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

The media could not be loaded.  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.

This feeder is a great product. This feeder holds about 5 lbs of birdseed, is sturdy, and easy to fill/use. I had bought one of these a very long time ago and a bear got the feeder and bent it up - I could still use it, but decided to see if I could buy the same feeder again. I was very happy to find that the feeder was still available. If you are looking for an extra large feeder, that is sturdy and easy to use, and looks very nice, this is the feeder for you.

Large and seemingly sturdy. This is the second one I bought due to the arrangement of the tiny nut on the bottom comes loose sending it crashing to the ground and spilling what contents there happen to be at the time. UGH. The rod should be a tad longer with more threading to ensure it doesn't fall mostly from squirrels brutalizing it mostly. I learned from the first one to hang it from a swivel hook to save much wear and tear. Overall, it does the job and not having to fill it often is a plus.

This is the second time I have purchased this feeder. The first one finally fell apart after many years of use - the review is for the first purchase, but hopefully the new one will be just as successful. It is large enough that I don't have to refill very often and it attracts several bird species. Some of the more adventurous squirrels can jump onto it, but unlike some of my other feeders, they can not empty it nor have they chewed through the mesh: I'm happy to let them have a few seeds. It has fallen from the pole a few times (I didn't screw the hook on tightly?) and didn't show any signs of damage. It is also easy to clean.

Have used for about 4 months and it has solved my feeding problem for many birds. It holds a large amount of sunflower seeds so I am not refilling all the time. I don't notice any loss of seeds through the wire grid and only seeds the birds remove seem to leave the feeder. I have greatly cut the amount of seeds on ground, reducing rat problem. Most birds seem to like it. I feed with this, a suet feeder and a thistle feeder. I add a hummingbird feeder in summer. Most birds like the selection. If you see problems with squirrels, a 10 ft 4x4 pole with a squirrel shield is perfect. See other reviews for the shield I bought several years agoIf there is any con with this feeder, it is you have to take it down, remove the whole top by removing the threaded top and then reassemble after filling. That will be longer out in cold when it is snowy and wind blowing. Very small con to me.

I Purchased and had delivered today TWO Stokes Select Sunflower Seen Screen Bird Feeder with Large Perching Tray and Metal Roof -- 6.8 capacity sunflower seeds LIKED that the first feeder took about 10 seconds to unscrew top (per instructions), fill, and hang feeder. DID NOT LIKE THAT OVER ONE HOUR TRYING (UNSUCCESSFULLY) TO GET THE TOP OFF THE OTHER FEEDER!!! TURNING THE TOP RING ONLY RESULTS IN ENTIRE POST TURNING WITH RESULT THAT SCREW ON VERY BOTTOM OF FEEDER COMES OFF AND NOW ENTIRE POST WILL BE REMOVED. OK, LETS TRY PUTTING NUT BACK ON, HOLDING IN WITH PLIES, LATER WRENCH, LATER SOCKET -- WHILE TURNING THE TOP RING. NO LUCK!! TRY HOLDING POST DIRECTLY WITH VARIOUS 'GRABBERS' WHILE TURNING TOP RING -- NO LUCK. HOLD WING NUT WHILE TURNING RING -- NO LUCK. MULTIPLE SQUIRTS OF WD-40 BEFORE TRYING AGAIN -- NO LUCK. DID ANYONE 'CHECK' THESE PRODUCTS WHEN THEY ARE RECEIVED FROM CHINA???? SHOULD YOU BE ABLE TO OPEN THE TOP TO FILL WITH SEED???? Update: Returned the Stokes Select Sunflower Screen Bird Feeder to Amazon. Maybe this one was intended for reviewers who previously commented that the top came off to easily. NO one was getting the top off the one sent to me! Amazon has promptly credited by account. Thank you Amazon!!! Interesting that 2nd of the two identical feeders I purchased opened (by turning the ring) without an issue and is working great so far.