Aspects 278 Vista Dome Feeder

Just the feeder I was looking for, at a reasonable price. I made a point to look carefully at the device that holds the dome lid in place on this feeder, as well as on other similar domed feeders that are available. This one had by far the most sensible and sturdiest method of supporting the dome and attaching the feeding tray. There is a thumb screw clamp that supports the weight of the dome, and makes raising and lowering the dome much easier than trying to slide some sort of rubber washer up and down. I found the rubber washer type of support to be totally inadequate, even on a small version of this feeder made by Duncraft. It had a very tiny, very thin rubber washer that broke within a short time. I had to wrap the main rod with duct tape to support the dome lid after the washer broke. This mechanism appears to be very sturdy, made of brass, and should hold up indefinitely. The dome itself is thick enough to not appear too fragile, but could possibly crack if the feeder should fall from much height. The feeder tray itself is very sturdy and has a rounded lip that ought to be easier for birds to grip. Some other feeders of this type seem to have a straight edge at the top, which would seem to be more difficult for birds to perch on comfortably. All in all, I'm very happy with this feeder. It's quite large enough to not need constant refilling, and the dome is wide enough to completely protect the seeds, as well as the birds while they're eating. Putting it together is easy....although it took me a little while to realize you actually have to screw the main rod down through the domed top, and not try to force it straight through without the screwing motion. It appears to be too big for the hole in the dome, and there don't appear to be any threads on the dome to screw it through, but with careful, slow twisting...i.e. screwing...it does go on through, then screws easily into the brass fitting in the bottom of the feeder tray. Some feeders are only plastic at that point, and couldn't possibly hold up as well as the brass fitting on this feeder. My birds flock to it each day. The seeds stay dry in rain or snow....unless the wind is blowing hard. Nothing stays dry in those conditions, but at least the birds have some overhead protection at all times. Highly recommended!!

I like this feeder and we've been using them for years. They work well and you can adjust where the roof of the feeder is to prevent larger birds from sneaking in and grabbing all the seeds. Yes, lower it right down and the chickadees get to feed nicely! However, you get any moisture and then cold, and the mechanism is instantly frozen. You cannot get that dome up unless you bring it into the house and run warm water on it. At that point you can finally lift it up to refill it, and that's my one big frustration. I'm the one who fills it up, and all winter long I'm battling that issue---it's completely frozen and you can't get it up. Drives me NUTS. Also, when it crashes to the ground because of high wind, the bottom part has been known to break, and more easily than I would like. It's an expensive thing to replace, so we've glued them and hoped for the best.

This is the first platform/tray style feeder I have used and I am happy with it so far. I like that the top is adjustable so I can decide what size birds I want to encourage/discourage. The dome provides decent enough rain protection. In our southern summer downpours seed still gets a little wet, but not too much that it doesn't drain. The cardinals, chickadees, titmice and mourning doves all like it so far. I could keep the doves out by lowering the lid but I like seeing our mated pair that comes around. The plastic does not feel top quality, and might break if it falls. I got this in the 30-some dollar range, and at that price I'm happy with it.

I do not like giving a bird feeder a negative report, but this one breaks easily. I have to lower to keep out the pigeons and only feed the small birds. I use clothes pins as the stopper. The thing they use to stop the plastic clear bell top does not allow you to lower it very much and I now use as I said, clothespins.

Works for birds great, deeps food dry and away from rain

I had many pigeons and doves in my previous feeder so ordered this to allow finches and wrens to feed. The 1st day even though the lid was low, a pigeon got in. By the time we got there he was so flustered the dome fell down and trapped the poor guy. Of course we got him out but not before we got a good laugh. For the most part, the feeder works great!!!! Just tighten the dome well 🙂

I got this for the larger birds we have. I had to experiment with the hood part to get it high enough for the large birds. It is all the way up and now all the birds we get can use it and don't have to fight to hang on to the smaller feeders. The large birds do have to wait for the smaller birds to leave so they can have a shot at it.

This feeder is somewhat better than previous one, which only lasted 2 months when it fell apart due to bad design. The current feeder cost more and has better design for keeping the dome from falling down to the tray, BUT the bottom (tray) has come loose several times and fallen to the ground. It is a matter of time before the tray falls and actually breaks. The bluebirds are using it, but so are the starlings and even night visitors like raccoons. Suggest you don't leave mealworms in the feeder overnight. If you adjust the dome to keep starlings out, the bluebirds cannot enter it. Having already spent $70+ for these feeders we will not order again. Price is too high for such poor designs.

Great bird feeder, I also bought one for a birthday gift for a friend. The rain and snow does not get the seed wet and it keeps the large birds out.