I have this one for several years now, I think it's called Oriole feeder, perhaps some other feeders have bee guard too? This one is plastic, it works good when after the sugar water is filled, then screw on the bottom upside down, then turn over in one swoop / fast motion, then hang up but on a very short line so it can not sway in wind, otherwise the syrup level below get's too high and almost runs out the hole, that's when bees get interested. Konrad

I have been shooting about 60ft from my window to the bird feeder in the maple tree. Yesterday I got the crazy idea to take an old pipe garment rack I had and set it about 15ft outside my bedroom window, then hang a feeder on the rack. first I hung a simple tube type seed feeder, then I got the idea to also hang a tube type thistle feeder. While i was hanging the thistle feeder on one end of the rack two chickadees came down and landed on the rack about 3ft from me and as soon as I started to walk back in the house a Titmouse landed on the seed feeder to be my first customer. That Titmouse remained there long enough to allow me to get in the house and snap a picture. Within the first hour after I hung that feeder i had chickadee's, Titmouse, Nuthatches and a small female downy woodpecker who seems to have taken it over as her personal feeder.

Awww...I hope I see a baby flicker! My baby wrens flew away last week (I know, house wrens are bad..but they nested before I knew what they were!) and it was really sweet to see them trying out their wings. As for becoming addicted, I already am!! Due to health issues, I've become fairly housebound, and I find myself watching the birds far more than the television! Sometimes I feel like if I stop watching for a moment, I'll miss something really special..lol!! My husband is actually going to build a small deck off of our master bedroom for "optimal bird viewing"...that side of our house faces the woods and the feeding station I have set up in the side yard...it's the perfect spot for relaxing and enjoying all of the critters that visit the yard!

I was going to say Chicken Hawk, but I see that it's another name for Coopers Hawk. A neighbor of mine has talked about them, they nest in our mature Maples and Elms on our street. I had never actually seen one (or paid attention) until recently when he flew into my yard (I have feeders as of this year) after another bird, apparently attempting to reach the bird hidden in my new arborvitae. By the time I got to the back door (to scare him off), he was gone. My neighbor had to move his feeder, as the Hawks nest was situated just above the roofline, with a perfect view of the feeder. I have enough trees in my yard to hopefully create a safe haven for the smaller birds during the warmer months, at least when there's foliage on the trees. Interesting looking birds, and I was surprised at how large they are. My feeders haven't been touched in a couple of weeks (I'm in an urban location).