Mandarin Bird Feeder with Perches, Large Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder, 17" Diameter Clear Dome, by Arundale Products

I took another reviewer's advice and made a modification to the hanging hardware. I've had the feeder hanging from a pole arm for over a year in FL (brutal sun, torrential rain, high winds) and it has outperformed every other feeder/baffle I've owned and completely stymied the large, persistent gray squirrels. Occasionally I'll dig the empty sunflower shells out of the ports, but they've never seemed to stop the birds. In winter, we have migratory sparrows on every perch and lined up waiting for an opening. The tray style of this feeder (Arundale Sky Cafe) would probably hold more birds, but I was afraid the seed in it would get wet with all the rain we have. Cardinals, red-wing blackbirds, titmice, etc, seem to have no trouble with the perches.Customer service was great - one part was missing some drilled holes and they very promptly sent a replacement plus a free calendar. The included instructions also say they will replace any parts that shatter from a fall, since the plastic can become brittle over time.To rain-and-squirrel-proof, get a Crown Bolt 3/16 in. x 5-1/2 in. Zinc-Plated Turnbuckle Hook/Eye from Home Depot, a wing nut or hex nut to fit the eye side of the turnbuckle, and a zinc-plated s-hook that's just large enough to hook onto the eye (I think I used a 3/4 inch). Just type these terms into the HD website to see what they look like so you can find them in the store. Unscrew the eye bolt from the turnbuckle, thread on the wing nut and provided metal washer, thread through the top of the feeder, and screw the turnbuckle back on underneath the feeder cap. Adjust until the J hook grabs the wire in the feeder bucket and you can screw the wing nut down so the feeder top is on tight. (Be sure to use the right size turnbuckle; the first one I tried was too long so the feeder cap didn't fight tightly and I came home to find a squirrel trapped IN the feeder. He alternated between panic and gorging himself on black oil sunflower seed until I let him out.) Use the S-hook to attach it to the hanging chain and hang from a 2ft or longer pole arm. Be sure to follow the directions about hanging it at least a foot below the pole arm and three feet above the ground so the squirrels can't jump to it. A squirrel proof pole is also key; mine is close to plantings so the squirrel can jump onto the pole so putting a baffle on the pole won't keep a squirrel off. I screwed some strips of 4 inch wide thin copper sheeting (ordered from Amazon, of course) to the feeder side of the pole so the squirrel can't get around it to jump from the pole to the feeder perches. (Yes, it took a lot of trial and error to figure all this out!)To fill, loosen the wing nut until you can slip the wire off the J hook.

Anyone who has bird feeders know how tenacious squirrels can be. The tree branch where I need to hang my feeder is about 3 feet from a retaining wall so I didn't have much hope for whatever feeder I installed. However, I've had this feeder up a week now and so far the squirrels have left it alone even though they are in my yard and succeeding with the suet feeder. I haven't seen "the slide" yet but I imagine they are jumping from the wall to the feeder and sliding down. They are not feeding from it. The birds are really enjoying it. Twice a day my yard is full of birds taking turns at the openings or on the ground to get the spills. I thought the design would be too modern for my taste but the clear acrylic helps it blend into the nature around it.. My only complaint is that I couldn't get one perch to attach correctly so the birds have only three perches.

The basic design is very good. Unfortunately, the good ideas ended at the design of the chain suspension which allows rainwater to enter the feeder . I suggest removing the chain and substituting a 5/16 turnbuckle, with the hook end engaging the vee hanger. Thread the original flat washer and flat rubber seal over the eye bolt end along with a 5/16 hex nut. This makes a fully watertight seal. To remove the feeder, simply unscrew the 5/16 nut and unhook the feeder bottom.

I have tried every squirrel proof feeder on the market over the past 35 years. This is the only one that truly works AND brings the birds in. Second place goes to the feeders that lower a block over the feed tray if the eater is too heavy. To properly use this feeder replace the flimsy wire on the top with a J hook. Get a stainless washer and wing nut to lift the bail inside the bucket up and close the lid. If you are mounting on a pole, you're finished. If you are mounting on a wire or chain, add a threaded coupler and another J hook or screw eye to attach to your chain. Take this note to your ACE hardware is this over complicates things. NO LEAKS, NO SQUIRRELS, no tops coming loose, simple to unscrew and refill. Occasionally you have to hose this guy out to get it clean. Sit in the sun for an hours and refill. I too thought that the bird rest was too flimsy, but after 8 years I finally broke the first one. Guess I'll have to spend a $1.25 to fix it. Got to go order another feeder. Those oval slot models look cute, but I bet the birds don't care.

The first feeder we had like this one lasted for more than10 years. We decided to try a different one this time. None of them worked. Some of them did a great job of feeding the squirrels and 100s of sparrows. The Cardinals did not like the feeder that had a platform that encircled the entire base. They seemed to prefer the feeder with the 4 posts to land and feed from. Maybe it gave them more room. We don't know, but we ended up with the exact feeder we've had it the past. Works perfectly.

This bird feeder was successfull in keeping out the squirrels. We had it a couple years and all the sudden three of the black perches were broken off. The bird feeder was still hanging there so it wasn't because it fell and hit the ground.I contacted the seller but they were non-responsive. I didn't expect them to exchange it - I was mostly hoping for information on how to fix it - like new perches or something....UPDATE: I just contaced the manufacturer and they sent me more perches for $5.00 to cover shipping so that I can replace the broken perches. Real nice person. I have to say though, if it is a life time guarantee then why do I pay for shipping? That is much cheaper than replacing the feeder so I am happy.