I have a lot of house sparrows. Can they use this feeder? (I am looking for something for the woodpeckers without feeding the sparrows!)
75122
You will find a variety of birds interested and some will actually eat upside down but it has not hampered in any way the success for the woodpeckers. FYI we also have a suet feeder - by Audubon - which is a holding area within a cage (description not too keen) which permits the little birds in including the Downeys and keeps out the starlings and grackles who love suet. They try on the upside down feeder with limited success. Yes, sparrows are invasive but they, too, come with their own beauty. Have you ever examined one up close? Another amazing creation.
75123
I think you will be fine with this feeder. Any bird other than a woodpecker that uses this feeder has a very dificult time which keeps the non woodpecker use very low. It's the European Starlings that i have trouble with using the cage-like suet feeder.
75124
Yes. It is a lot more work for them, but the sparrows can use this feeder. Mine usually just flap their wings like crazy to stay up under the feeder, but some really good ones can invert and attach. I think it depends on how much other food you are providing the sparrows. Because if there is easier food elsewhere, they will likely ignore this one.
75125
The only other birds I have seen use this are Titmouse, it defiantly foils the pesky birds I have. Try it, you love it.
75126
In my experience sparrows have not been able to use this feeder. Whether they can learn is unclear but I've had it for over a year and I'm enjoying my downies use of it, not seeing other birds use it.
75127
Woodpeckers and Nuthatches are the main users of the feeder. Other birds try, but do not have much luck. I have had some sparrows try, but they are not very successful. They try to hand by one leg..kinda funny looking. A cake lasts well over a month for me, and I have a lot of birds coming to it daily. It is my favorite feeder.
75128
We have no sparrows but the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers love the feeder and it has drastically cut down on suet consumption by Clark's Nutcrackers, Jays, and Red-Wing Blackbirds. The Nuthatches use it a bit as does an occasional Chickadee.
75129
We did not have trouble, squirrels tried and got little, but the woodpeckers love it. I do not recall any other birds except the starlings.
75130
I have never seen a sparrow use it. It's usually the titmouse, nuthatch and chickadee that use it here.
1700008
I have had cardinals, blue jays, smaller birds as well...sparrows....junkos....black-capped chickadees, etc. It has been a great feeder!
2083173
I have mine set to feed cardinals but so far no larger bird. If you want to feed bluebirds they love suet with mealworm or peanut suet. The only time I see a blue bird is when I have that out. I don't try to feed bluejays since they are aggressive toward other birds. The one you are asking about, I have seed cardinal eat from it but it's hard for them. the 1024 is better because it comes with a cardinal ring when make it easier for them to eat. The finch feed only feeds finches and no wasted seed. Of course thistle is the only seed that should go in in it. Finches love it.
825876
Hello, concerning your question, grackles and starlings leave this feeder alone. They just wait for the sparrows to drop the seed. I have seen bluejays hang on to the bottom and get some seed and take off. Pigeons and dove are confused to. Squirrels can't get it either.Happy Feeding.
405119
I have 7 bird houses in the yard. Four with 1-1/4 holes and they all have house sparrows in them currently. The Woodlink NAWRCH has an 1-1/8 hole as well as one of my own construction and none of them have house sparrows giving them any attention. My home bulit Northern Flicker box has a pair building a nest in ti currently. It has a 2-1/2 hole.
839907
Hi Christine, Thanks for your question. In response, yes absolutely, this bird feeder works great for Cardinals & Red Bellied Woodpeckers. Basically, we typically see our customers use black oil sunflower seeds and fill the center portion (called the seed tank). When filled, some seeds stick out, and due to the double cage design, it allows birds to be able to stick their head/beak in between the outer cage holes and get to the seeds without problem. However, Squirrels cannot fit their heads or mouths through the outer holes as its too small and uncomfortable. Hope this helps! Mark ======= Skinny Squirrel Cages
1617530
I have mine in a tree by my bluebird house but my birds have not used it. I have an open feeder they will use but a lot of other birds feed in the open ones as well. Maybe I'll try on a post in the open. It doesn't work in the tree.
309927
If you have few birds, it's not because of the Brome Feeder. It could be several reasons: (1) Not the right bird seed, (2) Too "traffic" area, (3), Not many trees for the birds to feel safe, (4) Not many birds in that location. Not knowing your situation, you might move the feeder, and see if you have the correct seeds for the types of birds in the area. They can be picker eaters, although once all is right, they eat and eat. I love this feeder!
405117
Appalachain Waterdragon I appreciate your response. However, around here (Pacific Northwest) house sparrows are prolific and only real control over who uses what box is the size of the entrance hole. Difference between an 1-1/8" and 1-1/4" hole is very little and house sparrows will re-size an i-1/8" if they feel like it. I have never experienced House Sparrows attacking other birds in our yard and they all feed from common feeders. We have Chickadee, and yellow finches, and Northern Flickers. The Blue Jays are a bigger problem with attacking other species.
1280661
We have mostly sparrows that get in to the feeder at the moment, but not having had it that long, I'm not sure. We will get Cardinals later on, so will have to see if they can get in through the holes. The feeder is wonderful, and may have to get another one, as we have a smaller one, but the birds ignore it. It might be worth trying it, as other small birds would love it anyway.
2222618
Actually, I have not seen Starlings on this suet feeder. They are usually a pesky bird, but no sign of them. We see pilated woodpeckers, lots of flickers, and other small birds. The bird that is usually a nuisance where I live are the Grosbeaks, they start feeding and won't leave, try to eat all the suet, and not leave food for others. You may not have them in your area.
1523320
We had to remove the other bird feeders in our yard for a week or so, so the birds had "no choice" but to use this one. At first, I thought it was going to be a wash because once the birds found it, they would still just grab one or two seeds and then fly away to eat them, then return only to fly away again to eat. I was a little bummed out because it seemed like more of a buffet tray than a table. Fast forward another few weeks and now we have woodpeckers, cardinals, and titmice that visit several times a day. I have my two feeders right next to one another about 3 feet from my desk and they don't hesitate to swoop right in. One thing you might want to consider is that the birds might want a "resting area" within three feet of the feeders so they avoid crashing into them ... a pole or plant or stick allows them to fly on to that and land, then take the little hop over to the feeders so they aren't coming in at full steam. Good luck, you and your cats should have a lot of fun! :)
1132162
I haven't noticed sparrows on my Tierra Garden feeder. However I haven't noticed any sparrows in my backyard either. I live on the west coast and have only seen juncos, chickadees, and wrens in my backyard.
2157464
The bb house would have to be modified. This is my first year with this house and 4 baby bb fledged 4 days ago. No problems with house sparrows yet. As some have stated it is best mounted on a pole in an open area.
1537798
Yes! I have a ton of cardinals who use it every day. Now I'm seeing a bunch of fledglings. The doves are ground feeders at my place. I feed in the feeder and on the ground. Blue jays can't use it. They eat on the ground.
151611
Hi Michael, We have two of these feeders. We love them so much. The squirrels cannot eat from them. The first year we had the feeders, the cardinals and blue jays disappeared. We thought it was because of the wildlife that was in our year constantly. However, they did return with more cardinals than ever. It took them a while to adjust to the new feeders. They would hover and then fly to a near by tree. Now they are very comfortable and have adjusted fine. Don't give up.
393072
Doves are too big for this feeder. Finches and smaller have no trouble, and acrobats like some woodpeckers can perch on bottom rungs and eat from top openings. :-)