Heritage Farms 7533 Absolute Squirrel Proof Wild Bird Feeder
- From Heritage Farms, inventive wild bird feeder keeps squirrels and large birds at bay
- Crafted in durable steel with clear polycarbonate windows, feeder holds 2-1/2 gallons of birdseed; baffler and sloped seed chute enable steady food flow
- Feeding ports close to large birds and critters using counterweight system; placement in sheltered southeast location for frequent visitors
- Wash the bird feeder regularly with water and white vinegar; metal standing post and hanging hook are included
- This item weighs 13 pounds upon shipping and is covered by a 5-year limited warranty; birdseed not included
Absolute brand SquirrelProof wild bird feeder features an adjustable counterweight that is designed to close the access ports to the seed when a squirrel or large, heavy bird tries to eat. Prevents wasted seed. Metal construction cannot be damaged by aggressive squirrels. Sloped seed hopper directs all seed to the feeding ports. Includes heavy duty metal hanger and also comes with a multisection steel pole for optional pole mounting. Features windows above the feeding stations. These clear, polycarbonate windows can't be damaged by squirrels. Feeder comes in durable forest green finish. Large 21/2 gallon capacity.Amazon.com Review
With cheerful songs and gentle grace, birds enrich the natural environ... More >>
$49.95
4.0
Heritage Farms 7533 Absolute Squirrel Proof Wild Bird Feeder
December 18th, 2009 - 21:42
My son-in-law wanted a good bird feeder for his back yard. He hasn’t been able to put it out yet because of all the snow. I’m hoping it will be a good one an deter the squirrels.
Rating: 5 / 5
December 18th, 2009 - 23:30
Even though this feeder proved itself not to be squirrel or chipmunk proof, I absolutely loved it until today. I mounted it upright on the brown steel pole that came with it, so it looks great in the garden (I have the off white version with a cooper roof that got a great patina over time), holds a lot of birdseed for infrequent refills and birds seem to love it. But the counterweight system is what my family had a traumatic experience with today. It was set to keep only large squirrels out so large birds (and small squirrels) can feed from it. Thanks to this system a very large squirrel got trapped in the feeding port and couldn’t free itself because it had nothing to balance itself on which resulted in the loss of it’s whole finger. I will NEVER SET it to keep anything away.
Rating: 3 / 5
December 18th, 2009 - 23:54
I gave my dad an amazon gift certificate for father’s day…he bought this bird feeder, paying extra because he wanted the squirrel proof guarantee – what an incredible rip off. The same thing is found in so many local stores at a third of the price!!! It is small, though it is squirrel proof, it is NOT worth $65 plus shipping.
Rating: 2 / 5
December 19th, 2009 - 00:00
***UPDATE*** It appears that I can’t change the actual ’star-rating’ but having had this feeder for about six weeks, I’m upping my rating to 4 and a half stars.
For many years, I’ve used the “tube-type” feeders and though I liked them, I found they were somewhat of a pain to fill. There was always a lot of spilled seed, and removing the top was a multi-step process.
On this feeder, the roof is hinged and remains upright without having to hold it while it’s being filled. Filling it requires no finesse –Open the top, dump in a car-wash-bucket-full of seed, close the top and you’re done.
The squirrel-thing. Despite my initial disappointment (noted in the original review, below), it does appear that having increased the sensitivity on the perch has COMPLETELY discouraged the squirrels from attempting to get any bird seed. It took about two weeks from them to give up on the idea that they could get in –now they hang out on the ground waiting for sloppy birds to spray seed on them. (Which is fine by me, and will likely cut down on the amount of sprouting seedlings!)
All in all… a great feeder, and despite my initial doubts, I’ve come to like it quite a bit.
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HERE IS THE ORIGINAL REVIEW….
The good:
– Fairly well constructed, with a big exception noted below, under “the bad” things about this feeder.
– The hanger is well designed, and while I was concerned that it would quickly tilt, the three points of attachment (on each side) of the feeder keep it perfectly level.
– The “squirrel bar” (that drops a barrier in front of the feeding holes) is adjustable. It can be shifted so that very little weight causes the bar to drop –helpful, as if in my case, the squirrels have figured out how to “straddle” the bar and the feeder so as to put as little weight as possible on the bar. Yes, apparently I have very smart squirrels!
The BAD –
– For the first several weeks, I had the feeder mounted on a pole. While my pole was perfectly vertical, the feeder seemed to be tilting further and further back every single day, to the point that I thought it would snap off the pole and fall to the ground. It turns out that the pole adapter (which is a metal plate that attaches to the bottom) is made of rather THIN METAL that quickly deformed and caused the feeder to tilt. (For the record, the mounting pole itself remained vertical the whole time.)
– The “squirrel-proof” feature works in theory (and perhaps for “developmentally challenged” squirrels), but for my Mensa-level squirrels, they figured out how to put most of their weight on the feeder so as to prevent the bar from dropping down. (I’VE POSTED A PHOTO OF ONE OF THESE EINSTEIN/HAWKING SQUIRRELS IN THE PRODUCT PHOTOS, ABOVE.) I have since adjusted the bar to make it more weight sensitive, and it SEEMS to be working, but I suspect my squirrels are drawing up plans to overcome this new obstacle even as this is written!
- Jonathan Sabin
Rating: 3 / 5
December 19th, 2009 - 00:54
This was a gift for my mother, who is an avid birdwatcher. She was thrilled about this item….said that it is a lot bigger than the feeder she replaced. She said its’ material would make it last, since it’s coated with a smooth water-resistant paint on metal, so it’s great for all weather. She also likes that she can set the weight on it for a specific animal, so that if it was perched on it, the stand would shut the feeder area, therefore protecting the seed for the birds. She loves it!
Rating: 4 / 5