank after making a donation to them. There was a story about a guy, who lived in Northern Illinois, that had designed a squirrel-proof bird feeder in his retirement, called SquirrelAway. He partnered with the Food Bank so they got a portion of all sales. You can read about how he makes it squirrel-proof on the Features page.
I was a bit skeptical, but my birthday was coming up, so I added it to my wish list, and Wendy bought it for me. I built a stand for it out of a series of half-inch pipe (there's a diagram of how to build it on the FAQ page) which is fairly cheap and easy to make. I installed it in our backyard, near the large window in the basement. After a bit of trial and error, I discovered that waste-free bird food is the way to go, so that you don't wind up with a pile of shells underneath the feeder.
That was a year and a half ago. Here's a video I recorded last year:
It works! I've been very happy with the feeder (and even happier that I was able to get video of the squirrel falling). The birds love it, too. There was one day last fall where we counted over 20 birds in our backyard, most of them sitting on the fence waiting for their chance at the feeder. It's usually not that busy, though. But it's more than enough to keep Gordon entertained. He likes to sit on the window sill in the basement, crouch down like he's about to pounce, and watch the birds eat. Every so often he'll forget about the glass and try to pounce. We'll hear a thud, and look over to see Gordon with his front paws on the glass, meowing at a bird.
Many of the squirrels have adapted to the feeder, and now collect all the crumbs that the birds drop on the ground. However, a couple Saturdays ago I got to watch a squirrel try five times in a row to get to the feeder, only to fall off each time, just like in the video. His effort was admirable. It was also funny, because after each fall, he stood up on his hind legs and looked straight up at the feeder, like he was already trying to plot his next attempt. I wish I'd had a video camera handy, but I didn't.
And going back a few more weeks, I was stunned and slightly disappointed to see a squirrel had somehow managed to get to the bottom of the feeder. I have no idea how. But, because he had to use all four legs to cling to the bottom, and because his head was too large to fit into the food ports, he still wasn't able to get any food. After a few seconds he gave up, let go, and made a fairly graceful landing on the snow.
So I would say it works as advertised. I recommend it!