Songbird Essentials Whole Peanut Black Wreath Feeder for Squirrels and Blue Jays

Filled it with nuts and the squirrels went NUTS! They hit the jackpot! I will be using it for the HOT suet the squirrels don’t touch

This feeder is very sturdy and has been very good as long as I have had it. It seems a little hard for the squirrels and blue jays to get the peanuts, but I would buy it again.

Maybe my Jays are just lazy, but they don't seem to want to work for their peanuts. I just bought another in-shell peanut feeder "for them".Squirrels, on the other hand...erm...paw...love this. I can't keep it filled and one of my squirrels will soon be too fat to climb the dogwood to get to the feeder.I closed the openings (ends of hooks) so that I could keep the feeder from coming apart or falling off the carabiner/chain it was hanging from. I also took wire to keep the ends of the coil centered at the top. Without these amendments, the feeder was falling down and/or having the coil ends disengage and spill the peanuts out. With the amendments, it can stand up to the acrobatics of the squirrels just fine. (And my chipmunks appreciate the fallen peanuts...they anticipate their feast when squirrels approach.)

Imagine my horror this morning when I glance out my window at my feeder to see "my birds" eating the normal suet cake and pecking at the peanut feeder ring. I then see on the left opening to the ring a bunch of feathers sticking out from between the spirals. I go outside to investigate and a poor poor female Cardinal had entered the end of the spiral tube in pursuit of peanuts, only to be trapped and unable to extricate herself. She died sometime over the weekend stuck in the feeder. From what I could gather removing the poor thing from the feeder is that when trying to back out, her foot went through the spiral rings and got caught, and her feathers too got stuck "backing out". Her male mate was sitting next to the feeder just looking at her. I normally work looking at the feeders all day long, but over the weekend I did not. I am heartbroken and quite conflicted about continued use of this product. CAUTION - if you do use the product, you must ensure that you keep it full at all times so that other birds do not enter where the peanuts are...

I have been using this design purchased from Amazon for over three years now and I really can’t say enough good things about it.It is a very simplistic design that just plain works. Loading whole peanuts into is very easy although it may take a little longer than loading traditional seed feeders. You do have to fill it one handful at a time. But I find the benefits to be very rewarding.I continuously have red bellied, Downy, and Hairy woodpeckers as well Bluejays. Thankfully birds like the European starling can’t manage whole peanuts and will stay away.This feeder is far better than other styles I had tried as well. You are able to fill a greater volume of whole peanuts into the feeder providing longer time between fillings. Also it’s much cheaper than other more complex styles. They look really sharp but usually don’t allow for as great a volume of food and are far more expensive.Two things to keep in mind if you are thinking of using this feeder:1) The peanut shells end up somewhere. Keep this in mind if your in a densely urban area. The shell waste from this feeder may be ending up in your neighbors yard. Many times birds such as jays will take there peanut to a particular tree in the area to break it open and eat the nut inside. However the shells left behind can add up quickly. Be mindful of your neighbors.2) This feeder will attract unwanted guests. Squierrels, mice and rats will all find their way to the ground around this feeder if it’s not kept tidy. Also note if you are hanging this you should do so that in conjunction with a baffle of some sort or the squirrels will clean this feeder out in no time. Unless of coarse squirrel feeding is your goal.

After reading reviews, I was a little leary about the birds not bring able to get the peanuts out, but to my surprise, the Jays and squirrels have no trouble at alI. I did stretch the wire a bit, and hooked the end past the hanger to the wire on the other side. I can fill while it's in the tree with ease, and don't mind dropping a couple on the ground. The Jays don't feed all day, but I'll see up to 4 in my tree at a time. They seem to get along with the squirrels and don't bother the chickadees, nut hatches, and other birds. (I have the wreath hanging away from the other feeders in in the tree) I love you watch the acrobatic antics as they sometimes hang upside down to grab one. The titmouse also enjoy these but have a little Harder time getting one and often peck one open and grab the nut. The downy woodpecker seems to go for the suet I have up, and haven't gone near it. I wish a Cardinal would stop by and feed. (they don't seem interested in anything in my tree, including black oil sunflowers) this is a great addition to my feeders and I love to take pictures at feeding time. I highly recommend it.

I suspended the wreath from a string on outstretched branch on a tree and added a clear baffle above it and there's a rose bush under the wreath and its a few feet from jumping distance of the tree. I did have a few squirrels attempts and successful steals, but adjusted my set up and the squirrels haven't been at it. As long as you squirrel proof properly, this will work great. Have had Woodpeckers visit multiple times a day which is really neat. The Bluejays haven't figured it out yet!

The media could not be loaded.  This is a very sturdy product. The squirrels (and the occasional blue jays) love it. When I open the blinds in the morning, they'll be outside the patio door peering in, waiting for us to fill up the wreath with peanuts. We fill it about half full, and it lasts a few hours. It's fun watching the squirrels scramble around for peanuts. (Squirrels do not take turns.) If one squirrel is guarding the bottom of the wreath, the others have learned to leap on top and hang down by their toes to grab a peanut without the other squirrel even noticing. The wreath is strong enough to hold the weight of multiple squirrels. Quality product. Watch my video (sound on) to see Ninja Squirrel in action.

Very sturdy feeder and easy to fill. Our blue jays were just too lazy to pull the peanuts out between the wires.

This is a great quality feeder that works well. It has attracted a number of regular feeders to our backyard. I was a little concerned when the feeder arrived in an envelope style package that it might be crushed or bent, but it's a testament to its quality and durability that it was in great shape.

This is a high quality metal design. It is easy to disassemble for loading of nuts. Unfortunately, our squirrels love it as much as our birds. However, I would still recommend it. It arrived quickly and in good shape!

Très satisfaite de mon achat. Les geais bleus viennent plus souvent depuis qu’on a mis cette nouvelle mangeoire. Ils sont très contents. On a même surpris le picbois en train de manger des peanuts. Aucun problème avec les écureuils, ils n’y vont pas.