Broken feeder

Goodmorning fellow birders,

Yesterday I woke up and looked outside to find my birdfeeder broken apart. It was they three tube with the dome top kind. I think a bear took it apart. I took my dogs across the street on the state land looking for morels. I found two last year about a mile and a half in and went to check to see if they came back. We came to a bridge and there was a pile of bear dung. So we turned right around and headed back. My German Shepherd would go after it and if they had babies she might hurt him.

So now I have to find a new bird feeder. I have a couple of others but they are hard for my rose breasted gosebeeks and cardinals to land on.

What type is your favorite?

Amos

I like those with several ports and perches on them so the cardinals can eat on the bottom and the buntings and finches can eat off the top levels. I also like the little tube shaped cage-like feeders. The titmice and finches like those, too.

I'm a big fan of the Squirrel Buster... it seems to be living up to its name. It's well made, you can see the amount of seed you have in it and when it's time to refill.
And the cardinal ring is a great perch for a lot of birds.

I guess it depends on what you want to feed.

The feeder currently on my wish list is a No-No. http://www.rachelsrobin.com/shop/nono.php?ps_session=50266bfdd28d5dd6ddd392ac3d3dd892

I don't care for tube feeders that aren't easily cleaned, So right now I"m loving the platform feeder!!

I was disappointed in the no-no feeder but just HAD to have one. It's in the shed with the rest of the feeders I just HAD to have but didn't wind up liking.

really? why? Maybe I won't get it

My no no feeder is also in the shed. The birds loved it at first, then they could care less. Yes the happy hunting (feeding?) grounds for that one too! GM

Why not offer them up for postage, trade or resell them?

My favorite is the hanging tray feeder. I fill it in the morning and add a little in the late afternoon. Enough for the day. I have to bring it in at night due to raccoons. I have a baffled pole platform but that wouldn't beat a bear!

This pic shows a Gray Catbird on the tray feeder.



This message was edited May 21, 2008 3:45 PM

Yup - my no-no feeder is packed away too. Too easy for the squirrels to empty it out. Didn't take them long to figure out how to get into it.

Holy Cow! The No-No is a No-Go!

Ooo, we should put these reviews in the garden shed forum.

This message was edited May 21, 2008 3:06 PM

Mrs. Ed... the others have pretty much summed up my thoughts on the no no feeder... the rain can easily get to the seed, spoling it... I didn't find my perching birds liked it at all. As Goldfinch said the squirrels had a field day with it in no time flat and the sunflower seed easily comes out of the little holes and doesn't all stay in the feeder — without the help of feeding birds. Anytime I filled the stupid thing about 1/4 of the seeds scattered out the holes onto the ground. And it takes A LOT of seed to fill or even partially fill it. Any mix type seed and everything smaller than a sunflower comes pouring out of it. (millet, et al)
If you don't mind feeding squirrels, however, the thing is supposedly indestructable because of the materials used to make it.

Mrs Ed I will gladly mail you my feeder (it goes flat) so you can at least try it! Send me a dmail with your address! GM

Our only year round feeder is one DH makes. We only use black oil sunflower seed in the shell. The seed eaters that can't open them eat the scraps. Squirrels cannot get into it unless it's directly under a limb. Due to the size of the feeder, raccoons can't get up into it either. During the winter, we put up some tube feeders for the extra birds in the yard.

Close up

Well that a very nifty looking feeder! That is exactly what I have been wanting!

Looks like a Redheaded Woodpecker in it too!

Great job Mima! I love that!

That's a great feeder, Mima. Feeds a crowd!

Sometimes the feeder is absolutely packed with one variety. You should see it filled with yellow finches in the summer or cardinals in the winter. (But don't bother trying to picture it filled with cowbirds or grackles.....) Amazingly, the birds rarely fight, except for male cardinals. The large birds tolerate the small ones. Woodpeckers and blue jays swoop in, grab a seed, and fly to a limb to pound it open.

The feeder is self cleaning if we keep the ends aligned with the prevailing winds. Then occasionally, I use a paint scraper to clean out the edges and corners, and then that night I pour a bleach solution on the floor. That way, it's dry and ready to be filled the next morning.

Don't know how well it will stand up to a bear, though!

Amos, I have had the same problem with the "Super Feeder" from North States. I don't think I have bears so deer or squirrels did mine in within a week of buying it. I'm going to make one like Mima's. Good luck with your problem. Maybe if you hang it from a pulley and raise it up real high, the bears can't grab it.