This feeder could be the best feeder yet - it just needs a tweak or two. (This review is lengthy, but there are many different aspects to this feeder that I wanted to address as I’ve tried a ton of feeders so I want to help you chose the best one.)
There are many things I love about this hummingbird feeder. The first thing and the biggest thing that I love is that this hummingbird feeder completely comes apart. This lets you clean every nook and cranny, so when properly cleaned on a regular basis you can combat mold and bacteria, keeping your feeder safe and healthy for your little hummingbird visitors. The climate in my area is extremely hot, rainy, and humid which allows mold to develop super fast. Nearly every previous hummingbird feeder I have owned has developed mold within hours, with other feeders there has been no way to thoroughly clean them which has been super frustrating. I never want to cause sickness to any of the birds which is why I am thrilled that this RichBird feeder allows me to clean every ounce of the feeder.
The next thing that I love is that the flowers are made of silicone. This helps to avoid injury to the hummingbirds beak as sometimes they miss the center opening and hit the flower itself. I have had a lot of baby hummingbirds and they in particular are still learning to feed so they often hit the flower petals at first and they hit them hard so these silicone flowers are protecting them from injury. I also love that the inside of the flower has a more closed center with an X that they can drink through. The X design has been extremely helpful in keeping wasp, bees, and other bugs out - as long as there is no sugar water/food outside of the X/flower.
I greatly appreciate the built-in ant moat and sturdy metal hanger. Many ant moats are not attached so when taking them down they tip over causing water spills, but this ant moat is stationary so there is nothing to tip and spill. The solid metal hanger makes it extremely easy to hang and carry. I greatly appreciate this intuitive idea as metal chains and removable hooks just make things more difficult. That style of hanger can come unlatched, hang lopsided, rust, be too long/short, or are hard to hook from lack of support. RichBird solved all of those problems by designing the perfect hanger. The RichBird hanger is just the right length so it accommodates many stands, plant hangers, and hooks wonderfully. The solid hook is fantastic in giving the feeder support while being sturdy enough that I can place the feeder with ease. It also has a lovely coating to prevent rusting.
The removable top not only gives access to the upper portion of the feeder for easy cleaning, but the beautiful ruffle design provides a great spot to nestle the antenna in place preventing it from being moved especially is harsh winds. I like this design as I am able to keep the antenna placed to the side closest to my internet router giving the camera the fullest signal strength possible.
All that being said, there are a few things that need some improvement. The first issue is with inserting and removing the camera. Trying to insert the camera can be a little tricky and sometimes does not lock in place. The camera has to be perfectly inserted or there is risk of it falling out. Then when you want to remove the camera you have to push the button/lever located at the back of the feeder, while at the same time pushing the front of the camera backwards in order for it to come out. If the button/lever was at the top and built directly into the camera unit itself it would be much easier as then you could push down on the lever while pulling the camera out from the back.
Something else to note is that this feeder needs to be level or close to level. If it isn‘t near level then the feeder will leak at the seam. The seam I’m referring to is at the base of the feeder where the yellow plastic meets the clear plastic part. Due to this lower portion coming apart for cleaning, there is no way to avoid a seam however if there was a well designed removable silicone gasket then it would assist in the leaking when not level. Also you have to use caution when separating these sections for cleaning as the plastic tabs can break off, even then despite being very gentle the tabs have still broke due to being too thin. I have noticed more leaking in these tab areas after breaking since it‘s not as sealed.
Another tip I have to ensure there is no leaking from the flowers is to make sure the rubber gasket lid at the top is completely inside the feeder and level before screwing on the final ruffled yellow lid. Then when attaching the yellow lid, make sure it’s completely tight. After you fill the feeder from the bottom, flip the feeder back over in the opposite direction of the flowers. For example, if your feeder is upside down and the flowers are on your right hand side them, then you will flip the flowers/the feeder towards the left. If you have the flowers facing you,...
