Birding Gear

The feeder gets the attention, but the pole system decides whether squirrels win, the seed decides which birds bother showing up, and a decent pair of binoculars decides whether you can tell a house finch from a purple finch at thirty feet. This is the gear around the gear.

• Best Bird Feeder Poles and Hangers: Systems That Beat the Squirrels

  The best bird feeder poles and hangers — pole systems, baffles and the 5-7-9 placement rule that decides whether squirrels reach your feeders.