Description
Why This Bundle Matters:
The Goldfinch Feeding Bundle includes the Tails Up upside down goldfinch feeder along with a hanging baffle (protective dome) that shields your finch feeder from the rain. The combined benefits include:
- Reduces house sparrow use due to upside-down feeding design.
- Takes advantage of a goldfinches acrobatic feeding ability – they are regularly observed upside down on flower heads eating seed.
- The clear hanging baffle (dome) over the finch feeder protects it from rain, which minimizes seed getting cakey and clumpy.
By protecting your nyjer seed from dampness, it can last up to two weeks outside. It also makes cleaning your finch feeders a lot easier because keeping your seed dry keeps it from getting clumpy and cakey.
Bundle Information:
Includes:
- Tails-Up upside down finch feeder
- Size: Roughly 4 inches x 4 inches x 17.5 inches
- Clear seed-saving dome (hanging baffle) with hook
- Size: Roughly 12 inches x 12 inches x 6.5 inches
How the finch feeder works
The Tails-Up finch feeder is a tube style finch feeder designed with perches above the tiny little nyjer seed ports. And the distance from the perch to the port is close enough that a bird cannot easily bend to feed. Instead, they have to hang upside down to eat.
The upside down feeder style was designed based on natural observations of goldfinches hanging upside down off of flower heads for several minutes at a time to eat. So it takes advantage of what they already do in the wild.
A huge advantage of this style feeder is that invasive house sparrows, which regularly bully and attack native birds struggle to use this style feeder. Which means that if you want to give your goldfinches a peaceful spot to eat, this feeder can really help.
Feeder instructions:
Filling the goldfinch feeder is easy. Just separate the top yellow cap from the tube by gently pulling until it gives. Steady the feeder as you fill it. If using Feeder Fresh, add that product in first, then layer feed over it.
Once you’ve filled your feeder to your satisfaction, pull the yellow cap down from the hanging wire until it reaches the tube, then push until it tightens in place.
Hang your feeder.
When it comes time to empty your feeder, open it in the same way and pour out from the top.
Clear hanging baffle Information
The clear hanging baffle is about 12 inches in diameter and 6.5 inches tall. This protects your feeder from rain. Putting the baffle together is easy, and the hardware is all included: 1 3/4 inch threaded loop, 1 1/8 inch x number 8 open eyebolt, 1 number 8 locknut, and the clear polymer dome.
Assembly instructions:
- Tighten the number 8 locknut at the end of the threads on the number 8 eyebolt.
- Hold the loop at the top of the dome and screw the number 8 eyebolt through the dome into the loop.
- To hook the feeder to the dome, hold feeder at an angle to slip eyebolt of feeder over eyebolt of dome.
- Hang your Tails Up feeder from the hook underneath the baffle.
Do goldfinches like upside down feeders?
While goldfinches seem to prefer to eat from feeders perched right side up, they are a bird species adapted to eat upside down, and will do so happily.
NOTE: We have tested this feeder for several months without issue. However, individual birds and even local populations may not be keen on these feeders. This type of feeder is designed to discourage invasive house sparrows from hogging your finch seed. We recommend trying this if you’ve had a problem with house sparrows, Eurasian tree sparrows and even house finches keeping your goldfinches away from feeders.
Important notes about care
Finches are known to spread house finch eye disease. While this is more prevalent in house finches, it also infects goldfinches. Therefore, it is very important to keep your feeders clean, and refresh them regularly.
This is another benefit of the clear hanging baffle. By keeping your feeder dryer, your seed will harbor a little bit less bacteria. Hang the baffle on the hook, and then hang your feeder underneath.
Care Guide:
- Refresh seed every 2 weeks or more, especially during humid days.
- Using seed saver domes/ hanging baffles (like an umbrella) also reduces moisture, which helps seed last a little bit longer, but also just makes cleaning out tube feeders a lot easier because it’s not as mucky inside.
- Clean your finch feeders (and all bird feeders) regularly. Realistically, at least once a month. But it’s even better to go once every other week during the height of bird season (late spring to mid summer).
- When cleaning, disinfect your feeders using bleach. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
- If you observe a sick bird, call your local rehabber for advice. Do not attempt to heal the bird on your own. This is not legal and is often harmful to birds. Then clean your bird feeders and leave them down for at least 7-10 days to allow the infection to run out of the population. Make sure to wash your hands.
- You can add the product Feeder Fresh at the bottom of the feeder can help reduce moisture build-up, making it easier to clean the finch feeders out. While the substance that makes up Feeder Fresh is essentially sand, and therefore not considered toxic, it has not been substantially tested in birds for safety. Do not mix in with seed if using this. Layer it under seed to reduce accidental ingestion.
- Unless you have a large colony of goldfinches that run you out of seed quickly, don’t fill your tube feeders more than half full. This is because you need to refresh your nyjer seed at least every two weeks (and right after bad rains). If it’s not getting eaten quickly enough, you’ll be dumping more seed out rather than it being consumed.
- Make sure your finch feeder is fully dried before adding seed to it.
