SONGBIRD ESSENTIALS SEIA30024 Seed Hoop Seed Catcher & Platform Feeder

I bought 2 of these to go under my 2 feeders. The sunflower seed was killing the grass below and I was always annoyed by the numerous squirrels below the feeders. The seeds would literally fall on top of them by the messy birds. The birds were nervous about the catchers at first, but it didn't take them long to become familiar. I love that there are less squirrels, the grass is growing back... but I also noticed that the seed lasts MUCH longer now! Before, I was refilling every 3 days. Now I can go at least twice that amount of time. The birds will eat seeds that fall into the catcher. I haven't cut/shortened the cords yet as I was nervous playing with the length, but I know I can.

I had a hard time attaching so that it would not move on a windy day, as being at top of a hill, I get a lot of windy days! But I figured it out with also using ties and a couple more Shepard hooks! It works great but I now have been told to use less millet seed more peanuts & shelled sunflower seeds! Much less in the net and on the ground! I get so many beautiful birds!

This has saved me sooo much frustration, and money in the long run. I feed my backyard birds a seed mix. Some of the birds literally shovel the seed out of the feeder, digging for the pieces they like. This was wasting so much seed. I was going through over 20 lbs of seed per week. Now, the seed that would have ended up on the ground and making a mess and being wasted, lands in the screen instead. Which sort of serves as a 2nd feeder. The birds who prefer flat platform feeders can now sit on the hoop and eat comfortably. Also, the screen allows the seed to dry when it rains so I no longer have mushy and moldy seed on the ground after it rains.IMO, it's definitely worth the money. However, there are a few areas with room for improvement. While it is pretty sturdy, the screen could be a little stronger. When it rains and the seed in the hoop gets wet, all of the seed pools in the center of the hoop and the weight of it has permanently stretched the screen. So even when the seed is dry, it still all pools in the center. Maybe not a problem for most people, but I would prefer for the seed to scatter around, allowing more birds to eat at the same time, instead of them pecking at the same small pile of food. Also, it would allow the seed to dry faster. Also, I would prefer the hooks to have some sort of closure. As they are now, a windy day can blow the hoop around and the hooks come off, scattering the seed everywhere on the ground.All in all, it's a great product that I recommend to anyone with messy and picky backyard birds.

Good quality, mesh bottom is very sturdy, easy to set up and clean. Birds actually will sit in bottom and eat seeds that have fallen. Makes patio clean up a breeze!

It has keep some seed off ground, but i think it is scaring birds because I’m not getting the same number as before. When a cardinal comes (which is seldom), he walks on this thing and can’t figure out how to get to the bird feeder that used to be easy for cardinals before I put this up. It does attract larger birds and tiny ones and occasionally a squirrel. My cat likes watching the large birds walk around. The larger birds will peck on it and walk around it. I like that less seed is on ground than could attract rodents. It is harder to take up and down and so I end up spilling some of the seed it collects, but I do like that less seed is wasted.

This catcher paid for itself in under 48 hours.I have a pair of naughty Carolina Wrens that keep digging through the safflower seeds I put out and flicking them out of the tray. So, I bought this catcher to see if I could reduce my seed loss. In less than 48 hours, the wrens have almost emptied the hopper again. In the provided picture, it is morning. By the afternoon of the same day the hopper was down by 75%. (Yes, I keep the feeder cleaned, so I can't fathom what they're digging for.)Now, instead of ground loss, I can recapture seeds and re-use them. That will save me quite a bit of money. And the other birds didn't hesitate to get into the catcher for some feeding too. They just treat it like another of my platform feeders. So the wrens are foiled again and I still get to enjoy their chirps and songs.The item comes in a small green pouch, with a second pouch holding the hooks and cords. So some assembly is required, but not much. Once it's removed from the pouch, you open it up just like a pop-open car windshield sunscreen.The adjustment strings are long, so I was able to get it just where I wanted it underneath the feeder. The excess was pretty easy to coil around and tie down to keep under control as well.I'm a little worried about how it will perform in windstorms though. The hooks, while good quality, might not be able to hold on. I may need to find an alternative way to attach it. For the time being, I've added some rocks like the instructions recommended.Overall, I've been very satisfied. My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner.

I thought this seed hoop was the best product I could find to catch seeds falling from the bird feeders. I'm trying to prevent mice feeding off the fallen seeds. I can't prove that it works but it does catch a lot of seeds that would have fallen to the ground.

I've purchased this item twice now, and made a handful of "tweaks" to get it just right...and it's perfect! The cords that the seed hoop hangs from are adjustable, and the 24" hoop the perfect size for my small balcony. I did place a lightweight acrylic dish into the hoop to prevent it from swaying on windy days. Like another reviewer suggested, it would be great if BOTH ends of the cords had large closable clips on them instead of hooks, because then you wouldn't have to worry about the hooks coming off your bird feeder on windy days or if a larger bird (or squirrel) got on board. Overall it's a great solution keeping bird seed off the ground and not making a mess.

Easy to clean, birds love them and they help keep seed mess off the ground. I have 2 of these in different sizes.

Product as described and appears robust - time will tell. I fitted it on an extremely windy day but following the suggestion of placing a stone in the base it remained stable. It is certainly doing the job intended as it has caught a huge amount of seed and seed cases which would ordinarily collect on the ground - a hard to clean gravelled area adjacent to a fence and behind a raised bed. I think it will be easy to clean - I’ve not had it long enough to test this. Although expensive, I am pleased I bought it (I could find nothing similar) as it is definitely performing as I’d hoped.

I like mine and use it all year. I was amazed to realize after using it for only a short time that birds throw a lot of seeds out of the bird feeder. Thankfully much of which lands in this net. So then the birds will feed from both the feeder and the net. I noticed some reviewers said the birds were at first a little leery of the net, but mine started landing on it almost immediately. Now it won't catch all the seeds. For that, you'd need a much larger net, but it does catch most. And just to add, depending on where you live you may want to place it fairly high. If it's too low the deer will feed from it too.

I bought this to stop the birds dropping sunflower seeds on plants and grass below my bird feeder.This is because sunflowers are allelopathic – they exude toxins that stop nearby plants from growing and actually kills some. The grass under the feeder was especially affected.It's not very attractive to look at, but it does the job and catches a large proportion of the seeds the birds drop. It's easy to clean out, much easier than trying to clean up the seeds on the lawn.Given the materials involved it does seem quite expensive, but it does do the job

I love this seed catcher. It works as described, not one seed on the ground! Plus, the birds love to land on the seed catcher to eat whatever seeds are there. I initially thought of getting the smallest one (16") but ended up getting the 24" one and I am glad I did. Better coverage overall. I highly recommend it. Not sure how long it will last since I just got it, but it is under a covered porch so I hope that will protect it from the elements somewhat and extend its life. Get it. It will keep the seeds from getting on the ground + entertain you with ongoing bird shows.