The Kingsyard company is known for their thoughtfully designed, durable bird products and their commitment to conservation—so when I was offered the opportunity to test out a birdfeeder, I jumped at the chance.
Kingsyard Double Suet Upside Down Bird Feeder
The Upside Down Double Suet Feeder that arrived is beautiful. It’s made from heavy-duty recycled plastic, and feels like it will hold up for years. The top (available in blue, red, or green) slides up the hanging wires to install either one or two cakes of suet. The metal cage to access the suet lies on the bottom of the feeder. The idea is that this allows clinging birds like nuthatches, chickadees and woodpeckers to feed in their natural position.
Top of Kingsyard feeder slides up to insert suet
The challenge with this feeder is that it may take a long while for birds to begin using it. While certain birds may feed upside down in the wild, that’s not what they are accustomed to in most gardens. Transitioning to this new type of feeder may take both time and some curious, innovative individual birds to discover the suet and teach others by example. In the two weeks my feeder was up (one week at my home and another at the home of a friend with more backyard birds), neither of us spotted any birds on the feeder.
Unfortunately, I did spot squirrels. While the feeder is categorized as “squirrel proof,” it was no match for Denver’s savvy urban squirrel population. The feeder is durable enough that the squirrels left no chew or claw marks, and they weren’t able to pull out the wire as they had on some of my previous feeders. But to keep the suet for the birds and not the squirrels, you’ll need to employ the standard squirrel-prevention techniques: a high pole with a baffle, far away from bushes and trees or anyplace where they launch their jump. A word of caution: don’t use the slinky-on-the-pole technique—that only gave our squirrels a handy ladder to climb.
The verdict? Despite the challenges, this is a keeper. I love the looks, the construction, the durability, and the ease of putting in the suet. All of those features would make this a great gift — as long as the recipient understands that this is a gift that will take time.
As for me, I’m going to put this on a much longer pole with baffle, and keep hoping that at least one intrepid chickadee, leading a small winter flock through Denver’s backyards, has enough of a sense of adventure to try something new—and that the others will take note.
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