Top positive review
20 people found this helpful
Great product
By Paul May on Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2012
I've had squirrel issues for years as most have. Tried different feeders to little avail. I saw the whipper at several retail stores in the Atlanta area. Retail prices are $120-$130. Seemed a bit expensive to me so I came to Amazon to read some reviews. I purchased one here some 30 days ago. The results were surprising. Firstly, my older generic feeders attracted all bird varieties including large crows which cleaned me out every two days or so. Upon loading up the whipper with black oil sunflower seeds Cardinals and finches appeared immediately. That first week I was enjoying a cup of coffee and looking into my yard when I noticed a squirrel approaching the feeder. He climbed onto the top and sat. Finally, he stretched his entire body down the length of the whipper but could not reach the ports. He then dropped down to the perches and immediately flopped onto the ground. Not to be discouraged he climbed back up and again and sat on top. Minutes later, apparently discouraged, he dropped to the ground and ate some seeds dropped by the birds. Over the next 3 weeks or so I have had no squirrels attempt to feed. Victory!!! This feeder has constant action. Different varieties of birds and many, many cardinals. I did have one crow figure it out. He lodged each foot onto the perches where they contact the feeder and maintained his balance while devouring some seeds. My lab scared him off and I've seen no other crows attempt this. This is a quality product. Well made. I would not hesitate to purchase another and I am considering doing so. Enjoy. UPDATE: 9/10/2012 Well, a flaw has appeared. Not a big deal really. My backyard faces an open field. Letting my lab out back this week. I turned on the backyard light and heard the spring on the feeder "spring" as if a bird was flying off of it. Not at 11 PM at night! The feeder was swinging back and forth and I saw a mouse jump to the ground. Mice smaller than cardinal size birds can sit on the perches and feed. It's now happened twice. Final UPDATE: 08/10/2013 I have had to take this feeder down. Yesterday morning I let my lab out at 5 AM. Within moments I heard a "ping" of the springs in my whipper. As I quickly turned, I saw a rat move rapidly up the feeder to the top where it sat momentarily. As we know, the top of the feeder is flat allowing rodents/squirrels to sit up there. I discovered the tension in the springs not a deterrent to mice/rats or creative squirrels. While a quality product, it is not effective for what it states to be. I've attracted more animals than I care to who come back to feed each night it appears. The manufacturer should make the cover of the feeder more "conal" shaped. This has been an expensive lesson for me to learn.
Top critical review
$100: Broken in 8 months, No help from seller or manufacturer.
By David L. Cohen on Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2025
For a $100 bird feeder, I would expect several things: something that lasts more than 8 months, a seller that is responsive, and a manufacturer that cares. None of these with this product. Purchased 8 months back, 2 of the 4 'arms' are already broken, the seller said to contact the manufacturer, and the manufacturer ignores emails. Do not waste your money. I will let Amazon know about all of these.
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Great product
By Paul May - Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2012
Verified Amazon Purchase
I've had squirrel issues for years as most have. Tried different feeders to little avail. I saw the whipper at several retail stores in the Atlanta area. Retail prices are $120-$130. Seemed a bit expensive to me so I came to Amazon to read some reviews. I purchased one here some 30 days ago. The results were surprising. Firstly, my older generic feeders attracted all bird varieties including large crows which cleaned me out every two days or so. Upon loading up the whipper with black oil sunflower seeds Cardinals and finches appeared immediately. That first week I was enjoying a cup of coffee and looking into my yard when I noticed a squirrel approaching the feeder. He climbed onto the top and sat. Finally, he stretched his entire body down the length of the whipper but could not reach the ports. He then dropped down to the perches and immediately flopped onto the ground. Not to be discouraged he climbed back up and again and sat on top. Minutes later, apparently discouraged, he dropped to the ground and ate some seeds dropped by the birds. Over the next 3 weeks or so I have had no squirrels attempt to feed. Victory!!! This feeder has constant action. Different varieties of birds and many, many cardinals. I did have one crow figure it out. He lodged each foot onto the perches where they contact the feeder and maintained his balance while devouring some seeds. My lab scared him off and I've seen no other crows attempt this. This is a quality product. Well made. I would not hesitate to purchase another and I am considering doing so. Enjoy. UPDATE: 9/10/2012 Well, a flaw has appeared. Not a big deal really. My backyard faces an open field. Letting my lab out back this week. I turned on the backyard light and heard the spring on the feeder "spring" as if a bird was flying off of it. Not at 11 PM at night! The feeder was swinging back and forth and I saw a mouse jump to the ground. Mice smaller than cardinal size birds can sit on the perches and feed. It's now happened twice. Final UPDATE: 08/10/2013 I have had to take this feeder down. Yesterday morning I let my lab out at 5 AM. Within moments I heard a "ping" of the springs in my whipper. As I quickly turned, I saw a rat move rapidly up the feeder to the top where it sat momentarily. As we know, the top of the feeder is flat allowing rodents/squirrels to sit up there. I discovered the tension in the springs not a deterrent to mice/rats or creative squirrels. While a quality product, it is not effective for what it states to be. I've attracted more animals than I care to who come back to feed each night it appears. The manufacturer should make the cover of the feeder more "conal" shaped. This has been an expensive lesson for me to learn.
Greatly exceeded my expectations
By IrishGirl - Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2014
Verified Amazon Purchase
This is not my first time with birds and feeders, and I was concerned that I would purchase and have "buyer's regret." I have been disappointed before - primarily because I live on the edge of a highly-treed area. My last feeder worked well, and I liked the number of birds it feed, but over time, I attracted grackles, I think I became the county feeding station. I was inundated with them. While the issue wasn't necessarily the feeder's problem (likely had more to do with my location), it sent me looking for a new solution. The many ways I tried to thwart the grackles simply didn't work. Before I purchased this feeder, I corresponded with the company. One of my concerns was that several of the choices I'd seen in the marketplace that eliminated grackles from getting to the seed (such as the feeders with cages around the food tube) excluded cardinals also since they were of a larger size. Only smaller birds could get through the wires. The Droll Yankee Company explained that the perch system would not allow the heavier birds to feed from it, but the feeder was calibrated to allow cardinals to perch. I also had a couple of other concerns, such as only four perches, whether I would get a lot of seed loss, and how successful it would be for thwarting squirrels (since this problem had been identified by other reviewers). I've now had this feeder for several weeks. To say I am delighted is an understatement. No more grackles, no squirrels and no excessive seed loss. It took the birds a couple of days to warm up to it, but now I'm once again seeing a wide variety of birds on the feeder. Interestingly enough, I see female cardinals eat at it regularly, but see the male cardinals intermittently. I know the males are around, since I saw six of them sitting in a tree recently. Guess they will need more time to trust it. At least I know from watching that the heavier cardinal males can land and eat at this feeder. The price of this feeder was a concern for me, but it's sturdy, stays clean, keeps the seeds dry to the last one, and has eliminated my problems with feeding birds. I plan to buy the "Dipper" for my smaller, thistle-eating birds. This feeder is worth the investment. I am very pleased I decided to buy it and would encourage those of you with similar problems to my own to try it. I also found the communication with the company to be useful, and I feel if I had an issue, I could get it resolved with them.
Works as adertised, with a little accomodation
By Sanjay - Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2014
Verified Amazon Purchase
We've got a few feeders out there and squirrel-proof-ness is a must-have. The type in a steel cage work well, but don't old a lot of seed and restrict some birds. We tried this one, and it's GREAT. I had it hung in a tree about thirty feet up via a galvanized cable (yes, squirrels have figured out in past to chew through rope). You can imagine the angle between the hanging part of the cable, and the part down to the ground (so I can lower it0 is quite acute, so the damn squirrels figured out they could brace themselves on the lowering cable and eat from the feeder (when spooked they'd slide down the cable fireman-style, which was actually pretty entertaining). So, no problem -- I dropped the thing about five feet to increase the distance to the pull-cable, and that did it. The squirrels have made valiant efforts for a couple of weeks but they've given up -- this thing beats them. In general I haven't found any really convincing claims that the feeder is NOT squirrel-proof -- I suspect in most setups you can easily tweak the mount -- as I did, lowering it a few feet -- and you're there. There's a lot of videos online showing squirrels hanging upside-down from all four perches when the thing is pole-mounted, and I think, well, sure, if you're going to shell out for this thing then probably you ought to baffle your pole, too. But in any reasonable setup I've seen the adjustment needed to make the thing either squirrel-proof or close enough is pretty small. Birds seem to like it just fine, and it seems to be built awfully ruggedly and well. Unlike a cage, though, I don't think this is going to solve your problems if you have large birds you don't want feeding; for that you need a cage-type. I have a pileated woodpeacker -- no small bird! -- and a red-bellied that both will eat from this feeder by sticking a toe into the seed port and hanging from that -- it can't be too comfortable but they do it. I'm pleased with that, but if you aren't, then this won't work for you.
A genuine WINNER!
By Seeker - Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2024
Verified Amazon Purchase
I bought this one to replace it's twin, which has faithfully-served for a mere 25 years...through blazing summers and freezing winters and even a couple of nearby tornadoes. It has positively withheld it's contents from all 4-legged critters and had it's top not been solid metal the scratches and bitemarks are a record of thousands of desperate attempts.
This is IT!!
By Elizabeth J Jolin Bay and Reef Co. - Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2024
Verified Amazon Purchase
This is it!! This bird feeder works! We are done feeding the neighborhood squirrels and rats! I have realized that I need to possibly get a life as I reflect on just how happy I am to have finally found this fabulous bird feeder! Spend the money - you will save it in birdfeed that the squirrels were eating!
$100: Broken in 8 months, No help from seller or manufacturer.
By David L. Cohen - Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2025
Verified Amazon Purchase
For a $100 bird feeder, I would expect several things: something that lasts more than 8 months, a seller that is responsive, and a manufacturer that cares. None of these with this product. Purchased 8 months back, 2 of the 4 'arms' are already broken, the seller said to contact the manufacturer, and the manufacturer ignores emails. Do not waste your money. I will let Amazon know about all of these.
“Squirrel Feeder”
By JMT - Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2025
Verified Amazon Purchase
What is “droll” is the idea that anyone can outwit the squirrels. They use the perches to hold on with their paws (see photo) while they enjoy a good meal. There is no better squirrel proof feeder on the market, but don’t be surprised to find that the squirrels are not deterred by the design of this feeder. It is sturdy and attractive.
Very durable
By Flora - Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2024
Verified Amazon Purchase
This purchase replaced an older Yankee Whipper that I had had for years. A bear finally finished off that one. We had always been able to patch it up after previous bear encounters. But, this was a BIG bear. These feeder is very strong, even the plastic tube. The metal perches and hanger are also strong and don't rust. A bit pricey but worth it.
Great product and quality!
By Z - Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2012
Verified Amazon Purchase
I have gone through a Summer, Autumn, and almost a Winter with this product and I love it. I did read all the reviews that it is not squirrel proof after a while but so far, it is not their top choice anymore. If I recall correctly, I may have had 1 Grey Squirrel last Summer who tried...maybe not. Anyways, I had everything undesirable you can think of at my old copper cage bird feeder (grey & red squirrels, grackles, blue jays)...and now, just small birds and the Blue Jays in the Summer who flap their wings to remove some weight from the collapable perches to feed. There are plenty of easier, neighbordhood bird feeders they can visit than mine now so I'm not constantly refilling the feeder or leaving it empty due to helpless frustration. The squirrels used to empty my feeder in a day! How annoying! I think I only went to fill the feeder at the beginning of the Winter & still have not had to refill it (now early March). The capacity is prett large which is very nice! Also, the materials of construction of this feeder are heavy duty & sturdy; it's obvious when you feel it. I've also dropped it on the grass from a high point. I'm not sure why because there's no latch for the heavy, tight cap but the squirrels have not opened it. I don't use a baffler either. If I had to recommend an improvement, I would just like it to stand on it's own on the ground when I'm filling the feeder...but this is so extremely minor for all the headaches & money that its saved me. Overall, a great product! This is my 1st Droll Yankee & I did end up choosing the one with the curved, collapsable perches after reading all the reviews & it was a great choice for me. I decided to risk a little by choosing the curved perches instead of the straight perches which is supposed be a better "pest" deterrant because I love my cardinals. Again, due to the style of the feeder & not due to this product, I think this is why I have had very little amount of Winter visiters (New England, Zone 6a) until about mid February. We have had no snow and fairly mild this Winter (until now) so I was wondering the reason. As I have described below, this is another reason that my 2nd feeder (Brome caged) will be for the "clingers". Note: Deterring the grackles also helps in keeping my suet for desirables birds! One last downfall (which is in the nature of the style of feeder & not related to this product) is that this style of feeder also is not comfortable for my woodpeckers especially the larger ones...so I just purchased a 2nd feeder, Brome 'caged' squirrel deterrant feeder. I will test it out this Summer & will hope my woodpeckers & nut hatches return.
So Far It Has Slowed the Squirrels Down
By Ann M. - Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2013
Verified Amazon Purchase
In my 30 years' experience of squirrel fighting, there is no such thing as a squirrel proof bird feeder. This is the third Droll Yankee style feeder we have had. The first two our super squirrels here in North Georgia did a number on. They were the flipper and the dipper. (I see someone wrote in their review that the flipper is squirrel proof. Not with our squirrels.) I returned the flipper that has a chargeable motorized mechanism that would sling them off but the squirrels broke it three times. It ended up on the ground and they chewed the stew out of it like they went after it like mad dogs. We found this when we returned from vacation. I returned it twice to the seed store where I bought it when they said the next time I'd have to send it to the manufacturer. I can get a replacement but I need to find the original paperwork. The second style, the dipper, has a disc that makes the heavier squirrels fall off but they broke the cable holding the disc. Now we just use it without the disc and it slows them down. My husband bought this on Amazon after seeing it for more money at a hardware store. (I am Mrs. Don M.) They've been chewing on the top. (See photo.) So far they haven't gotten the top off and flung the feeder to the ground, which they did with the other two feeders. We have several feeders throughout our yard so they haven't concentrated on this one . . . yet. I just discovered the customer photos with squirrels that have figured it out. It is just a matter of time here, too. I like the well constructed Droll Yankee feeders. I just would forewarn anyone expecting it to keep out the squirrels that you will be sorely disappointed. Instead, we have a dachshund who chases them all day long but they keep coming back.
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