Droll Yankees Domed Cage Sunflower Seed Bird Feeder, 6 Feeding Ports, 20-Inch, Black

So far it's been solving my grackle and red-wing blackbird problem. They're simply too big to get through the cage and empty the feeder, and let me tell you, were they ever mad about it. One got on my safflower seed feeder and started tossing the safflower seed onto the ground after a failed assault on the cage feeder. Another would get on top of the shepherd's hook holding the cage feeder and voice his frustration. Things have calmed down, and while the grackles can empty my Aspects tube feeder of its sunflower seeds, once that is empty, they're out of luck until I refill it. The little birds - chickadees, goldfinches, house finches, white-breasted nuthatches, chipping sparrows, and downy woodpeckers - can finally get a bite to eat while the grackles have to settle for fallen seeds. My red-bellied woodpeckers can even stretch their heads through and get some seeds, but the grackles have had no such luck. I've not many squirrels, and those I have (American red and chipmunks) have left it alone, so I can't attest to whether or not it will thwart squirrels. I would assume it would stop large grey squirrels, but not the red squirrels or chipmunks. Cardinals, grosbeaks, the larger sparrows, mourning doves and hairy woodpeckers can't use it either, so I put out some safflower and suet (had to rig up a grackle-proof suet feeder) for them, as my grackles don't like safflower (so far). Overall this feeder seems well made. It's heavy, so make sure you've got a sturdy support for it. The baffle has been beautifully keeping out water, and the feeder lid fits snugly. You can remove the tube for cleaning by removing a screw on the base, but the bottom of the feeder tube is not detachable without unscrewing the bottom two feeder ports. Some other cage feeders have a more narrow cage, so the grackles can snake their heads in and still feast to their heart's content. This cage appears to be wide enough to stop that behaviour. It's a pricey feeder, but feeding the ravenous grackles, red-wing blackbirds and squirrels will put more of a dent in your wallet over time, so I'd consider it well worth the price.

We have a lot of Red Winged Blackbirds and Starlings around and I'm not interested in feeding the hordes that descend on an unprotected feeder. A few years ago we bought a feeder with a globe shaped grill around it. It was somewhat effective. The nuisance birds could still hang on the bottom and reach in enough to get some seeds. But the grill was a bit too small and a lot of the desirable birds seemed uncomfortable enough that they wouldn't hop in and feed from the internal perches. The other poor aspect to it was that there was no rain shield and the seeds would get wet and clump. All in all it was mostly a failure.The Droll Yankee feeder is everything the other feeder was not. The grill is very effective at keeping nuisance birds out. I will confess to having a laugh or two watching them work their way around the feeder looking for some way in, only to give up and fly away. The opening is larger and the finches and nuthatches have no problem hopping in and having their fill. The rain shield also seems quite effective at keeping the seed dry which will be a blessing in the long wet winters of the Pacific Northwet.No glowing review would be complete without a nit to pick. On our feeder the hanging wire is just a tad too wide making it a little difficult to pull the tube cap up in order to add seeds. But it's only a little difficult, and I feel like I'm really reaching to even mention it.It was twice as much as out prior feeder, but hundreds of times better. I highly recommend it.

I just received the Droll Yankee Caged Bird Feeder and my initial impressions are that it's probably the best feeder I've owned. But it's substantially larger than the published dimensions. The cage is actually 11 inches diameter, NOT 8 inches. However, this is a good thing. It will give the birds more room to fly around inside the cage. The openings in the cage measure 1.5 inches which I am told is the ideal size for small birds.The green perches and the internal feeder parts are painted metal, which is not stated on the website. This is much sturdier than plastic, which most other feeders have. Also, the cap where you pour in the seed is constructed of cast metal, and heavy duty, so it would be almost impossible for a squirrel to open. But it's easy and convenient for a human to refill without having to dismount the feeder.Really though, someone needs to update the description because the feeder is much better constructed than the published description implies, and in the case of the dimensions, downright wrong.The clear plastic cover actually measures 14.5 inches and the overall height including the handle is 21 inches. There is a plastic wing-screw at the very bottom that holds the cage attached to the internal feeder. It looks robust enough, but if someone over-tightens it, it could be damaged and the cage would be useless. I understand Droll Yankee does indeed supply spare parts so that should not be a problem.The tag says the feeder part is wholly made in USA, but the cage part is manufactured in China, and then, assembled in the USA. Not that it matters, but just in case anyone was wondering.In conclusion, this is one big bird feeder, but I'm not complaining. It looks like it will last many years.