It's been over six months since I first reviewed the EcoClean Dinner Bell bird feeder. While I was super happy with the feeder and the bag of Bark Butter that came with it, it took a while for the back yard birds to catch on. It seems in the rule of 2s game, this feeder and food fell into the "2 weeks" category.
I'm happy to say that both the feeder and the suet bits got a lot more action following my initial review. With the help of my WingScapes BirdCam I can report that at least nine species visited and used the feeder during the winter months. The Bark Butter was especially popular with Yellow-rumped Warblers; I must have hundreds of photos from the BirdCam just like this one.
When there was a spike in visits from Common Grackles, I lowered the upper dome, to mixed success. While hopping down from the feeder pole is impossible for them with the dome lowered, the large birds figured out they could access the feeder when approaching laterally, by flying in. This photo shows the dome before I lowered it.
Here are few more happy visitors.
After several months of use, the feeder is holding up very well and I'm still quite pleased with it. The large upper dome, which continues to keep the food dry and fresh, may not keep out every last grackle, but I don't mind at all.
Did you get a new Wingscapes BirdCam for Christmas? Consider sharing your photos with the Wingscapes BirdCam Flickr group. The group is fun to browse, with BirdCammers located all over the world. Your photos can contribute! At one time the creators of the camera kept a...
Some birds feed by hanging upside down. There are "sock" style thistle seed feeders for goldfinches designed for the birds to be able to hang any which way. Nuthatches and some warblers also move around tree trunks and branches upside down as naturally as they do right side...
As part of their Project FeederWatch program, The Cornell Lab has a handy online tool to help backyard birders determine the best foods to attract common feeder birds.
