Stokes Select Sunflower Seed Screen Bird Feeder with Large Perching Tray and Metal Roof, Copper, 5 lb Seed Capacity

I live in a cooler climate (evergreen forest with brutally cold winters), and, for me, wire mesh feeders are my preferred choice for late Fall and Winter feeding, which is when I mostly feed our local feathered community. The birds that mainly occupy my area in winter are nuthatches and woodpeckers (tree clinging birds) along with an abundance of gray and blue jays and chickadees (perching birds). Nuthatches love feeders such as this and will flock to them, much more so than other types. The woodpeckers in my area, though, aren't all that thrilled about eating sunflower seeds--prefer suet--but will occasionally visit this feeder. As for most perching birds in our area, they do NOT favor wire mesh feeders such as this, where there are no good perching stations. The only exception would be the little chickadee. Even though chickadees are classified as perching birds, they can still cling easily enough to the sides, and don't seem to mind doing so. This feeder does have a "perching tray," but since it is so small, only juts out a little ways from the base, it merely functions as a seed catcher. Only smaller birds are able to make use of it. For me, though, that is not a negative issue, but actually is a good thing. . . What I really like about this feeder is that it is not blue jay friendly. Of all the birds that inhabit my yard, this is one species I am not all that thrilled with. They may be considered smart, which most birds in the corvid family are, and some people welcome their vibrant bluish color, but, to me, they are more often than not a gang of lazy, obnoxious, hoarding and bullying birds which will sometimes kills smaller birds if within reach. With a typical wooden feeder where a bird can perch easily, the blue jays in my area (up to a dozen or more) would empty such a feeder in a matter of hours. . .and during that time, the other birds would get very little seed--if any; and if they tried, the blue jays often would attack them. With this feeder, though, the blue jays cannot easily stuff their faces and thus maraud and horde the seed. Getting seed out of this feeder takes a bit more work than what they seem to care for, and so will often go elsewhere to find easier pickings. They will occasionally stop by and grab some seed. . .but nowhere as much compared to a feeder which allows a bird of this size to perch easily. As for the feeder itself: it seems well constructed, and it holds a lot of seed. I have a couple other feeders of similar design, but none of them are as big as this. For a longest time, I wanted a larger capacity wire mesh feeder, and now I have one. Some have mentioned in their reviews that they had trouble opening and filling this feeder and that the top screw will probably strip in a short time. I have never had trouble opening mine. With mine, it takes only about 10 seconds to unscrew the top and was never difficult, not even from the get-go. With those who had trouble, I guess it is possible some received a defective one or one that had been overly tightened at the factory and/or the top screw became fused to the lid because of an over zealous paint job. And as for the screw on top stripping like some expressed concern about. . .I've had other feeders with a similar design, and I've filled them hundreds of times with no such issues. . .so that should not be a concern with this feeder either. Neither have I ever had an issue with the feeder unscrewing while hanging. After looking more closely at my feeder and what other reviewers mentioned about their feeder becoming unscrewed--usually by a squirrel--I think the manufacturer made some slight changes to this feeder so it does not unscrew as easily. I guess I might have just been lucky, too :) Another issue some people complained about was that the birds couldn't remove the seed from this feeder. I only use black oil sunflower seeds, and the birds never had trouble removing them. I've even tested the feeder myself, and the seeds easily fit through the wire mesh. With those who stated that seed would not fit through the wire mesh. . .maybe that was because the larger, stripped sunflower seeds were being used. . .or that these people had some over-sized, mutant black oil sunflower seed. Your typical black oil sunflower seed SHOULD work well with this feeder, but if it doesn't, I would suggest trying a different brand of seed. And finally for those reviewers who said no birds would come to their feeders, maybe it was due to the fact these people have mostly larger perching birds in their area, or. . .perhaps, have seeds that have gone bad. Sunflower seeds can go bad quickly if stored in a damp environment that doesn't get any air circulation, and when they go bad. . .birds will not touch them. One more thing I should add. . .if you are wondering if this is squirrel-proof, no, it is not. The multitude of red squirrels we have frequent this feeder and often; but given the size of the feeder, even with one of those noisy, funny fur balls on it (usually hanging upside down), there is still plenty of room for the birds to get at the seed. I do really do like this feeder: it's size, function, construction and appearance. If you have tree clinging birds, this feeder should be a welcome addition to your feeding arsenal; but if you are looking for a feeder that will make your larger perching birds happy, it might be wise to look elsewhere. For me. . . this a five star product.

I have had numerous feeders over the years. This The Stokes Select Bird Feeder (38170) looks very nice, is extremely well built, and is very durable. Despite what some of the reviews have said, I have found it easy to fill and hang. It has never "come apart" or fallen off the hanger during the most fiercest of storms. I have six various types of feeders in my backyard, and this feeder keeps the seed drier than any of the other feeders. It always has numerous gold finches, house finches, cardinals, and titmice on it with occasional mourning doves and woodpeckers. Despite numerous birds being on it throughout the majority of the day, I do not have to fill it for at least 5 days. I am considering replacing one of my feeders with a The Stokes Select Bird Feeder (38170) as this company makes quality products.

The Stokes Select Bird Feeder (38170) is the best bird feeder we have ever had. We went through countless feeders, and finally found the right one. If hung away from trees and hung by wire, it is virtually squirrel proof. It holds a lot of seed, and is very easy to fill. Best of all, cardinals (which seem to be the hardest to feed) love it. Many feeders' logos say they are for cardinals as well, but we have never found one till now. We have had as many as 36 male cardinals in our surrounding trees at one time waiting to feed. It is very well built.

Currently own 6 of these. They hold a lot, and I don't see much waste on the ground. I only put out black oil seed. The only issue I have had is that the squirrels will spin them. Eventually the screws come loose, the feeder falls apart, and it wastes a lot of seed. I do two things before use: 1. Install a locking washer at the bottom. You could just add a drop of lock-tight, but then you can't take it apart to clean. 2. Attach a stainless steel swivel snap at the top so the feeder can spin without unscrewing. Yes, they are pricey, but with a little WD-40 they last almost forever. In my yard, these feeders attract cardinals, wrens, sparrows, finches, 3 types of woodpeckers, mockingbirds, and siskins. The jays don't seem to like these feeders, but they have peanut butter seed cakes. I also have a flying squirrel that comes to them at night. My oldest feeders have been beset by squirrels for over 2 years. They can't destroy it, they just eat. The feeder is large enough that the birds land on the other side and share. Cleaning is usually just tapping out the leftovers and spraying with the hose. But seasonally I do take them apart to disinfect. 2017: photos added. One of my oldest feeders was hit by a large limb during a tropical storm and sort of "ripped" from the tree. I bent it back into shape. You can see that the finish is flaking in places, but for the damage it took, I'm impressed!

I love this feeder-I have 5 of them- as do almost all the birds in the neighborhood, including the cardinals. I have yet to find a better, more universally accepted feeder. So far, only the blue jays avoid it. The squirrels love it, too. They are quite adept at unscrewing the top and dropping the entire feeder and contents on the ground. My husband and I have modified the feeder by placing wires through the top of the mesh and over the lid and using both the ring and the wire handle to hang it. This works. The fact that the top screws on keeps it from blowing up in strong winds and getting the seed wet. This is not the case with most other similar feeders. It is made of base metal and will definitely rust if left to soak in water to clean it. the screw top has been improved since my first purchase. Previously, it would come apart if twisted too tight. Overall, I love the feeder, but gave it 4 stars because it could use some improvement.

Don’t buy this bird feeder. It’s spacious, love the drainage holes, it looks and feels sturdy, it’s attractive, BUT my husband spent at least 30 min tryin the get the knob off the top just to fill it. Then we have fought and fought with it to keep the knob ON and to get it back off because we needed to tighten it to keep it on. It has come crashing down from its pole one too many times, and we are returning it. We have it on the tallest pole available, away from trees, and with a squirrel baffle that works. It’s simply coming unscrewed and falling down with the slightest effort from the squirrels below the baffle. So frustrating because I absolutely love everything else about this feeder. From a person who’s been feeding birds for over 15 years.

This is a pretty good feeder that holds a lot of seed and has a capacious tray that all my birds like. It has a glaring weakness and that the hanger screws onto a central rod and holds the whole thing together. It is very easy to unscrew if, for example, the squirrels swing it when they jump off. The hanger is starting to strip the screw part of the rod.

This is an attractive and well built feeder. It is easy to fill from the top after you take it off the hook that you hang it from. The mesh size is about right for the oil sunflower seeds that I buy in large bags. The seeds don't spill out easily but birds can pull them out. Like all feeders of this type, there is a single threaded rod in the center that holds it all together. If squirrels or the wind can spin the feeder, and you don't have it hung from a swivel, it can unscrew and fall down. The solution is to get a snap swivel and hang it from that. It also makes it easier to unhook for filling.