From the 13,000 volunteers who count birds for science in the continent-wide Project FeederWatch, Cornell University ornithologists have collected solutions for birders who prefer to count birds, not squirrels.

"I don't think FeederWatchers want any harm to come to the squirrels, but they get pretty frustrated seeing their precious feed carried away by the bushy-tailed creatures," says FeederWatch Project Leader Laura Kammermeier. "Some FeederWatchers spend an enormous amount of time and resources to create feeding stations and safe-havens for birds, so when squirrels or other animals drive away the birds, some people feel their efforts are in vain. This survey tracks the distribution and abundance of feeder birds, not mammals."

Project FeederWatch is a project of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, Canadian Nature Federation and Bird Studies Canada, sponsored by the National Science Foundation as a citizen-science education and research program. Participants in the winter-long survey count birds at feeders, periodically entering the counts on data forms or electronically at the Project FeederWatch web site http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw . The information helps ornithologists track changes in the abundance and distribution of numerous bird species.

When Cornell ornithologists put out the call to FeederWatchers, "Send us descriptions of squirrel deterrents that really, really work for you," they heard some creative ones:

-- Suspend feeders on unclimbable line: Marilyn Wavering of Annandale, Va., suggests using a heavy-test fishing line because the thin, slippery material is tough to climb. But FeederWatchers in areas populated by more vindictive squirrels with sharp teeth recommend chew-proof metal, such as piano wire. In Fairmont, West Virginia, Terry Kerns suspends his feeders from light chain with small links, although he's not sure why it works. "Perhaps squirrel toes get pinched, or maybe the acrobats can't get a grip," speculates Margaret Barker, the education coordinator for Project FeederWatch.

-- Recycled stuff as squirrel baffles: Ready-made squirrel baffles are commercially available but some FeederWatchers prefer to improvise. Lois Hartman of Bricktown, N.J., salvaged five-gallon plastic beer balls from her son's college graduation party, punched holes in the spheres and installed them on poles above and below her feeders. In Raith, Ontario, Patricia McCallum cuts the bottoms off plastic soda bottles and secures the bottles on feeder poles with hose clamps, then watches with satisfaction as the temporarily bottled squirrels fail to reach her feeders. Other FeederWatchers achieve the same effect with stovepipe, mounted on feeder poles with a metal cap on the top and the open end pointed downwards.

-- LPs and pool floats: Lori McCarron of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., found a use for old 33 1/3-rpm records: She strings the records along horizontal wire that supports the feeders. McCarron reports that the squirrels have trouble crossing the spinning and tipping platters. Swimming pool floats, which also spin on the wire when squirrels try to cross them, are recommended by Walter Stewart of Lakeside, Ontario.

-- Armor plating: Getting serious in snow country, Barbara Barrand of Franconia, N.H., covers her feeders with sheetmetal, including the slanting roof, then adds plastic soda bottles above and below for good measure. But in St. Cloud, Minn, Robert Bogard says a slanting tin roof is all a feeder needs. Squirrels leap 20 feet from a nearby oak tree, only to slip and slide off into the snow, Bogard reports.

-- Kitchen sink approach: Jack Gore of Americus, Ga., combines it all. His plastic-coated wire is stretched between two trees and tightened with turnbuckles. Along the wire he intersperses phonograph records with 14 soda bottles and hangs tube feeders with "S" hooks. In three years, nary a squirrel has reached his feeders, Gore claims.

"Never underestimate the ingenuity of backyard birdwatchers. They'll stop at nothing to protect their bird-iful bounty," Kammermeier says. "Of course, if you are a non-discriminating wildlife lover or your squirrel-squelching efforts are so successful that you start feeling sorry for the little guys, you can always add a squirrel feeder to the equation. Squirrels love dried corn on the cob," she hints.

Anyone with a bird feeder outside the window, anywhere in North America, can join Project FeederWatch by calling 1-800-843-BIRD, a toll-free call in the United States, or (519) 586-3531 from Canada. The address in the U.S. is Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology-CNS, Project FeederWatch, P.O. Box 11, Ithaca, N.Y. 14851-0011. In Canada, write to: Bird Studies Canada, Box 160, Port Rowan, Ontario, N0E, 1M0, Canada. Or interested birdwatchers can join by visiting the Project FeederWatch web site by going to http://www.birdsource.org. An annual fee of $15 helps cover costs of project materials and a subscription to the Lab's quarterly newsletters.