I have been looking at ads for "upside-down" suet feeders for some time now, and wondering how well they worked, but I was unwilling to spend the bux they cost to find out. However, recently I saw a great idea in someone's yard, so I take no credit for it, but this really works! You may have the materials for it, as I did, so it will cost zero dollars, and it took me no more than 10 minutes to put it together. Here's a link to some pictures of it:

http://www.photoshop.com/user/mntncougar/?trackingid=BTAGC&galleryid=9d515c553df44bd881c58806c7008065&wf=share

Simply start with a regular wire suet feeder. Make a hanger for it using wire (as I did), string, chain, coathanger, or whatever works for you, and set it up so the side of the hanger where the door is hinged faces down. Take a regular store-bought suet (or your own, made in the plastic trays from store-bought suet, as I do) and loosen the suet but do not remove it from the tray. If the tray had a cardboard top, cut it down so it will slide into the feeder and put it on the BOTTOM of the tray. This is not necessary, but prevents pecking through the tray. If the tray did not have a solid top, anything thin will work. Slide tray and top into the feeder so the open side faces down (away from the hanger). At this point, the only side open to the birds is the bottom.
The woodpeckers have no trouble figuring out how to feed from the feeder, and seem to enjoy themselves. Even the fledgling downies adopted to it in a day or so. However, pests such as Grackles, Starlings, House Sparrows, etc have a terrible time with it. Even if they figure out how to hang underneath, they dont seem to master the pecking part. Its also fun watching all the wannabe's like my squirrel fight for the tid bits that fall to the ground.

Don
Coventry, Ct zone 5/6

Well, I wish you good luck with your new set up! When I first started feeding birds almost 4 years ago I spent the big bucks for one of those upside down feedershttp://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=3961/567.0.25206.25753.0.0.0 ...only to find out that it did not eliminate my starling problems since they would hover underneath the feeder, sort of like a big, clumsy, noisy ugly Hummingbirds, and it just about drove me nuts just listening to them underneath my feeder! And the other problem with upside down feeders is that my Pileated and Flickers would try to use it and fall off and get discouraged. After this many years I just don't think there is such a thing as starling-proof, however, I do find that switching to feeding only plain white suet gets me less starlings than in previous years. While the fledgling woodpeckers nuthatches and chickadees are feeding here I still sneak in the favourite peanut butter suet and during the winter I feed almost exclusively peanut butter suet. Glad to see you have found something that works for you though...

Ruth
Everett, WA
Zone 8

I'm going to make one today, and I called my brother in Texas to describe it to him. It will be interesting to see if I have the success you have had. It makes for an inexpensive experiment. Love the idea!!

Gayla
Jackson, Mississippi
Canon XSi and S3 IS
Zone 7b; Heat Zone 9 (Ugh)

Good idea and good luck the racoons ran off with my suet cages. So I gave up and bought the suet sandwich that several people on this forum recommended





sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

My husband built this wooden feeder for the woodpeckers and nuthatches some years ago. Half of the roof is hinged for adding the suet chunks. The underside is made of coarse metal netting. It takes a while for the birds to get the idea,but they love it eventually. I put a flat stone on top of the suet to hold it down. Altogether it was inexpensive.



Nancy
Chazy,NY zone 4

That's a great idea! I've had a problem with starlings and was getting ready to order the sandwich feeder when I found this one: http://www.woodpecker-feeder.com/woodpecker-angle-feeder-tips.php I ordered the "angle" feeder rather than the original one. The starlings are very discouraged with it and I'm thrilled! It has a choice of three different angles. I set it on the first one so the woodpeckers could find it. The starlings were able to use it at that point, too. Now it's on the middle angle and the starlings can only jab at it with little success.

This one is less expensive than the WBU upside down feeder but not as much as your make-it-yourself feeder!! They do love the suet that comes with it, but I've used the squares of suet, too. It's easy to just push and shape it into the circles.

Carol

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7

Ruth, I certainly understand your comments about upside down feeders, and of course no feeder is perfect. I must say I have not seen any woodpeckers have a real problem with my feeder. The downies took about a day to figure it out, and now they practically live under it. Even the fledglings are going there after being shown how by their parents. As you can see from my pictures, Flickers have no problem with it. This spring I had 3 of them taking turns using it. Red-bellies and Hairies use it routinely. I do have Pileateds pass through my yard, but I have never had one go to any of my feeders that I know of, so I can't comment about them.
I occasionally see a Starling, Grackle, or House Sparrow try the feeder, but most of them can't hang on at all. One or two have managed to figure that out, but they can't seem to peck the suet very well, and usually fall off when they try. Kind of fun to watch. Same goes for Bluejays and Catbirds, but I like them and wish they could master it. They usually make out on the ground underneath, scrambling for the crumbs.
I originally posted this after seeing Sharah's post about the sandwich feeder and Carol's post about the angle feeder. I like both of those very much, but frankly, I think my woodpeckers would laugh at them. They might be empty in an hour or two. Mine lasts a day and a half or 2 days. Also if you buy ready-made suet there is no work involved in re-loading it. Nancy's home made feeder looks great, and I must admit I have never tried feeding suet chunks, so I might try that some time. Perhaps I could use that in my feeder in a plastic tray.
In the winter I generally have three suet feeders up in my yard, and I have been thinking about getting a larger cage feeder and trying it upside down. They make both double-cake suet feeders and "seed cake" feeders in large sizes, and larger cakes might mean less trudging through the snow to refill. I'll have to see if the cakes for them come in plastic molds that I can re-use. We learn from each other via this forum, and I have taken away many new ideas from it.

I really like th elooks of the suet sandwich and will look for one while down in Cape May this coming weekend. Nice pic Sarah!

Pam NJ 6B

Thank you Pam. Several people on this forum recomended it after I had three vanish. I assume a raccoon ran off with them. I ordered mine from Duncraft but I have seen them for sale at Wild Bird centers and Back to Nature in Delaware county Pennsylvania. They might have them in Cape May too. I'm not sure but they probably do.

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

I have a double cake tail prop suet feeder from WBU. I bought the angle feeder to replace this one. I think I may try drilling a hole in the tail prop part of it and stringing it to hang it upside down. I may just try doing it like my angle feeder and not having it completely upside down. I like having suet in both the front and back of my house. I have the hopper feeder that has suet cages on each end. It seems like that suet is eaten in minutes by starlings, so I quit putting it in those feeders a long time ago.

Carol

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7