Birdscapes 736 Upside Down Goldfinch Feeder

Although I was surprised to see that birds, other than finches, can stand on the bottom platform and feed, this bird feeder still has several other ports where only the yellow finch can feed. The snowbirds seemed to be the ones standing and getting the food on the bottom, so I didn't mind it at all, since they are welcome winter visitors. The bottom holes were made bigger,though, by some non finch birds who pecked at it, and I had to put a bit of duct tape over the bottom holes. BUT! This bird feeder is the most handsome finch feeder out there. In addition, it has a canopy to keep out really wet weather, which can be a problem with small niger seeds. Most niger feeders do not have this canopy, and when the seeds get wet, they clump together and get moldy. All in all, I enjoy looking out at my yard and seeing this feeder filled with finches!

Remove the three Philips-head screws beneath the bottom platform that hold the bottom platform to the tube and then the (Colibri) feeder looks like its picture, and larger birds that could perch on it can no longer feed from it. With the bottom platform removed, the only birds I noticed on the feeder today were goldfinches, and they ate from it voraciously throughout the day. There may be other small birds that will come to it and manage to feed from it, but the goldfinches I had rarely spotted before on the feeder were abundant today.

This is a very attractive feeder and if only goldfinches could use it I'd be be very happy with the item. Unfortunately, house finches (who have their own feeder) seem to prefer the thistle seed and are quite capable of standing on a perch and stretching up to the the feeder hole above it. Each finch that does this essentially takes away TWO feeding stations from the goldfinches - the hole above the perch and the one below - so two house finches take up four stations, leaving only two available for the smaller and more timid goldfinches. And yes, there is a small platform under the feeder, just big enough for an ambitious house finch to brace against while it holds on to the metal frame above. This feeder empties out in just one day ....... and the goldfinches get very little of it.