Too messy and wasteful

I own this product and finches love it however it is too porous. Much of the precious nyjer is wasted on the ground beneath. For a fraction of the price I bought a THISTLE SAK FEEDER by Gardner/Homestead and remedied the situation. The mesh is finer yet sturdy. I am now visited by dozens of finches without mounds of wasted uneaten seeds. Give it a try you'll more than make up the cost in no time!More detail ...

No more bees no drips a snap to clean!

I initially bought a classic "perky pet" feeder with the glass jar draining down into several feeding "flowers." Despite the bee guards I often saw yellowjackets hovering around it. They squeezed themselves along the underside of the bee guards to get dribbles that leaked out of the flowers. Also I learned that bees are drawn to yellow (the color of the plastic flowers). I'm sure ants would have found the dribbles before long as well - there were even splatters on my deck.



Also there was no way to be sure the plastic base was really clean when I refilled it. I've heard you can poison hummers with fungus if the feeders are not cleaned thoroughly every 3-4 days. Fungus just loves sugar water.



I looked at some hummingbird afficionado sites and apparently the hummzinger models are the way to go. The simple construction is very easy to scrub out; no hidden recesses for fungus to grow. There is no yellow on it so less attractive to bees. I have not seen one yellowjacket since installing this! No drips and bees can't reach nectar through the openings.



It should be refilled even when it is not empty both because of fungus growth (I have found fungus after waiting too long) and also because it seems a bit deep for hummers to reach the bottom unless they are a long-billed variety. (I have Anna's hummers).



I had some trouble getting the lid off for cleaning untill I realized I could just use the brass hanger to push the base down while pulling the lid upwards.



It's worth the frequent cleaning when I can sit in my living room watching the birds enjoy their nectar. This feeder makes the maintenance as easy as possible.More detail ...

"Our" favorite feeder

My hummers had no trouble switching from the basic bottle feeders to this saucer and I love it because it's the oh-so-easy to clean. The built in ant moat dries out rather quickly but I basically fail to fill it anyway and haven't had any ant problems at all. I now have 2 of these feeders that hang from shepherds hooks and there's no leakage problems whatsoever. Remember: change your sugar water frequently; every few days to avoid spoilage. I highly recommend this feeder.



EDIT (04/2008): I wish this feeder came in 8oz since I don't really need 16oz and don't get that many hummers (unfortunately). But I did also purchase a Hummzinger Fancy (12 oz) and surprisingly I just didn't like it. It was easy to clean but was deeper than the PPO which didn't appeal to me. I had put the Perky Pet on one hook on the south side of the house and the HummZinger on the north side's hook. The HummZinger didn't get much activity which was surprising since the hummers are used to both hooks having a feeder. After 2 weeks I put the HummZinger away and went back to 2 PP's. Activity resumed on the north hook...



Considering both feeders are outside from April to November and rinsed in hot water for every cleaning they've held up well. No cracking minimal color fading no flowers have needed replacement to date.More detail ...

This camera will provide simple enjoyable projects

--This camera is advertised for its lapse-time (automatic spaced intervals between exposures) capability. Its name (PlantCam) could give the impression that its only use is for seeing a bud flower plant or garden grow "high speed" compressing hours days or weeks into a few minutes. But it can be used with delight in many other nature-situations with satisfaction showing "sped-up replay" in the motions of clouds shadows animal intra-flock associations indoor flower turning snow melting and even things like recording the development of a drawing construction what people mostly look at in a store window and on and on. The camera works fine with variable time selections a laser pointer for down to 11 inch close-up work a view finder for distant projects several levels of resolution date-time imprint and more. I have viewed the picture results with Windows Picture Manager finding the filmstrip view nice for speeding through the sequence. In Windows Movie Maker I can move what might be hundreds of pictures to its story board and play the changes as a sort of movie. I also have the company's BirdCam and get incredible bird closeups. The cameras are simple to operate with almost intuitive control layout but I recommend you work through the carefully written and adequate manual with camera in hand several times. For a number of times I was overlooking the last step that is turn the dial to "auto" before setting the camera on the tripod or ground for its shooting. I am convinced this camera would be great for an adult to use in collaboration with a youngster in discovery activity. I know I have found its pictures excellent and intriging.More detail ...

Junk food for hummingbirds

Why is this stuff "junk food"? Not because it's 99% sugar - that's what hummingbirds drink real flower nectar for. It's because this product like so much human junk food is laced with unnatural unnecessary and potentially hazardous chemicals. The description brags that it doesn't contain any artificial sweeteners (duh!) but if this really is the original Perky Pet formula it does contain the food coloring Red #40. This synthetic coal-tar dye is the single most popular food coloring in the world but it's actually banned in some countries over concerns about its safety. From a health standpoint it's important to remember that a hummingbird may drink more than *three times its weight* in nectar or feeder solutions each day. Even a relatively harmless chemical can have damaging effects at such high consumption rates.



Unnecessary additives such as dyes preservatives and flavorings are just one reason that hummingbird experts discourage the use of products such as this one. Another is cost. Even the dye-free "instant nectars" contain absolutely nothing to justify a price that's 5 to 8 times higher than that of ordinary white sugar (which is actually sucrose the natural sugar hummingbirds prefer above all others). A simple solution of 3 to 5 parts water to 1 part white table sugar is convenient inexpensive and much more natural for the birds. Remember to clean the feeder and change the solution every 2 to 5 days. For even happier healthier hummingbirds plant hummingbird-friendly flowers such as red salvias and columbines and keep your yard pesticide free to provide the tiny insects and spiders that they need for a well-rounded diet.More detail ...

Don't Be Fooled

Good news bad news.

The good news: Yes It is aromatic cedar wood.

The bad news: It's assembled in China with staples which tend to split the wood. The floor is of 1/8" lauan plywood material (a little stronger than paste board). The dimensions are totally wrong and misleading. The actual size of the bird house is 6.5" tall x 6.75" wide x 7.5" deep (that's measuring the roof the actual house is 4.75" x 5.75")

Shipping: It is shipped with very little packing. Mine arrived with the top cracked down the middle from being crushed.

BUYER BEWARE!More detail ...

All that I expected and more!

I have been battling the squirrels with limited success for years. Either the feeders didn't stop the squirrels at all or they were so dang ugly I didn't want them in my yard. The squirrels even ate a few of the "squirrel proof" feeder I tried.

I'm pretty cheap but the Droll Yankee Co. seems to have a good reputation so I wasn't too reluctant to part with the bucks for this feeder. My first impression was that it is a lot larger than I expected and seemed to be sturdier than most feeders.

I plugged it in and let it charge overnight (it charges like a power screwdriver) filled it with black-oil sunflower and hung it in my favorite bird feeder tree the next morning. My Carolina-chickadees and Cardinals were feeding within thirty minutes Mr.Squirrel made his first attempt after about an hour. There is really no way I can describe what followed. Let's just say I have some really freaked out squirrels around my house.

I have had the feeder up for over a month the squirrels have been forced to feed from the spilled seed on the ground and the feeder is still operating from the original charge.

This feeder is is worth every penny and then some. I wish I could give it more than five stars.More detail ...

One of my least favortie hummingbird feeders

The fact that this is one of the most popular hummingbird feeders on the market is mostly due to its wide availability cheap price and gaudy styling rather than its quality. I used these feeders for years before discovering better designs and I came to hate them. The first thing I noticed was that they're hard to clean with too many small parts and hard-to-reach tubes and crevices. It takes way too long to take the feeder apart get all the parts clean and reassemble it.



The next thing that became apparent is that the "bee guards" really don't do a very good job. Honeybees and wasps can't reach the solution through intact guards but some long-tongued bumblebees can and tiny bees just crawl right through the guards (and often right into the bottle!). They're also bright yellow the same color as many bee-pollinated flowers (what was the manufacturer thinking?). The insects really swarm around when the solution oozes out as it's prone to do on warm days (particularly if you refill the bottle with refrigerated solution).



It didn't take long to discover that this feeder is also not very durable. The plastic parts don't hold up to exposure to sunlight becoming brittle and loose over time (more quickly in sunny or high-elevation areas where intense UV light seems to deteriorate the plastic more quickly). The hardened glass bottle is actually the most durable part of this feeder while the bee guards are the first parts to break down. The size is okay though if you've only got one or two hummingbirds visiting you won't want to fill the feeder completely.



The best hummingbird feeders cost about twice as much as this model but they will last at least 10 times as long. The feeders I use most now are the Hummzingers from Aspects and the Droll Yankees LF both saucer-style feeders. For high-traffic times such as late summer I switch to the Nature's Best bottle feeder. I never use anything in my feeders except the solution recommended by all hummingbird experts: sugar water made from 3 to 5 parts water to 1 part white table sugar (do not add food coloring!). This is much more economical and probably also healthier (and tastier) for the birds than overpriced chemical-laced commercial mixes such as Perky Pet's "Instant Nectar." The solution should be changed every 2 to 4 days and the feeder cleaned thoroughly at least once a week no matter what kind of hummingbird feeder you use.More detail ...

Love It!I

I have had a couple of these for several years one got broken and have been looking for them in retail stores to no avail... and the price was at least 2 to 3 times more. I love to watch the birds as they feed we have Cardinals Finches Chickadees Titmice to name a few... they seem to like this feeder.Our grandkids love to watch them too! So I bought a couple of extras for them... great item..More detail ...

A hummzinger of a feeder

This is a great feeder no doubt. It is the easiest to clean and refill that I've seen. And the bright red makes the hummers go crazy. Mine have become more territorial and they feed more often now.



Initially I had some concerns that the feeder would need to be almost completely full in order for the hummers to be able to extract any nectar (the feeder is rather deep). Turns out the little guys have pretty long tongues so they can reach far into the feeder even when it is close to being empty.



Can't beat the lifetime guarantee.



My only gripe is that small ants can still get inside even with the nectar guard tips in place. In my case the ants are pretty bad even more so than with my last feeder which had basically no protection at all.More detail ...

Fine ... as long as it doesn't rain

Hi folks. I don't have spare time to review every product I buy here with over 250 orders in the last year. However I do feel obligated to mention or warn others when a product fails under normal ordinary conditions.



This bird feeder looks very nice it holds plenty of bird seed and I have no problems with the funky lid or filling the feeder. (I don't like the flimsy plastic glass)



I wondered "WHY are the birds completely ignoring this feeder when I clearly see it's still half full of seed? They used to like it. What's the deal?" Hummm.



I quickly discovered the problem. What happens is; every time it rains the bottom area (tray) gets filled with water and saturates the seed turning it into a thick muddy paste. At this point the birds have no interest. After examining the feeder I noticed the "tray" has little tiny drain holes - not quite the size of lead in a pencil. These drain holes are obviously insufficient. I doubt I can drill the plastic holes larger without breaking the tray.



In summary I find it surprising that no other reviewers mentioned this problem. Ultimately my recommendation is to only buy this feeder if you hang it in a dry area such as in a pavilion under an eave or a similar location. For me it's time to go bird feeder shopping once more.



Be well

JeffMore detail ...

Squirrels are smarter than the makers of this feeder.

No maybe squirrels can't get inside the feeder but they don't have to. All they have to do is shake it or set it to swinging and seed goes all over the place. Then they take what seeds they want out of the resulting mess and leave the rest to rot. They can trash a feeder's worth of seed within a week. I'll be looking for yet another feeder as soon as I can afford it.More detail ...