During active bear season it is important to keep in mind that birdfeeders can become bearfeeders. Bears are always on the lookout for an easy meal and there's nothing quite as tempting as an accessible birdfeeder - the typical seven-pound birdfeeder contains 12,000 calories!
Being bear-responsible while attracting birds means you are doing your part to keep bears wild and out of your backyard. We need to be unattractive to bears and eliminate anything that might entice a bear to stop and stay like an accessible birdfeeder. Once a bear gains access to a birdfeeder and receives a food reward, it will return time and time again, and it will also start looking for birdfeeders in other yards.
If a bear does gain access to your feeder, you must pull it in for the season and try to attract birds in other ways. Here are some helpful tips on how to keep bears out of your birdfeeders:
Consider feeding birds while the bears are hibernating, between November and March;
Bring your birdfeeder in at night;
Ensure you hang the birdfeeder out of reach: at least 10 feet off the ground and 10 feet away from a climbable structure like a tree or post;
Use downrigger wire to hang your birdfeeders as this wire will hurt their paws before they can apply enough pressure to break the wire;
Use a seed catcher, as discarded millet will collect on the ground and attract other wildlife such as rats and raccoons which in turn can attract larger predators such as cougars and coyotes;
Buy quality birdseed that doesn't contain millet and keep all seed indoors or in a wildlife-proof container.
The District of Squamish Wildlife Attractant Bylaw No. 2053, 2009 states: "Any birdfeeder containing bird feed, suet or nectar is suspended on a cable or other device in such a manner that it is inaccessible to wildlife; and the area below any bird feeding devices or activity is kept free of accumulations of seeds and similar animal attractants."
We can feed birds, we just need to be mindful of how we do it. For more information on how you can keep bears out of your feeders or how to attract birds without the use of birdfeeders contact [email protected] or www.bearsmart.com or call Wild Birds Unlimited in North Vancouver at (604) 988-2121 for information on their "Hang 'Em High" inaccessible birdfeeder system.
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