I have several feeders but the most successful I've found so far is a mesh onion bag filled with black oil sunflower seeds and hung in a tree outside my window. They all flock around it! And there are other feeders close by that they don't visit as much. Even the squirrel is slowed down some, he has to hang by his toes to get anything out of it and he can only get one seed at a time, lol! I have a suet cage that is supplimental, and they all eat from that too.

Hi Betsy,
You do have quite a list of requests there! I have been feeding the birds for many years and have come to the conclusion that there is no "perfect" feeder. That said, I can say that what I look for most in a feeder is durability. Some feeders will hold up for a really long time, and others seem to disintegrate quickly in the elements. I really like the Stokes brand feeders. I find them at my local Tractor Supply, or they are easily found on-line. They are afforable and really durable. Duncraft also offers a nice selection of different feeders that can be reasonably priced. As for seed ports, the only differing ones I have seen are for Thistle feeders which is of course a very species specific feeder. I find that Black Oil Sunflower Seed draws in the largest variety of birds, and it is primarily what I feed. I also have a few suet feeders out for the birds that love suet. Maybe your shepherd's hook should hold a seed feeder and a suet feeder? If you have more arms on it, it's also fun to offer peanuts, and you can easily find some really durable peanut feeders. If you wanted, you could add a Thistle sock for the Goldfinches too. They don't tend to hold up too well, but the birds love them. I hope that helps a little.~~Angie

Hi Betsy,
You have probably decided on a feeder, but I wanted to give you my experience. Over the years I have had many different brands and types of feeders. By far the best one for me is the Hurley Byrd Feeder. You can find them online. You will spend more money for them, but they are GREAT feeders. Peter Hurley is a delight to work with. I have spoken with him on the phone several times. His feeders are second to non in quality, materials, and workmanship. I have two of his largest hopper feeders and matching seed trays. My oldest Hurley Byrd Feeder was about 5 years old this last summer. I took it apart, sanded it down and applied 2 coates of penetrating oil. It truly looks brand new. My advice would be to save your money and treat yourself and your birds to one of his feeders. Best of luck in your search.

I have two made by North States Industries. They are made from very durable plastic. I have one that looks like a school house and one that looks like a house. They make them in a church style, barn, etc.
They fill from the top and the tray has drainage holes. I've had them at least 5 yrs. They hold 5 lbs of seed, too, so I only have to fill them every few days.

Thank you so much everyone - this is GREAT info. Can't wait to get these up. More snow today.
Betsy

PS LOVE the pics in this forum

Hi,

The type of feeder depends on the bird. I have managed to set up several types of feeders

Chickadee's - these guys can get to any feeders and are not afraid of people. So just about any feeder will work.

Cardinals - They have short beaks and so don't really like tube feeders and will need some sort of a perch.

Woodpeckers - these often like tube feeder that they can hang on and peck. Frequently go for suet blocks.

Finches - Best feeder appears to be a nylon finch filled with thistle seed.

Sparrows, dove and Junco - many of these are ground feeders, I have a mesh tray filled with thistle seed. Ground birds like other types of seeds too but then squirrels hang on the feeder all day long (squirrels don't like thistle seeds).

In my yard, the following feeders are setup

1. A mesh tube feeder filled with sunflower seed. This is perhaps my most successful feeder. It's all metal and opens on both ends so it's easy to clean. It sits on a pole with a baffle.

2. A Pizza try that I attached to the end of a pole with a baffle (the tray isn't enough to keep the squirrels off). Originally intended to attract blue jays but the blue jays in the area are too afraid to use it (they refused to venture more than a few foot from the tree). Stuff on the tray don't seemed to last.

3. A sock feeder I hang out at the end of the woods.

4. A very large tube feeder filled with thistle. There are a lot of finches and tree sparrows in my area, so they tend to eat a lot (sometimes like 1 1lbs a day).

5. A tray feeder filled with thistle. Frequent by junco, tree sparrows and Mourning doves.

6. A hanging suet feeder. Again baffle since squirrels keep trying to get to it even though it does not like suet.

Hello again,
Well, I set up feeders using many of the wonderful suggestions above.
(Mr. Breitl, I ordered and am now anxiously awaiting my Hurley. Peter says hi)
Unfortunately, my bird feeders mostly serve as squirrel feeders, so now I need help deterring squirrels.
I see posts on baffles, which I will install, but oftentimes, the squirrels jump/fly right onto the feeders from the fence, trees or bush.
My yard is very small, and I have the feeders set up in the corner of the yard near all of the above. I like it there bc it doesn't matter that the seed falls there, as it doesn't mess up the lawn or flowers. And the birds then have some cover from hawks.
My Hurley will go under the eave outside my kitchen window.
If absolutely necessary, I guess I could move the set-up to the middle of the yard to make it more difficult for them, but I'd rather not. I do have two little dogs and several cats that chase them away, but there was an episode when one of the dogs got the squirrel cornered, and the squirrel went after my dog and she screamed! Thankfully, I think she was screaming out of fear, as I couldn't find a bite on her. I like that the little dogs successfully chase the squirrels away, but I don't want them to interact with them!!!
And, lastly, if I do manage to make things more difficult for the squirrels, will they remember, give up and move on? They are unbelievably relentless.
Thx,
Betsy

I've had so many problems with feeders over the past 5 years but last summer I purchased the Squirrel Buster Plus and I am amazed at just how great this feeder is. It really is squirrel proof, I've watched them try to get at it by climbing up the shepherds hook where I have it hanging and they just cannot get at the seeds. It has been up all winter and the seeds have stayed completely dry. I love this feeder and would highly recommend it for almost all types of seeds.

Here is a link to the Squirrel Buster Plus:

Here is a link that might be useful: Squirrel Buster Plus