Erva Starling-Proof Barrier Guard Bluebird Feeder with Glass Mealworm Cup - Premium Blue Powdercoat Finish - Made in USA (BBF1)

Finally I can feed the bluebirds without the grackles taking everything! Thought I was going to lose it if I had to deal with those things another season! Finally got bluebirds back and within a day, the grackles had taken over. Only on the second day having this feeder out and the bluebirds have already started using it and the grackles cannot get to them! Its perfect! Large enough for them to get all the way into the middle and not have to worry about other birds. The bowl that comes with the feeder is the perfect size. Theres no need to put in a larger one. I dont know why some people complained about it. The feeder is actually pretty large, so it attracts the birds easily and you can sprinkle more meal worms on the bottom. The top lifts off easily so you can refill it and there are tiny holes on the bottom so water drains out easily. I love it! Cant say enough good things about it. So glad to finally get rid of the friggin scavengers!!!

I have been waiting to buy this feeder after a lengthy search, for a way to feed mealworms without large birds gobbling them up & scaring off my precious bluebirds! So after reading reviews I took a chance on this very expensive mealworm feeder. I like to offer “live” mealworms to my bluebirds especially, and those too are expensive. So I just put this feeder up last week. I have regular Chickadees, Wrens, & Tufted Titmouse birds visiting. Best of all, as you can see in the last photo…are the starlings/blackbirds sitting outside as they could not enter! That was the test I was waiting for. Several have tried with no luck! IF I EVER see a blackbird enter this feeder it will go back immediately and I will update my review! It is well made yet seems to blow/move rather easily on windy days. I wish it had a side door to open & refill the dish without taking the feeder down & lifting the lid off. I have this off my deck which makes it easy to get to so I’m not climbing to remove it from a tree hanger/branch. Again my main reason for buying this was to get a large bird proof feeder & so far so good!

This is an amazingly well-built product. However, the mesh is too small for the bluebirds in my area to access the feeding cup. Other smaller birds are successful, but I'm interested in feeding bluebirds.

I HATE STARLINGS but I love most other kinds of birds Starlings are an unfortunate import from England and they are the selfish brutish pigs of the bird world. They bully other birds and also beat up on other birds, keeping them from feeding and raiding or taking over other birds' nests. They were also the disgusting nasty birds in Hitchcock's Movie, "The Birds." I feel that movie displays their true nature, just as "Killer Clowns from Outer Space" displays clowns' true nature. (I am not afraid of clowns but I hate them because their makeup hides their true nature, as in John Wayne Gacy.) I am an avid bird feeder. Not only do I feed them, I provide them housing and nesting materials too. I even buy feather boas and cut them up so the birds can weave them into their nests, and I buy alpaca wool for their nests and even cut up 100 % wool yarn for them to use in their nests. I have several different types of bird feeders, including suet plug feeders, seed log feeders, antimicrobial feeders and feeders made specifically for dried meal worms and of course hummingbird feeders. My neighbors say I have the most spoiled birds in the neighborhood because I make my own plugs for my wooden plug feeders, and I make Seed logs for the other feeders. I even buy dried meal worms in bulk as well as buying dried fruit in bulk to add to my seed mixes. Porch pirates would be really disappointed if they stole from my porch.After i started using feeders specifically made for dried meal worms, I noticed some western blue birds appearing. I was born in the pacific northwest and have lived here most of my life. I had never before seen a western blue bird, but they started coming to my feeders about a year ago. I researched what type of food would keep them close and one was meal worms. I was thrilled to see the western blue birds enjoying the meal worms.THEN THE UGLY STARLINGS SHOWED UP.. Soon, every time I would put out the meal worms, the starlings would show up in flocks, bullying the other birds away, and they would pig down the entire contents of the feeders with a couple hours. I was wondering if there was a starling proof feeder that would keep starlings out while letting blue birds in. I went to a local shop specializing in wild bird supplies and they told me that there was not. I even consulted a wildlife biologist, who told me that bluebirds are a bit smaller than starlings so it might be possible to include bluebirds while excluding starlings.So, I searched for and found this feeder advertised as a starling proof feeder and a squirrel proof feeder. Yes, the price is a bit high, however, it includes two enameled blue disks, one as a lid and the other as a floor, plus a wire grid spaced to exclude starlings, plus a hanging wire and a beautiful blue glass dish to hold the meal worms and a wire framework that you sit the dish in. If you calculate the cost of the two metal disks, the feeder framework the dish and framework, the hanging wire and clamp and the metal cage, you couldn't put one together for the price these are going for.I got this very quickly and put it up immediately. It was evening, so the birds had finished feeding for the day. So, I waited for the next morning for the starlings to show up.Early the next morning, I saw a large number of starlings showing up at the feeders. I hadn't put out any other meal worm feeders, so was watching to see what the starlings did. To my amazement, the starlings swarmed the new starling proof feeder. No matter how much they tried, they could only poke their heads in through the wire grid. They tried repeatedly to cram their bodies into the feeder. None made it in. You could see them grabbing the bars with their feet and pushing as hard as they could to breech the metal grids. Eventually, they would give up and go to one of the seed feeders, leaving the meal worms for other smaller birds.I haven't seen any bluebirds making it into the feeder yet, but will keep watching. Meanwhile it is quite amusing watching the starlings failing at getting into the feeder. If I see bluebirds making it into the feeder i will do an update to this review. However, right now, this is absolutely a starling proof feeder.addendum: just like in the videos I watched prior to purchasing this, the starlings just can't get in. BTW, I switched the worm cup for some Valchoose brand stainless steel 304 approximately 1/4 mesh wire mesh made into a tube that fits into the framework that holds the blue mealworm cup. This is the same size mesh used in the pacific bird wire mesh worm feeder. This is available on amazon and comes in sheets of 12x 24 and I cut it in half at the fold making a 12 inch square. I formed it into a tube , using stainless steel wire ties , I cut the tube into 2 six inch halves, and placed one in the framework, filled it with meal worms and set it back on the bird feeder poles. This should drive the starlings even more nuts. I will enjoy watching that and waiting for blue birds to figure it out.Addendum: I saw another review where the buyer mentioned it would be helpful if there were perches since the bluebirds aren't clingers. Since I hadn't seen any bluebirds in the feeders, I took a 36 inch quarter inch dowel and cut it in half, and shoved the dowels under the metal framework but on top of the floor spanning the feeder, so that they were on each side of the blue meal worm bowl, and each stuck out about 2 inches on each side. The perches seemed to be helpful because this morning, the bluebirds were in the feeder scarfing meal worms. The starlings were still desperately trying to get in unsuccessfully, but the bluebirds were inside and happily eating. THESE FEEDERS REALLY WORK and exclude starlings. I am very pleased.

Finally! A bluebird feeder that the blues can access and the starlings can’t. I have bought several bluebird feeders over the last several years. The ones the blues can access fall prey to starlings and grackles also. I stepped up and invested in another feeder that only the blues and other smaller birds could use. The blues chose not use this feeder unless I configured it differently but that gave those bully birds access also. I came across this Erva feeder and was hesitant because of the price and because I wasn’t sure if the birds would choose to use this feeder either. Having a bluebird nest box in my backyard with eggs I wanted this feeder to work. Short story long I am very pleased with this feeder. It did not take long for the blues to figure out how to get to the worms. A chickadee, a downy woodpecker and a titmouse have also fed there, and no big deal. The big deal, no grackles, no starlings pigging out and driving other birds away. This feeder is pricey but worth the investment. Saves money in the long run in saved mealworms. Saves aggravation not watching the bully birds eating and keeping the smaller birds away.

I like the design, however, my bluebirds have not figured out how to get in yet? Someone mentioned adding a perch. How was a perch added?