RSPB Ultimate bird feeder guardian, small

3.5 out of 5

7

I had high hopes that this would deter the squirrels from the buggy nibbles, but it only encouraged them further. I removed it after spotting one cheeky character using it to hang upside down, helping himself to a selection of the nibbles inside - the holes are plenty big enough for a paw - and the sunflower hearts alongside. I’ve removed it (and the nibbles) and the little birds are back on the seeds. Will have to think again.

Very pleased with this item, easy screw on dish and overall very good quality. The birds were straight on the feeder and the silver finish did not phase them at all. It also does what it says grey squirrel attempted several times to access the food but gave up. Highly recommended.

Had a large one of these for over a year. The bright steel looks out of place in the garden compared with previous green ones. The plastic tray is useless. It collects the nyjer or sunflower spillage OK but then after rain, it doesn't drain through the tiny holes. It's also flimsy and chipped/nibbled round the edges by squirrels. Most annoying is the plastic butterfly nut that holds it on. You can't exert any pressure if it gets stuck because it breaks. I did get one nut replaced through a helpful staff member, but now I need another. Have you thought of making spare parts available? Plastic generally doesn't last well and these items are quite expensive to replace completely. Much preferred the previous metal tray which was concave (ie didn't collect the spillage). We've spent a small fortune over the years on various feeders and bird care gadgets from RSPB and find that the plastic parts are always what lets them down.

Just taken delivery of this after being on back-order for some weeks. At first sight it looks out of place in a garden. Rather than the long established RSPB dark green colouring this item appears to be bright steel. The product information claims that is "... it is powder-coated with steel ...", but I suspect that the intended text was "... powder coated steel ..." which is rather different, and at least makes some sort of sense.

Having said that, the test will be if it rusts in the next few months. More practically, I do wonder why it was felt that a bright metal object was ideal for the average garden. If it is so good, then one has to ask why the actual feeders themselves are finished in green.

Unlike the earlier version the provided seed tray, plastic rather than metal, is not reversible meaning, I suspect, that the fairly meagre drainage slots will soon clog up when wet. Again time will tell.


I look forward to reviewing this again in a few months after observing how it attracts smaller birds and deters larger birds and squirrels.

Very good quality which is super easy to clean. The food keeps dry in wet weather. At first the birds didn't come but now it is frequently visited so a bit of patience is needed. It is the only guardian feeder I've had which is easy to clean and well made.

Bought two of these a year ago, mainly to keep squirrels off the feeders but also to leave these particular feeders free for the smaller birds. Unlike the previous reviewer I don’t have parakeets in the garden but the holes are too small for the blackbirds to feed and best of all they have defeated the squirrels. Because the cage is separate from the saucer, it just lifts off so topping up the feeder is easy. The cage is easy to clean and after more than a year of use still looks like new.

Got this guard because a review on the other small guard said that it didn't keep off the parakeets. Well this one doesn't either. Now unsure as to how to feed the small birds and not the nuisance large ones.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review. Sorry you are unhappy with the feeder guardian, however the openings on the guardian have been made to exact specifications and tested to make sure they are suitable for small to medium garden birds. We have made them big enough for most birds visiting gardens but small enough to deter squirrels and some larger birds.