Droll Yankees BTG 031111230253 DROBTG Bird, Hanging Feeder with Adjustable Dome, Green

I'm beginning to think that they make birds smarter in MAINE! The birds on our hill have zero problems eating out of this type of feeder! They come by the dozens daily. Okay, we've owned one of these feeders for 35+ years and we love it. All of the complaints are a direct result of people not understanding how this feeder works! HELLO, IT'S ADJUSTABLE FOLKS - did you not read that in the description? No need to allow the birds to sit in the seed and poop all over the seed - OMG......adjust the dome downward until they are discouraged from flying up to the edge or into the holding part of the bowl! We have bought dozens of feeders over the years and this is the O N L Y feeder that the squirrels CANNOT get into, the doves avoid it altogether and the Jays can not hang on the lower seed openings. Okay, that being said, we have LOTS OF WIND because we live on top of a hill in Maine, yes the feeder will swing around and YES the feed will get shifted to one side or the other and sometimes spill out - easy solution - FILL IT MORE OFTEN AND THIS ISN'T A PROBLEM EITHER.We have bought and retired one Perky-Pet 7103-2 Copper Triple Tube Bird Feeder because the tubes clog up the seed with water when it rains and you don't know what problems are until you have to try to clean this feeder! We have two Duncraft 18202 Safe Haven Wild Bird Feeder With Metal Seed Tray and the squirrels get through the wire cage around the feeder and they also clog up with water from rain - also a cleaning problem! We currently have two (TWO - we were foolish enough to buy two of these guys) Varicraft AV-2M Avian Mixed Seed Feeder that holds a ton of seed but with the tray at the bottom, which we've recently removed, we've had squirrels fly 8 feet from a tree to that tray or jump from the ground to the tray. We can't keep the Jays or those pesky woodpeckers out though. It takes the Jays THREE DAYS to empty 3 GALLON OF SEEDS from one of these feeders! At least the Jays eat or carry away the seeds but the woodpeckers hang onto the openings - one foot in one hole and one foot on the peg and toss the seeds everywhere! We've also had a host of other feeders all of which have gone into storage! NOTHING WORKS to keep the squirrels and seed hoarding Jays out EXCEPT THE DROLL YANKEE. The only reason I'm even looking at feeders today is because we have just about given up on feeding the birds and squirrels $35 dollars a month worth of seeds. We've found that removing the trays from the Varicraft feeders has eliminated the squirrels but NOT THE JAYS! I decided to retire the Varicraft feeders and just placed an order for another Droll.One thing about feeders is that you have to make a decision about which birds you want to feed because if you want BIG birds and small birds then you get the above problems. You won't attract any large birds with this feeder - NONE, because they don't like hanging on to the openings. Oh, you'll get the occasional Jay or woodpecker who will try but they don't like it and soon leave. If you want bigger birds then you'll have to deal with the Jays, squirrels, woodpeckers and the Doves! All the small birds will eat at the Yankee Droll feeder and if you are happy with just small birds then you'll be happy with this feeder but you will have to adjust the dome down and keep it filled.

This is the oddest bird feeder, but I would purchase it again. I have read most of the reviews and agree with them, even the negative ones.I only use (hulled) sunflower hearts in this feeder, although it is quite suitable for other feed. Here's my 2 cents:PROS1) Solved my problem with my 6 ravenous mourning doves. They were devouring about 3 lbs a day of sunflower hearts in my platform feeder (my mistake to use a platform feeder). My goal was to find a feeder where I could still offer sunflower hearts for the smaller birds (mostly house sparrows and a few house finches this time of year). I didn't want to buy another hopper feeder. This feeder, with the domed top lowered low enough - about to the top of the top hanging "ring," makes the opening is too small for the crafty doves that still try to get into it on occasion. (They initially banged on it, trying to get in.)2) There was a learning curve where the smaller birds had to learn how to get in under the dome because I had placed it so low, but they finally figured it out. I also have sparrows and finches that feed from the holes on the bottom green sides. Unlike the reviewer who lamented that the non-clinging birds could only get one seed at a time, my birds seem to make a game out of it when they can get into the bowl just as easily.3) There are almost always 1-3 small birds in the bowl.CONS1) It is true that the birds leave small messes in the bowl. But I don't find this problematic as I pick them out every morning and there aren't many. Perhaps that's because the birds rotate in and out of the bowl pretty quickly.2) Also, when I go through the feeder in the morning, I push the seeds through the holes and closer to the openings in the bottom green part of the bowl for the birds to have easier access to them.3) I initially found the feeder tedious to clean, although once I got used to it, it was easy. To clean the bottom bowl really well, you have to unscrew the nut at the bottom and take the green part off along with it's green plate. Really only takes a few minutes after you get used to it.

PROS:- It does a fabulous job keeping out water including in the rainy PNW- It does a great job keeping squirrels out - I used a shepard's hook- It has nice capacity- Easy to disassemble and reassemble for cleaning- Sturdy designCONS:- Neighborhood deer used it like a gumball machine, clearing it out in the early mornings.- Even at its lowest height, when the adjustable dome is all the way down, small birds such as Pine Siskins can fly in, plop down in the middle of the food, and poop. Pipe Siskins are highly prone towards salmonella and can quickly infect (and kill) other members of their flock and other visiting birds. It's a terrible way to die and awful to behold.As much as I appreciate the benefits of this particular product, I have taken it down to get rid of it.I also use the Woodlink Model: 301045 and have been happy with its design. It too is easy to clean and is well built. Birds can't poop in the food. However, it still needs to be regularly cleaned because diseases like salmonella can be transmitted via saliva. The risks isn't as great, though, as when infected birds poop in food.On behalf of our feathered friends, please clean your bird feeders and underneath them as well! Birds are better off foraging for safe food than getting sick at feeders.