Customer Reviews

Opus 25111 Expeditions Copper Top 6 Fortress Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Note- this paragraph is an edit to my original review (below) made a few months later. I have finally thrown these units in the trash. The seed holes kept clogging due to rainwater accumulation. I kept making both the drain and seed holes larger but just couldn't overcome the inherent bad design. I am as defeated by these things a badly as the squirrels were NOT. (Original review follows)
I purchased two of these because they were small enough to fit small sheperd hooks and I had hoped they would keep large birds and squirrels away from the feed. What I found I had was two damage resistant squirrel feeders. I often wonder if the designers of bird feeders are embarrassed when it is proven that they are dumber than squirrels. The grey beasts took about 30 seconds to defeat the top-of-feeder catches and help themselves to all they want. Why don't designers ever use a thumb screw to hold the tops on? I've never seen a squirrel defeat a thumb screw (not yet anyhow). Meanwhile the bird feeding seed holes clogged and prevented any seed from flowing into the tray, thus the only seed the birds obtained was what the squirrels dropped. After attaching springs to the top to hold it down, increasing the size of the drainage holes in the bottom (they also tend to retain water) and using drill and knife to enlarge the seed holes, I've gotten these working somewhat as I had intended them. I have had to add squirrel cones to my sheperd hooks to help keep the critters off these feeders. Unless you, like me, happen to particularly need a small feeder that excludes large birds and are willing to modify the basic product until it operates properly, I would give these a pass.

i don't have a problem with squirrels trying to get in--i have a problem with birds trying to get in! they don't have enough support or room to eat from this feeder. i put up my old ...plastic ugly job and the seed was gone in 2 days. i put this one up and i didn't see a bird for 4 months--except for the few poor woodpeckers who banged their head on the glass middle and then flew away without success.

Unless they mean solely that squirrels cannot CHEW through the cage, they can get the seeds easily. They simply scoop them out with thier paws. Not much effort on the part of the squrriel. Hardly frustrating for them...Very frustrating for you.

The 1 star is only for the apperance. The feeder is pretty, but not worth 1/2 star for performance. I purchased 3 of these, 2 for gifts and 1 for myself. I hung mine up in December and it is now the end of March and I am still waiting for the birds to eat out of it. The seed holes are at the bottom and the birds would have to hang upside down to eat. Once the outside seeds are gone, the other seed is stuck in the tube. This is the worst bird feeder I have ever seen and I am sick that I gave them as gifts. One gift has been returned to me becasue the person I gave it to figured out that the birds couldn't eat out it so he never bothered to fill it up. I wish I could get my money back.

Unlike the photo, this bird feeder works best with sunflower seeds only (unless you like seeds all over your lawn). Secondly, and most important, this item looks nice but it is not a Squirrel proof cage as advertised in it's name. This is very misleading!!! Until I took elaborate measures, the squirrels had a field day eating the seeds. This made things very frustrating. If this item had some sort of lock down mechanism for the top cover, it may have been more effective. However, the squirrels could simply lift off the top lid and eat to their hearts content. I would have had lower expectations and higher product satisfaction if it were not listed as advertised. The instructions state that you can make this cage squirrel-proof by placing squirrel barriers above and below the feeder, BUT this would be true of any bird feeder!!! In short, false advertising.....

Not only is it squirrel proof, but most of the bird species that frequent my six other feeders found it to be bird proof as well. I have had the feeder up for about 3 months now, and have moved it 3 times after noticing a lack of interest by the users. I have had to change the seed continuously because it sits for so long it starts to sprout! I am very disappointed - It's such a nice looking feeder. If the manufacturer reads this, the design could be appended by puttins perches at each of the feeder bays. After watching several smaller birds try to land on the rungs near the bays, I think they found it was easier to fly to the other feeders rather than try to find a comfortable place to peck away.

The cap design is also frustrating - my cap required some modification to the copper piece so it would actually stay locked in the grooves provided. The copper edge of the cap is very sharp. I have cut a finger messing with the lid. All sheet metal cut edges should be rolled to prevent this.

Its a definite lemon - attractive, but not at all functional.

I purchased 2 of these feeders. First, the squirrels can get into them. More than once and ate all the bird seed. Second, you cannot get them to hang striaght on a shepherd's hook or any type hook. They hang lop-sided and are just a waste of money. We threw them away!

I put small, slim, wooden dowels in the copper grids so little birds were able to perch and feed. I had purple finches, sparrows, chickadees, etc. come and visit. They even started to perch on the copper grids and feed. BUT the squirrels found it and in no time had raided it. They found the copper grids handy to hang onto while they reached in and grabbed seeds.

It took about 2 weeks for any birds to come to the feeder. Larger birds had no perches. Smaller birds goldfinches, house wrens, chickadee, titmouse, finally found the feeder and could cling to the wire cage. I first put the feeder under an arbor and the squirrels could reach in and get the seeds. As far as seed usage, I found sunflower seeds work the best in this feeder. If you don't put the feeder where the squirrels can reach it and use sunflower seeds if works well.

Unlike the photo, this bird feeder works best with sunflower seeds only (unless you like seeds all over your lawn). Secondly, and most important, this item looks nice but it is not a Squirrel proof cage as advertised in it's name. This is very misleading!!! Until I took elaborate measures, the squirrels had a field day eating the seeds. This made things very frustrating. If this item had some sort of lock down mechanism for the top cover, it may have been more effective. However, the squirrels could simply lift off the top lid and eat to their hearts content. I would have had lower expectations and higher product satisfaction if it were not listed as advertised. The instructions state that you can make this cage squirrel-proof by placing squirrel barriers above and below the feeder, BUT this would be true of any bird feeder!!! In short, false advertising.....