[cromag]

My Dad spent 40 years battling to keep the squirrels off Mom's bird feeders. He tried the spinners, hanging them from tree limbs with wire, suspending them from a wire stretched between two trees, etc. He swore that he could see the squirrels on the ground under the feeders, studying them for weaknesses.

The best approach turned out to be a feeder that was weight-triggered, but instead of spinning it dropped a barrier between the perch and the food. It looked kind of like a knight's helmet with a visor. When anything heavy got near the opening to the food the door would drop shut. I don't think the squirrels ever figured it out, but the birds still spilled enough seed onto the ground to keep them well fed.