It's for the birds...

...and not the squirrels.

We've been having some trouble keeping the fat squirrels out of our bird feeders.  For a while, we didn't have a feeder at all because the crafty squirrels chewed up our last remaining feeder.

All it took was a quick leap from the tree and some chewing around the bottom.  Notice the steel bottom sitting next to the feasting squirrel.

My husband had been looking at the squirrel-proof feeders and not only noted at how expensive they were, but also the design.  He began to wonder if we could modify a regular bird feeder.

Not long after we were shopping at Walmart and came across this bowl in the clearance section.

For only a $1, it was worth a try.  We picked up one (several actually...I needed new popcorn bowls!), along with a cheap feeder.

My husband simply drilled a hole in the bottom of the bowl and turned it over the top of the feeder.  Presto...an inexpensive squirrel-proof bird feeder!

The bowl is slightly wider than the base of the feeder and there is no edge for leaping squirrels to grab.  Still we weren't positive it would keep the trickster away.

A few days after hanging our new feeder, I heard a commotion outside.  On a nearby tree was squirrel doing a chirping equivalent of cussing, looking in the direction of the feeder. He certainly was telling it a thing or two. Success!