hi...this has nothing to do with the feeder....how do you get lots of birds to one feeder? they are territorial?
1358382
the only thing we can think of is that when we had one feeder on the E side of house they were too territorial and we only would have one or two. Then we moved the feeder to the N side of house, has lots of bushes in that area, a small pond and added a second feeder. they seemed to be less territorial with the move and addition of the second feeder. We started getting more and more. Now we have 6 32oz feeders up and can't keep them full! I think they return every year and have babies and then the babies come back the next year and have their young. good luck, they are such an entertainment!
1358383
They are. Some male hummers will chase female hummers for a courtship type of thing. Others will guard a feeder and chase other hummers. I have around 6-8 hummers that feed off the 3 feeders I have in my front then 3 or 4 that feed off the ones I have in my back. You won't just have one bird that feeds, you'll have activity all day as many birds will fight over a feeder. I have had times where there will be 2 or 3 birds feeding off the same feeder.
1358384
Having a lot of flowers around helps but I know if you feed them every year, your numbers increase. Also the later part of July and August is when you get the really big numbers. Putting them up in April is a good idea. And don't take them down before Oct. for the one going south from further north. This is only from my experience in south eastern Ohio.
1358385
Hummingbirds are one of the most fastinating birds in the world....i suggest reading on them....you will be amazed. They are very terrritorial....but they dont feed like other birds in community settings....they fly in at seperate times and then return to there section of bird territory space. Unmarked and unseen by us, but well defined by these little incredible suckers. By the way, they have a beak. i thought they sucked in, but that pointy little beak that serves a purpous is a actual beak with a top and bottom.....this is a great feeder
1358386
I dont think anything u can do except I have several feeders. The young ones in spring seem to get along better and sometimes 4 or 5 will be feeding at same time. The older ones do tend to dive bomb the others tho. Really aggressive sometimes. My only advice is try to add another feeder. Good luck.
249079
Yeah! Starlings and grackles are too big to land on this feeder. I've had mine over a couple of years and have never seen those birds on it. Haven't seen cardinals on it either. Just the smaller birds. And my area gets LOTS of starlings and grackles and crows!
907534
No. I have 2 and 3 birds on the feeder at the same time. I had 3 large cardinals on it yesterday. I hope that helps you.
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.
1432562
I think the platform feeders are less messy, but some birds like to throw out the seeds to their ground feeding friends so you might still get some of that. I don't fill it up completely, just a mound usually in the middle so that the seeds don't overflow on their own either. Its a great feeder and attracts lots of birds big and small.
597621
Sure but that's what birds do. Don't blame the feeder. We added a small squirell guard just below the feeder and get a lot of mileage from our seed.
462240
Quite frankly I do not know. I have used my feeder for 2 months. Using regular bird seed, I had many birds but many squirrels also. I could not move the feeder (so the squirrels have no access) but I can't as it provides entertainment for my handicapped wife. I switched to safflower seed and now there are no squirrels but lots of birds: wrens, sparrows, cardinals, tufted titmouse, chickadees, nuthatches and finches plus some I cannot identify.
802854
If it is hug correctly they are too heavy, they still eat what the other birds throw on the ground. If you have a number of wrens and sparrows they empty the feeders pretty quick. It still is funny to watch the squirrels try with out success.
249078
I hung mine from a steel fishing leader wire so the feeder rotates when a bird lands on it. The largest bird that I have see on it was a cardinal all the rest are smaller birds and because of the thin wire - no squirrels!!! Hope this helps.
731813
Michelle, The feeder did not work for me at all. It is solid plastic with four very small holes in it. The holes are positioned between the perches. If you ever watch a finch eat, this is not the way they do it. Save yourself the grief and wasted money. Get a mesh sock feeder and then just refill it. They work great. If you want something that looks more like a regular bird feeder. then get a feeder that is mesh not plastic with four holes. They can be messy so keep that in mind. This feeder is worth nothing, nada, zero.
1945127
My suggestion is move it to another spot. I had a whistle feeder that was never used (hung there for 2 months) so I moved it about 30 feet and now have finches on it all the time needing to refill it at least once a week. Have since moved it back closer to my house to see the birds better and they followed and still use it sunrise to sunset. Hope this works for you!
331467
The Cardinals won't go near this bird feeder. I have two feeders and even the smaller birds will hardly touch this feeder, they prefer the standard feeder with an open tray, this one has elongated holes that the birds have to reach through while sitting on a spring loaded perch. The spring loaded perch will not support the larger birds like Cardinals, even when it is set to the maximum weight adjustment.
2250762
It sounds like you are doing everything right-- offering a water source and trees and shrubs for shelter. Timing could be the issue here. Birds can be pretty suspicious of anything new, and it will take time before they will eat from the feeder (especially since their natural food sources are becoming available as we get further into spring). Just please make sure you are keeping the seed in the feeder fresh-- maybe keep a little less seed in the feeder and change it every few days until you start to get some visitors. Also, are you seeing Finches at any of your other feeders? If not, you may attract them to your area by planting some milkweed or composite plants. It sounds like you are doing everything right-- offering a water source and trees and shrubs for shelter. Timing could be the issue here. Birds can be pretty suspicious of anything new, and it will take time before they will eat from the feeder (especially since their natural food sources are becoming available as we get further into spring). Just please make sure you are keeping the seed in the feeder fresh-- maybe keep a little less seed in the feeder and change it every few days until you start to get some visitors. Also, are you seeing Finches at any of your other feeders? If not, you... » Read More It sounds like you are doing everything right-- offering a water source and trees and shrubs for shelter. Timing could be the issue here. Birds can be pretty suspicious of anything new, and it will take time before they will eat from the feeder (especially since their natural food sources are becoming available as we get further into spring). Just please make sure you are keeping the seed in the feeder fresh-- maybe keep a little less seed in the feeder and change it every few days until you start to get some visitors. Also, are you seeing Finches at any of your other feeders? If not, you may attract them to your area by planting some milkweed or composite plants. « Show Less
1468825
I wish I had a clear answer for you but I just believe that as convenient the feeder should/could be it's just not that well designed. I would suggest asking the manufacturer or sending it back and getting a new one or a refund.
2250758
It sounds like you are doing everything right-- offering a water source and trees and shrubs for shelter. Timing could be the issue here. Birds can be pretty suspicious of anything new, and it will take time before they will eat from the feeder (especially since their natural food sources are becoming available as we get further into spring). Just please make sure you are keeping the seed in the feeder fresh-- maybe keep a little less seed in the feeder and change it every few days until you start to get some visitors. Also, are you seeing Finches at any of your other feeders? If not, you may attract them to your area by planting some milkweed or composite plants.
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.
2059147
The feeder I purchased has four feeding ports. I bought the bottom seed tray from the option list and birds often perch and feed from the tray.