Erva Starling-Proof Barrier Guard Bluebird Feeder with Glass Mealworm Cup - Premium Blue Powdercoat Finish - Made in USA (BBF1)

I HATE STARLINGS but I love most other kinds of birds Starlings are an unfortunate import from England and they are the selfish brutish pigs of the bird world. They bully other birds and also beat up on other birds, keeping them from feeding and raiding or taking over other birds' nests. They were also the disgusting nasty birds in Hitchcock's Movie, "The Birds." I feel that movie displays their true nature, just as "Killer Clowns from Outer Space" displays clowns' true nature. (I am not afraid of clowns but I hate them because their makeup hides their true nature, as in John Wayne Gacy.) I am an avid bird feeder. Not only do I feed them, I provide them housing and nesting materials too. I even buy feather boas and cut them up so the birds can weave them into their nests, and I buy alpaca wool for their nests and even cut up 100 % wool yarn for them to use in their nests. I have several different types of bird feeders, including suet plug feeders, seed log feeders, antimicrobial feeders and feeders made specifically for dried meal worms and of course hummingbird feeders. My neighbors say I have the most spoiled birds in the neighborhood because I make my own plugs for my wooden plug feeders, and I make Seed logs for the other feeders. I even buy dried meal worms in bulk as well as buying dried fruit in bulk to add to my seed mixes. Porch pirates would be really disappointed if they stole from my porch. After i started using feeders specifically made for dried meal worms, I noticed some western blue birds appearing. I was born in the pacific northwest and have lived here most of my life. I had never before seen a western blue bird, but they started coming to my feeders about a year ago. I researched what type of food would keep them close and one was meal worms. I was thrilled to see the western blue birds enjoying the meal worms. THEN THE UGLY STARLINGS SHOWED UP.. Soon, every time I would put out the meal worms, the starlings would show up in flocks, bullying the other birds away, and they would pig down the entire contents of the feeders with a couple hours. I was wondering if there was a starling proof feeder that would keep starlings out while letting blue birds in. I went to a local shop specializing in wild bird supplies and they told me that there was not. I even consulted a wildlife biologist, who told me that bluebirds are a bit smaller than starlings so it might be possible to include bluebirds while excluding starlings. So, I searched for and found this feeder advertised as a starling proof feeder and a squirrel proof feeder. Yes, the price is a bit high, however, it includes two enameled blue disks, one as a lid and the other as a floor, plus a wire grid spaced to exclude starlings, plus a hanging wire and a beautiful blue glass dish to hold the meal worms and a wire framework that you sit the dish in. If you calculate the cost of the two metal disks, the feeder framework the dish and framework, the hanging wire and clamp and the metal cage, you couldn't put one together for the price these are going for. I got this very quickly and put it up immediately. It was evening, so the birds had finished feeding for the day. So, I waited for the next morning for the starlings to show up. Early the next morning, I saw a large number of starlings showing up at the feeders. I hadn't put out any other meal worm feeders, so was watching to see what the starlings did. To my amazement, the starlings swarmed the new starling proof feeder. No matter how much they tried, they could only poke their heads in through the wire grid. They tried repeatedly to cram their bodies into the feeder. None made it in. You could see them grabbing the bars with their feet and pushing as hard as they could to breech the metal grids. Eventually, they would give up and go to one of the seed feeders, leaving the meal worms for other smaller birds. I haven't seen any bluebirds making it into the feeder yet, but will keep watching. Meanwhile it is quite amusing watching the starlings failing at getting into the feeder. If I see bluebirds making it into the feeder i will do an update to this review. However, right now, this is absolutely a starling proof feeder. addendum: just like in the videos I watched prior to purchasing this, the starlings just can't get in. BTW, I switched the worm cup for some Valchoose brand stainless steel 304 approximately 1/4 mesh wire mesh made into a tube that fits into the framework that holds the blue mealworm cup. This is the same size mesh used in the pacific bird wire mesh worm feeder. This is available on amazon and comes in sheets of 12x 24 and I cut it in half at the fold making a 12 inch square. I formed it into a tube , using stainless steel wire ties , I cut the tube into 2 six inch halves, and placed one in the framework, filled it with meal worms and set it back on the bird feeder poles. This should drive the starlings even more nuts. I will enjoy watching that and waiting for blue birds to figure it out. Addendum: I saw another review where the buyer mentioned it would be helpful if there were perches since the bluebirds aren't clingers. Since I hadn't seen any bluebirds in the feeders, I took a 36 inch quarter inch dowel and cut it in half, and shoved the dowels under the metal framework but on top of the floor spanning the feeder, so that they were on each side of the blue meal worm bowl, and each stuck out about 2 inches on each side. The perches seemed to be helpful because this morning, the bluebirds were in the feeder scarfing meal worms. The starlings were still desperately trying to get in unsuccessfully, but the bluebirds were inside and happily eating. THESE FEEDERS REALLY WORK and exclude starlings. I am very pleased.

this is a fantastic blue bird feeder - worth every penny and pays for itself quickly through avoiding starlings eating your mealworms. They day we put it up, our established female bluebirds went into it and the males went into it within a few days. Starlings have tried and universally failed and have now quit trying. As an added bonus, carolina wrens easily go into this and just now, with another round of snow, some of our ground feeding junkos are using it also. This is a great feeder!

I bought this fully prepared to return it if it did not work as many of these alleged starling proof feeders don't work! This works great! I can finally feed mealworms in peace! The starlings really try but they cant get anything other than what falls off from the other birds. I have a flock of bluebirds, chickadees and titmouse who come to this everyday and fly in easily with no problems. I've never had mealworms last this long. Totally worth it, im a believer now and can buy mealworms to feed my favs in peace! I've added a photo of a titmouse in there enjoying the goodies!

Good: Works to keep out larger birds who would otherwise hog up the mealworms Also good: Appears easy to clean (but I have not done that yet) Another good thing: Keeps mealworms dry in the rain because it has a lid. Could be better: My male bluebirds either won't fit in through the wires, are scared to go in or too dumb to go in. The females are able to go in so I'm pretty sure they are either thinner or braver (and definitely smarter) Could be better: The cup is glass and I worry that if the feeder gets knocked down (by greedy squirrels or whatever), the cup will break. A plastic cup would be better. Not good at all: The top of the feeder can't be secured down, meaning squirrels can push it up and get inside. If the design could be modified so that the lid locked in place, it would be better.

What I expected.

Being generous with three stars. We have countless blue birds, Wrens, finches, sparrows and larger birds as well. Have placed live meal worms in feeder in yard for a week. Ow and not a single visit. Grid looks too small and dish is so dark I doubt birds will notice contents. Had high hopes, but……

I feel I researched bluebird feeders forever because I didn't want to waste my money or drive the birds away with something they could not use. I chose this one based on the prior reviews and my research paid off. It really does work great. It took less than 24 hours of initial confusion for the first of my four regular bluebird customers to figure out how to get through the grids. They had grown plump and lazy with the tray mealworm feeder that also attracted the starlings and robins and which was sending me to the Poorhouse. In the beginning my fatso bluebirds struggled to squeeze in and out of the holes which I feared were too small, but it's been almost two weeks and they manage-- but with some effort. The tight fit does not prevent them from finding a way. As other reviewers have noted, any small species of bird can get in too but in my yard, only the smaller wrens like the dried mealworms, and they are teeny and eat next to nothing of the supply. Some reviewers mentioned that a perch would be helpful to ease the bird's access to the holes. I agree. The birds really flapped around outside the thing for a long time, so I repositioned the feeder next to some small twig branches and this has helped a lot. Without the ability to do that, I was about to experiment with placing several small sticks through the grids and protruding, to create natural perches. The starlings haven't given up on this feeder but they're finding little success. They stick their heads through the holes and clean up mealworms left on the fringes. This does tend to keep the bluebirds away momentarily but as soon as the starlings take off the blues are back en masse. The glass cup is rather small so I have refill it twice per day. It's easy due to the lid which simply lifts up for super easy access. A hard rain will saturate the worms and so I am more vigilant in bad weather conditions. What I love is the bluebirds are watching all of this from a safe distance. As soon as I refill the blue cup, the blues swarm the feeder immediately. More expensive than many other feeders, this one is worth the money. It is sturdy, well-built and most important, designed to deliver what it promises, a way to feed expensive mealworms to the bluebirds while keeping the larger bullies at bay.

Some of the female bluebirds can get in, some freak out when their shoulders catch the wire and don't go in. Most of the males try but can't push through, despite me bending the wires to englarge half the openings... so not sure who decided on the gauge wire mesh, but could have been larger while keeping the bigger birds out. Also top is EASILY moved aside by squirels - This design is a 'miss'- there is a redesign with lid handle hooks that work much better. The small wrens like it, but that's not who I'm buying the expensive mealworms for.... Will get a pair of pliers and widen some sections so I don't have to deal with return hassle. UPDATE: widened several opening but the bigger bluebird males just don't want to risk the tight openings. They sit outside and watch the smaller birds go in and out with frustration...back to the old hopper and chasing big birds and squirrel . Another design suggestion for those who want to set it on table; it would be nice if the manufacturer would add a clip to keep the squirrels from opening the lid. Had to modify it with tape and tie wraps. Grok said to Look for models with 1.9/16-inch holes for larger Eastern males) We're in CT so must have the larger species. Perfect for wrens etc.