RSPB Premium feeding station

I purchased this feeding station with the patio base. Two days after putting it up it fell over in strong winds.
However I found a remedy by purchasing a £2 waterproof bag of sand which weights down the patio base.
The feeding station has withstood all the strong winds since then.

I am very happy with this feeding station now and so are the birds

We've had this feeder from winter to summer (about 7 months) and are quite pleased with it. We also use a mallet to push the spike deep into the ground for the best results, but also move it around the garden frequently. We have it fully loaded with 3-4 large feeders on top, so it tends to tilt to one side (but the 'arms' can spin around like a merry-go-round, so you can try to even it out). We have it at full height to discourage cats, but that means at 5'1"" I sometimes struggle to put the shortest feeder onto the hooks. The trays and 'arms' are removable/adjustable which is useful.. Note that it WILL blow over in a high wind/heavy rainstorm, which has happened a few times, although ours has not suffered any damage from doing so. We do have a squirrel that visits each day to climb it, even when wet, and birds of all kinds love to perch on top, as they wait their turns at the feeders. We like that we can buy extra mesh trays, but wish one could also buy an extra water dish (so that we can rotate them for deep cleaning). The water tray needs constant cleaning, but that's impossible to avoid with this design, not matter where you put the water tray. The littlest hook is ideal for coconuts. It arrived well packed, and was easy to assemble. Having looked at other options, we are glad we chose this model to kick-start our bird feeding extravaganza. :)

Bought this station last autumn and it has lasted very well so far. No problems to speak of. It does remain more stable and upright when the bottom pole section has been set into a sturdy base. I used a 100mm diam. piece of drainage pipe dug into the ground and filled with a fence post concrete mix. I then pushed the bottom piece into the pipe whilst the concrete was setting and made sure it was vertical. Once fully set, the rest of the assembly fitted perfectly.

Only problem is squirrels have learnt how to jump from a nearby greenhouse onto the station. Do the RSPB supply additional pole sections?

The feeder arrived on time, was well packed, and was easy to assemble. The arrangement of the feeders is completely flexible, and changeable at any time. It seems solid, and so long as the spiked ground section is placed deeply enough into the ground it is stable. We used a wooden mallet to achieve this, with a protective old piece of flat wood held on top of the pole to prevent possible damage. A nice addition to our garden.

I bought this from the RSPB shop after viewing quite a few to replace a similar flimsy design from a well known manufacturer. I am really pleased with the quality and sturdiness of the feeder. Nice solid tubing and good tight joints. I have had no problems after fixing into ground at suggested depth and it is in and exposed windy position. Definitely recommend.

Lovely looking feeding station but it wobbles dreadfully. I suspect that there is not a big enough overlap in the sections. It has been in the ground one week and is already leaning at a huge angle. I dread to think what it will be like during the winter.
Does the RSPB have any ideas on how to beef it up?

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, sorry to hear that your feeding station is wobbly and leaning, this should not be the case. The feeding station parts should all fit together well to create a sturdy base for your feeders. It does sound like your poles don't fit quite as they should, please could you contact customer services who will help you with this. We do a patio base that the feeder will fit into which makes a solid attractive base for the feeding station and enables you to move it easily.

We bought this product from the RSPB shop today having managed during house move to throw away the Bird Feeder Station we bought earlier this year, together with the base. As we DID have the base, we were told that this Premium Bird Feeder Station would fit in perfectly (omitted to say we would need to fit directly into the base!) Firstly I found the instructions to put the pole together very confusing and in all it took me about 30 minutes to assemble the entire feeder, but then it would NOT go into our Base!!! I then tried other combinations, but obviously they did not work either. I THEN turned to the web and read the ratings, subsequently discovering what was needed. I am returning to the shop tomorrow and hopefully will be able to return this product and will buy the smaller station. So annoying and time-wasting!

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, we are sorry that the product did not meet your expectations. We will pass on your comments about the instructions and look to see how we can improve these. The feeder does fit the patio base when pole A is removed as pole A is designed to go into the ground when you don't have the base, again we will look into the instructions so this is clear.
We of course want you to be happy with your feeding station so you will be able to return the product and swap it for the smaller station on your next visit to the shop.

the premium feeding station does not fit into the sleeve of the patio base! It only goes into the base itself and then wobbles and is very unstable. Should not be advertised as fitting with the patio base

RSPB Response: Thank you for your review. This station does not need the sleeve, which is used to adapt poles with a smaller diameter. The pole will fit directly in to the base, although of course cannot fit too tightly as this would damage both. If you are unhappy with this please contact customer services who will help.

Where can I get a replacement water tray as it smashed/shattered when the whole thing blew over

RSPB Response: Thank you for your review. Please contact customer services who will arrange to send you one.

It's a lovely feeder station, but the joints are just much too loose. I've had this up since November and because it won't stay rigid and is top-heavy, it gradually bends over further and further. We took it out and started again - now it is going in the opposite direction. Because it is a different diameter pole from most others, it doesn't fit into anything that would help stabilize it either. A real shame

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, we are pleased you like the design but sorry that the quality does not meet expectations. We have worked closely with the manufacturer to improve the fitting and make sure the joints are no longer loose. Please contact customer services who will be able to help you with a replacement.

I'm really pleased with my new feeder station, it arrived quickly & was assembled & up in the garden in no time at all.
Very easy to assemble & even with my stony heavy clay soil was easily erected, easy to get in firmly & upright, no leaning!
It appears very stable, only been outside for a day but I think it will stand up to the horrendous storms we have here.
Shame it doesn't come with four arms, I bought the extra two so can get most if not all of my feeders on there now.
I really like the fact that it has no hollow tubes in sections which always fill with water which freezes in winter forcing the sections apart.
The birds are totally happy with it too!
My only long term concern is that the connectors will probably have a much shorter life than the frame but quality is still good & I don't foresee any problems for quite some time to come.

Very good feeder, just what I wanted. I have mine outside the kitchen window about 10 ft from anything squirrels can jump from. It has rocked a little in the strong winds we have had lately, especially with the ground being so soft from all the rain but this is only to be expected with a ground spike. Have pushed t well down in the ground so not likely to fall. With lots of places to hang feeders it is attracting many birds, Still not enough ports to satisfy the large flock of goldfinches who argue amongst themselves for best spot. Has given me hours of enjoyment, With the squirrel baffle fitted the birds can dine in peace. I'm hoping my hints will get me another one for mothers day for the other end of the garden.....

We brought this station to replace one that bent a lot in the wind, but found it no better than the old one, we kept taking it apart to bend the prongs out to make each section fit tighter but after a couple of days it was leaning over again, I found that the attachments and top section fit over a 22 mm copper pipe so swopped all the uprights for one piece of pipe and this has worked perfectly, and now it has weathered it looks fantastic.

I was given this as a present at Christmas. I have had it in the lawn for two weeks. It now leans following the winds of the last few days. I live in The Midlands so these winds do not match those experienced on the coast. There are fundamental problems with the design of this product:
1 There is too much clearance between the sections, hence the many complaints about leaning.
2 An added affect of the above is that the sections rotate. After just two weeks the protective coating is wearing off and there is signs of rust
3 The totally unnecessary slots in the top of each section serve only in weakening the joint. In the wind these sections can, and do, bend, effectively the slots close up allowing even more of an angle of lean.

You say you have meetings with your suppliers to review the design. Reading the reviews there seems little has been done to improve the product.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review. We have in fact reviewed and strengthened this product for future production. As always, please contact customer services who will be happy to help with this.

I love that you can hang lots of different bird feeders off it, but I can't stop it from leaning - each junction between the individual poles isn't tight enough so there seems to be no way of preventing it. Have even tried a clamp. RSPB - do you have any suggestions?

RSPB response: Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear that your pole leans, jointed poles do tend to lean a small amount due to their design, however we have been working with our supplier to improve the stability as much as we can. This can be minimised by attaching the food trays/extra hook over the joints, however if you think the lean on your pole is excessive please contact customer services who will be happy to help.

Bought this and the patio stand for my balcony, it took only minutes to assemble and went together very easily even for a 70 year old non DIYer.

It stands solidly even with all sorts of feeders on every branch. It looks good and does a perfect job. The birds were on it within 30 minutes of it being put out, they are obviously telling their friends as there are so many of them hopping from feeder to feeder stuffing their little faces.

As others have said it leans, even with the heavy base large birds have knocked it over and the wind has blown it over which means the expensive seed feeder I also bought is now broken. The whole lot that I bought was just not value for money. I have had to reduce the height in order for it to be more stable. I would not recommend this feeder.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review. Issues relating to this feeding station are thankfully still a very small percentage of sales, however we have worked with our suppliers to strengthen this product for all current and future production. This will minimise any faults of this kind. Please contact customer services who will be able to help.

I really like this feeding pole and it is great to be able to hang a variety of foods so we get a lovely collection of different birds feeding. However it is fundamentally flawed in how it slots together. Each of the joints provides a bending point for the pole. It was leaning so much that I couldn't use it - despite hammering the first section almost totally into the ground. I have improved it by inserting a long bamboo cane up the centre of the pole. It now leans - but does not come apart at the joints. It helps if I evenly load the hooks at the top, but the birds eat some food faster than other so this doesn't last long.

Shame

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, we are sorry you have had problems with this product. Issues relating to this feeding station are thankfully still a very small percentage of sales, however we have worked with our suppliers to strengthen this product for all current and future production. This will minimise any faults of this kind. Please contact customer services who will be able to help.

got the feeder as a present to add to others in the garden, very disappointed with the feeder in many ways. The structure once easily assembled is flimsy and lightweight, the joints being particularly loose. Add feeders to it, especially the higher grade squirrel proof ones, and it becomes unstable and easily topples over in a breeze. Come downstairs a few mornings to find feeder, feeders and seed all over the garden !

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, we are sorry you had this experience. Issues relating to this feeding station are thankfully still a very small percentage of sales, however, we have worked with our suppliers to strengthen this product for all current and future production. This will minimise any faults of this kind. Please contact customer services who will be able to help.

I agree with the reviewer who said the pole, set in the ground is not very robust. I recently tried an alternative. I bought a cheap large cylindrical planter and set a pole in ready mixed concrete, (I actually replaced the pole with a same diameter curtain pole that was longer), however the supplied pole with the attachments will work just as well. I only partially filled the planter with concrete, drilled drainage holes at the level of the concrete and intend to fill with loam and grow some hanging plants around the base. I would suggest to the RSPB that they supply the hangers separately so enthusiasts can experiment with their own designs for installation. I believe my variation would get 5 stars!

This is a lovely feeder but it leans due to being too top heavy. The bottom section is sturdy and doesn't move, it is where the third one joins it that it starts to lean. This could be rectified if the pole could slide further into this bottom section to give better stability. I am also disappointed that I missed the freebie offer that is on it now but that's life I suppose.

RSPB response:
Thank you for your review. We have passed your comments on to our supplier and are discussing this with them.

I bought this product thinking that it had been designed by the RSPB for practical use. Once erected directly INTO THE GROUND according to the well written instructions, it was apparent that the overall structure was top heavy and quite wobbly. Once loaded with full bird feeders, the pole swayed from side to side in the mildest of breeze. I determined that in a heavy wind the pole would cant over.

I have attached 4 guy ropes to the structure attached to the wing bolts at the top. These have added some stablity. I have also added a device to the foot of the pole to anchor it more firmly in the ground.

With these additions the feeding station is now useable.

I can only think that the RSPB have not tested this product out in real life conditions.

RSPB response:
Thank you for your review. All of our products are tested thoroughly. Although these issues are rare, we have already worked with our manufacturer to strengthen the joints on this product. Please contact Customer Services if you have a faulty station and they will be happy to help.

Really good value for money with the feeders also included!
It was pretty easy to put together, except trying to match the teeny holes in the poles with the screws on part K (for stability) were challenging for this old-age widow to line up properly.

This is an attractive bird feeder. However, it came down in the recent strong winds. The prongs at the top of the bottom section of the pole completely twisted and the whole thing ended up on the ground in pieces. I bent the prongs back to their original position (almost) using some mole grips and reassembled the unit but it now stood at an angle because the base of the second pole section had splayed a little. I ended up getting a curtain pole extension (130cm) from Clas Ohlson for £2 which fits the inside of the pole perfectly and it now stands perfectly straight and will probably stand up to any more strong winds.

RSPB response:
Thank you for your review. We have taken your comments on board and will take them into consideration when we review this product. If you experience any further issues please contact Customer Services who will be happy to help.

When assembled with 4 feeders it is very top heavy and sways in the wind and eventually became too loose in the ground.
Purchased a patio stand to try to fix it but this also needed two large awning spikes to stop it falling over in any thing but a breeze. The tube joints are now becoming loose with the flexing of the mast and feeders. I needs a stronger mast with less joints and some means of fixing to the ground similar to the rotary dryers!

RSPB response:
Thank you for your feedback, we will investigate this, but in the meantime if you think your poles are faulty please contact customer services who will be happy to help.