Heritage Bird Feeder

Because the Heritage feeder has a large holding area you will spend less time adding seed to an empty feeder. This is a great help in the winter months when you don't want to be trudging through the snow to make sure the birds have something to eat. It will hold 12 pounds of mixed seed, which means it might not hold as much if using sunflower seeds alone since they are larger than the millet and milo seeds, but it holds a lot of sunflower seeds too, which is mainly what I use.
Some feeders are so large that they will be impossible to carry when full, but this one is just right for me.
When a winter storm is in the forecast, just fill your Heritage Bird Feeder to the top and you will not have to worry about birds emptying it before the storm is over.
The openings are large enough to accommodate nuts (and even peanuts in the shell) as well, which I usually mix in as treats for the Tufted Titmouse and Chickadees.

In this photo I have just a little sunflower seed in the bottom, but you can fill it up over the windows.

Because the Heritage Farms Absolute II Bird Feeder is made almost entirely of metal, it is sturdy and durable. Even the metal hanger is well made and can be used to carry the feeder. Filling it is very easy too. Just squeeze the metal latches under the roof and lift the top all the way back. To close you must pull up on the roof - and there is a sticker inside to remind you of that - and snap it back into place. No animal has ever opened this feeder.

With seven windows on each side of the hopper (where the bird seed is stored), it's easy to tell when the food is running low. If you use dark seeds, such as sunflowers, it's a bit more difficult to use this feature but get out the binoculars (you must have some if you are a bird watcher) if you need to, or watch the birds eat - if they have to stick their heads in the openings, that is a sign that the seed is getting sparse. If no birds are eating at all, it's probably empty.

Depending on how many birds visit your yard, the seed will last for days in winter and possibly weeks in summer.

As you can see in this picture, there is a wide tray area to keep the bird seed from falling to the ground. Some of it might, of course, but waste is minimal. The seed openings are large enough that you can feed nuts, which are a sought after treat - even peanuts in the shell work - and if the seeds get low, birds can actually stick their heads in and dig out the last of the seed.
The overhang of the roof keeps the seed dry, unless there is a blowing rain, and even then it's just the seeds in the opening that will get wet. It works wonderfully in winter to keep the snow from collecting and burying the food.
(In this photo you can see the bar that will close on a larger, heavier bird or squirrel.)

Birds who love to sit and eat, like the Goldfinch and Grosbeak, love this perch area to just sit and enjoy the sunflower seed and many small birds can eat at once.

It's important to choose a good spot for the feeder. Birds like shrubs and stalks to land on before feeding so having the feeder in the garden is a good idea. Don't put the feeder near trees or hang it from a sturdy branch, because that invites the squirrels and makes it easier for them to get to it. Using a tall pole is a good idea.

The description at Amazon says that the Heritage Farms Absolute II feeder comes with pole mounting hardware and I bought mine many years ago and never added it to a pole. There are holes underneath so I assume that would have been a choice, but I always hang mine on a shepherds hook or a sturdy tree branch, but close proximity to trees makes it easier for squirrels to jump to the seed ledge.

In summer it hangs at the edge of my garden and the chickadees, goldfinches and purple finches flock to it all summer long. I even had a woodpecker and a few Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks enjoy it too. In winter it gets lots more visits and that is when I am most happy with the large seed storage area.

*If you plan to feed in winter be sure to get the shepherds hook or pole into the ground early before the ground freezes.

There are metal hooks on the side of the Heritage Bird Feeder which allow you to choose how much of a spring action you want to prevent heavier birds, and of course squirrels, from eating. If it's set like mine in the photo, which is the lightest of three settings, then most larger birds and squirrels supposedly won't be able to eat because the perch will close. I do know that blue jays never eat from this feeder and I don't have any cardinals come to my yard, but I used to and they could eat from it at this setting.

Please note that mine, in this photo, is dented from a bear attack (it still works!) - your new one will not look like this, but I wanted to show how to set the perch weight.

It is advertised as being squirrel proof and some people have commented that squirrels still get into theirs. I have more trouble with the smaller red squirrels finding a way to eat, than the large gray squirrels, so it might depend on which squirrels you have around. I can say that they will not eat comfortably!

The squirrels will not get into the seed through the roof - which is locked down - and there are no plastic areas (except the windows - and mine have never been damaged) for the critters to chew through to get seed. The only way they eat is from the seed ledge.

I will say that gray squirrels have a tougher time since they are larger, but I still can't say it is squirrel proof. Your own experience might be different, but squirrels are related to monkeys I think and, in my opinion, there is no absolute way to prevent them from getting to the seed in your feeders.

Unless the snow is really blowing, the openings will stay clear for the birds to eat during snow storms. The fact that the hopper area is so large means I can fill it before the storm arrives and not worry that the birds will run out of food.