Will the feeder keep out "bully birds" like grackles and crows?
939022
Yes, definitely. As a matter of fact I worried that some of the smaller songirds like cardinals and bluebirds would be too large to access the food; smaller birds do best in it. Really a good feeder though.
939023
I does have very small openings for small birds and should keep the big birds out. I actually had to cut a few bigger hole, so that the cardinals could get in to eat.
939024
I haven't had any problem with bully birds getting into this feeder. I have had an issue with an acrobatic squirrel climbing out the pole I have it hanging from, jumping out on to the feeder and hanging from the bottom while shaking the seed out.
939025
I don't have grackles, but it does keep out crows and jays. Even squirrels leave it (mostly) alone.
939026
In my experience, the small birds have a tough time getting in either because of the size of the holes or the fact they are diagonal. The big birds hang onto the bottom and stick their heads through the holes and get the seed.
939027
The mesh is too small, even for gold finch, despite the pic on Amazon. I had to cut larger holes for thebgokd and house finch tobuse the feeder. They have no problen using other mesh feeders that have better access to the tube. DO NOT BYY THIS POORLY DESIGNED FEEDER. Raed other 1 star reviews repoting the same problem.
939028
Yes, and pigeons, too. Mostly crows in Seattle dont care much for small bird seed anyway, but we bought this thing to discourage the pigeons, and it is doing that really well. However, it also keeps out the medium size nice birds (like robins) because the mesh is too small. We get lots of small birds who can enter through the mesh.
939029
It seems to. The finches take a bit of time to start using the feeder because of the 'cage'. I would buy another.
939030
Bully birds are unable to reach the shaft holding the seeds. However they still hang on the frame and feed from the seeds on the tray after scaring away the birds I would like to see at the feeder.
597624
Oh sure. Birds always do that regardless of the feeder. I've even seen them go out of their way to pick out items from a suet cake and drop them. All you can do is try to stock as much of the "favorite food" of the majority of the birds that visit your feeder. That might limit the variety of birds though. My chickadees only seem to want peanuts or corn while the finches eat only millet. Most of the niger seeds and sunflower seeds go over the side but the towhees and squirrels police those up off the ground. All just "part of the show."
5240
I have not seen the Cardinals in this area use it. I believe the openings are too small for them to access the seeds in the tube. The Grackles do not even attempt to use it. It is designed to let small birds (Finches, Sparrows etc.) access but not larger birds. It's a good product. Easy to clean/fill and it keeps out the squirrels.
1458446
Cardinals feed at mine all the time. Even a red bellied woodpecker manages to feed on it. I've had mine for years & years and it really works to keep the squirrels from the bird food. Funny to watch them try though!
1618507
I haven't seen the larger birds on the perches. I think it's too hard for them to balance on them. It's a very popular feeder that works great keeping out squirrels and larger birds, such as grackles, blue jays, etc. It's a great feeder!
1315867
I'm sure the birds will visit despite the awning. It might take them a bit longer to discover the feeder though. I recommend filling the feeder with black oil sunflower seeds (which is a delightful treat for birds) to help them find it faster.
1185902
Yes, I really like this feeder, we have had some high winds this winter and it has kept the food in it. I also put a hood over the top to keep the food dryer the birds all seem to like it!
1478004
I recently had crows land on top of my green cage suet feeder. I finally hung it under a clear dome baffle Aspects 182 Super Dome This not only keeps off the crows, but keeps off the squirrels, sparrows and birds that don't like to hang upside down, so only woodpeckers & nutthatches eat from the cage now.
1618506
A good sized grackle will shut the feeder down. I have a lot of grackles, but since I have the squirrel buster feeder, the grackles are reduced to feeding off the ground. Since plenty of seed gets spilled on the ground, the grackles don't go hungry. They are now the clean up committee.
2103171
The feeder is too small for birds the size of crows. Make certain that you check on the type of crows prefer, then find a feeder that will work.
79020
I would have to say no it does not! I have 3 of these owls hanging around my back yard and the birds still come to my feeders even the doves. I purchased these thinking they would keep the squirrels out the pecan trees, but that is not happening either. Hope this helps you!!
249077
yes. they try to hold on, but are too heavy, so lose interest quickly. These feeders are specifically for smaller birds because of this. My goldfinch, wrens, even cardinals feed from it.
639682
I'm not sure if it will prevent them from eating at the feeder. The doves at our feeder eat off of the ground though. Maybe that is why?
32851
My best suggestion is one should put a sign that no doves, pigeons are allowed to feed from this bird feeder. If they are decent they will read the sign and never come back. For the bad ones you should make it more weight sensitive by rotating the inner rod so that only light birds can sit on the perch. In general this is the best bird feeder we found which keeps the squirrel away. Before the squirrels were the sole eaters from our bird feeders.
30574
I have seen the female cardinal in the feeder but the male doesn't enter it. It does keep out larger birds and they eat what is dropped on the ground.
1537797
I dont have cardinals in my neck of the woods, so I cannot tell you for sure. But we do have robins and towhees at the large end of the spectrum, and all manner of finches, chickadees and sparrows at the small end. All of them like to use this feeder, but the larger stellers jays, crows and other nuisances seem to stay away. It isn't large enough to accommodate them - and that's a good thing. To avoid marauding raccoons, I take the feeder in at night and put it up first thing in the morning. Hope this helps.
342468
If the birds get near the ground, it may scare them away. Any type of motion near the ground will set it off. If the bird feeder is way up high, then i wouldnt worry about it.