Customer Reviews

Droll Yankees LF Little Flyer Hummingbird Feeder

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If you want a durable, practical, easy-to-maintain hummingbird feeder, the Droll Yankees LF is a great choice. It's just the right size for most people; 6 ounces of sugar water is enough to feed up to a half dozen birds for 2 to 3 days. This type feeder is virtually leak-proof, even in full sun and brisk winds. Filling is far easier (and less messy) than with bottle-style feeders: just rotate the red part of the cap to line up the filling holes and pour in the solution. The entire cap comes off for cleaning. The metal rim around the saucer serves as a perch, and there's no bottle to block your view as the birds feed. It even comes with a threaded post mounting socket molded in so you don't have to hang it (very useful in extremely windy areas and where larger birds are attracted to hummingbird feeders).

Because the body is made from an impact-resistant plastic that is virtually impervious to UV radiation, this may be the last feeder you ever have to buy, but if you're like me you'll want more than one to switch out when cleaning or to put up during the peak of migration. I have one that's been in service for more than 10 years!

The small capacity may be impractical if you live in a major flyway, but the only other down side to this feeder is that it's not quite as easy to clean as some similar models, such as the HummZingers from Aspects. The body doesn't come apart completely, making it difficult to reach all the nooks and crannies. However, it's still far more hygenic than most bottle-type feeders. In response to customer feedback, Droll Yankees created a feeder brush that can get into the crevice between the halves of the body and tiny brushes to scrub out the ports.

For the birds' health and safety, fill your Little Flyer with a solution of 1 part white sugar in 4 to 5 parts water - no dyes, honey, or commercial solutions - and rinse and refill your feeder every 2 to 4 days, more often of the solution becomes cloudy or smells fermented. Clean thoroughly at least once a week to prevent accumulation of molds, yeasts, bacteria, etc.

The only bad thing I can say about this feeder is that they fight over it! I was skeptical about the design at first, wondering if they could reach the nectar, then I learned that Hummies' tongues are twice as long as their beaks. This feeder has attracted more Hummies than I've ever had at once, it's easy to clean, comes with a little cleaning brush for the feeding ports, looks nice hanging in my tree, has the silver band around the edge that serves as a perch (they really like this feature), and is designed so that you can see them clearly (no big bottle design that obscures the view from the opposite side of the feeder). I'm looking to buy another one to accomodate everyone and put a halt to the bickering!