It was a good idea at the time.

My wife talked me into buying this bird feeder at a garden centre earlier in the year. As a feeder at nearly forty quid it's been a disaster, after nearly six months the birds are still ignoring it.



So I'm going to remove the trays, stick it down the bottom end of the garden and let a nice red climbing rose down there (which she doesn't like and had to be removed from a patio pot when it turned out not to be an Albertine as labelled) grow up through the middle of it.

Today she got me to order these at £10. They're about tea cup size will be just above the level of the azaleas and the birds might prefer them and mean less mess for me to clear up on the patio, with a smaller ground feeder.

 

Riley, looks like you can turn the first one into a nice plant climber structure. Try getting suet instead and hanging them inside and then have a plant climb up on it. Two purposes for one item, a value.
Your second one, gosh, my squirrels would have a field day with that. But they look cute.

 

Thanks for that. But the tower will be well out of sight from the lounge windows, so I'll not bother providing anything on it for the birds.

Our "vistors" are organised, the birds use the ground feeder, on the patio but they make a mess and the squirrels have a separate tray for their nuts. There's no confrontations, they feed within feet of each other. It was funny yesterday as a dunnock and a blackbird were taking turns to dash out of the azaleas to the tray and back again, from more or less the same place. But there's been a sparrowhawk around that's already had two wood pigeopns, (we and the squirrels don't like them as they are greedy, the squirrels see them off because they go for the peanuts).
We get blackbirds, sparrows (there's a flock of them) a male and female robin, a couple of dunnocks, coal tits and a few doves, as well as a few occasional other visitors.
I'm just being "obliging." I've no idea if the birds will use these "inverted cups on sticks."

 

Hope they have good drainage holes - otherwise they look smart

 

Doghouse, I think I can guess what's gone wrong. I had a similar issue a while ago, but some research found me the answer.

Birds case out the feeders before they use them, to make sure there is no opportunity for an ambush from cats and the likes. If there is, they stay clear.

I had a feeder hanging from a bracket on a wall, the feeder was about a foot lower than the wall. The birds would look at it for a few minutes from a safe distance, then go on their way elsewhere.

I then read about this ambush theory, and figured that if I was the size of a bird and was stood at the feeder, a cat could easily come up over the little roof and jump down from a foot above, and I wouldn't see it coming until it was too late.

Applying this new knowledge I moved the feeder to the tree down the bottom. Carefully choosing a position that provided easy escape routes to cover, but few opportunities for ambush. The next morning the feeder was a hive of activity.

 

(Deleted duplicate post)

 

Thanks for that, but the problem is a bit more "domestic."

I only bought the tall feeder as I thought this would mean I could get rid of the ground feeder on the patio completely, making the job of keeping it clean much easier. Unfortunately, my wife refused to let me move the ground feeder, which the birds preferred. So even after six months they weren't going to use the tall one at any time. The ground feeder is only two yards away from a thick bed of dwarf azaleas and the birds can dash in and out if they feel threatened.
I'm pretty sure that having indulged her latest whim, the ground feeder will be staying. There's not many "What I thought was's" that I don't agree to spend money on.

I can't really complain, when I've bought saxophones, expensive mouthpieces, a jukebox and a few dozen "mint" 7" singles at £6 a time from America. I'm still thinking about another jukebox or a "fifties café" style pinball machine. The ones that use the big ballbearings with the flippers on the sides.

 

That there bird feeder (assuming we're looking at the whole structure), is, apart from the finial, remarkably similar to the obelisk I bought in Wickes for £12. M'thinks, at nigh on £40, one 'as been robbed.

 

There were a couple of other trays and some hanging suet balls and stuff included.
It's not a question of money in this situation, more; "anything for a quiet life!"

 

I have one of those small feeders Doghouse. I bought it from Tesco I think. I have a robin who feeds from it
The only thing to watch is that they can fill with water- I discovered mine full of water and some very smelly mealworms