[CT Birds] Feeder Pulley System

[Sunshine]

>>>Donna, I'm interested in your brother's pulley setup for feeders as a
potential solution for bear problems.  I have relatives in Simsbury who've
pretty much given up on bird feeding because of the bears, and I've wondered
whether a pulley setup might keep the feeders out of bears' reach if
properly connected between a second story window and a tree.  Does anyone
have experience doing this for this purpose?  Is there a way to keep the
tree end of the setup safe from bears?



Hi Bob!

I loaded a very large image into Webshots -
http://community.webshots.com/user/arcadian7

The set up is 'easy' for those who are mechanically inclined, as my brother
is.  It did require looking at the tree for strong branches to tie the
pulleys to as they would be holding some decent weight with full feeders - I
believe each of those feeders is holding about 10 pounds of seed, but
smaller ones would be less of an issue.  What I didn't get in the picture is
how the cable has a couple of loops tied into it.  One loop is at the end -
and the cable is cut long enough that when the feeder is lowered down, it is
in reach to unclip the feeder for filling/cleaning.  Another loop is put in
to allow the feeder to hang at the height desired when raised up.  I
probably am not explaining this clearly and I apologize.  But, hopefully you
will get an idea of the set up.  This same set up has worked well for the
elderly folks at the apartment complex as well.  Although we have not had to
worry about bears yet, this set up has worked well to keep the squirrels off
the feeders - they are relegated to eating only what has fallen on the
ground or put on the ground.  

Donna Lorello
Branford