[Installing Your Feeder]  [Filling Your Feeder]  [Hanging Your Feeder]  [Maintaining Your Feeder]
[Feeder Tips PDF Document]

Here is everything you need to know about setting up and installing your woodpecker feeder from Woodpecker-Feeder.com.

We share tips on how to hang your feeder, where to hang your feeder, how to fill the feeder with suet, and how to maintain your woodpecker feeder.   We also cover a variety of things you want to know so you will have a successful and enjoyable woodpecker feeding experience!

Installing Your Feeder

Hanging Methods.  Your woodpecker feeder comes fully assembled and ready to hang.  You can use the supplied hook for use with a pole/hanging arm system or you can attach string, wire, or cable to the feeder for hanging.

If you hang your feeder from a tree branch, be sure to use a string, wire, or cable that allows the feeder to hang at least 5-7 feet from the tree trunk and 4-5 feet down from the branch.

There are three holes provided for the enclosed hook so you can adjust the hanging angle of the feeder.  It may be best to start at vertical so your woodpeckers can see that you have food for them.  Then, depending on whether you have problems with starlings, etc., you can gradually move to the fully horizontal position.

The best hanging location is away from other feeders, suspended on a wire or cable.  This removes nearly all starling "launch points," except for the top of the feeder, itself.  You can add a dome or cone-shaped baffle to the top of your woodpecker feeder to keep starlings from launching off the top of the feeder.  A flat-topped baffle will provide a launch point for starlings.

Squirrel Baffles.  Since there are plenty of squirrel preventive solutions on the market, we have not made it part of the feeder itself.  However, the best squirrel baffle method we have seen is a cylindrical metal tube, mounted on a free-standing pole away from trees and other objects.  These are available for a 4x4 wooden post as well as for a smaller diameter metal pole.  If you use this type of baffle, be sure that the pole is 8-10 feet from the nearest tree branch, pole, or other structure that a squirrel could launch from.  Other baffles include plastic, curved domes over top of the feeder (good for hanging feeders) and metal cone baffles that can be attached to a post.

About Starlings.  Our feeder design deters all but the most persistent, intelligent, and creative starlings.  [Disclaimer]   Some starlings will be able to flutter under the feeder and make stabs at the suet.  They can get some suet this way, but they can not hang on to wipe the suet out.

Alternate Food Sources. One way to keep squirrels and even starlings less interested in your woodpecker feeder is to give them an alternate food source.  We sprinkle corn kernels around the base of our feeder system for the squirrels and they also spend quite a bit of time foraging in the grass for seeds scattered by birds on the feeders.

You can also put out some inexpensive cake suet which may fulfill starling's suet needs and make them less inclined to investigate your woodpecker feeder.  We use a variety of suet delivery methods which keep starlings and other birds busy and those birds don't really give much thought to our woodpecker feeders.

Unfortunately, you can not make your bird feeder site "starling-proof," but you certainly can make it "starling-resistant."  [Disclaimer]   We provide four different tube-type peanut feeders which the starlings really like.  Since it is impossible to totally keep the starlings away from the feeder area, we at least want them to work for their food and the peanut tube feeders make them work for everything they get.


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Filling Your Feeder

Here is the simple step-by-step process for filling your 'Angle' feeder.  This is a pretty easy and fast .


1. Slide a tube of Attractor suet out of the package and onto a flat surface.  You may use a newspaper or napkin to make cleanup easier.  Then, cut the suet tube into two equal parts.



NOTE: Our Attractor suet can be refrigerated, but be sure to use it at room temperature (or even microwaved a tiny bit if it is too stiff)!

IMPORTANT:  Store your suet in a plastic, zip-lockable bag to keep it fresh.  This is necessary so you can have the correct suet consistency when loading your woodpecker feeder suet ports.



2. Lay the suet feeder on a flat surface, preferably a table or countertop that will allow you to pack the suet into the feeding ports.




3. Drop a 1/2 tube of suet into a feeding port and press mightily with your open palm.  As you can see, the suet will stick out a bit.  Not to worry - it will fill the hole very nicely in the next step.








4.  You want to pack the suet in tightly so it does not fall out when hanging in either a partial or fully horizontal position.  See the photo on the right - the suet in the left port has been pressed in and fills the opening perfectly!



5. Continue the process, filling each suet port with suet and mightily pressing them in.






...another hole filled








...and all holes are filled!!








That's it!  Pretty easy, eh?

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NOTE: Our Attractor suet can be refrigerated, but be sure to use it at room temperature (or even microwaved a tiny bit if it is too stiff)!

IMPORTANT:  Store your suet in a plastic, zip-lockable bag to keep it fresh.  This is necessary so you can have the correct suet consistency when loading your woodpecker feeder suet ports.
 

Hanging Your Feeder

To initially interest and train your local woodpeckers, you should hang your feeder in the most vertical position.  This will show your woodpeckers what you have and they will take quick interest in it.






Once your woodpeckers are trained, if you find that starlings are fluttering about more than you would like, you can move your woodpecker feeder to the half-horizontal position, making it more difficult for starlings to lean over the top of the feeder or hang onto the sides of the feeder.







The third hanging position for your woodpecker feeder is the fully horizontal position.  As you can see, woodpeckers have absolutely no problem at all hanging on to the underside of our natural cedar woodpecker suet feeder!










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Maintaining Your Feeder

Typically, woodpeckers do a pretty thorough job of cleaning suet out from each of the feeding ports.  But if they don't, your woodpecker feeder is designed for easy maintenance.  We have designed our 'Angle' feeder such that the back is easily removed (4 screws, one in each corner).


To clean the suet ports, simply use a small bottle brush, the tip of a small screwdriver, or even a letter opener to clean the holes out.






We also offer a complete cleaning/maintenance kit for those who don't want to assemble their own tools.






NOTE: Our Attractor suet can be refrigerated, but be sure to use it at room temperature (or even microwaved a tiny bit if it is too stiff)!

IMPORTANT:  Store your suet in a plastic, zip-lockable bag to keep it fresh.  This is necessary so you can have the correct suet consistency when loading your woodpecker feeder suet ports.
 

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