Is a $150 Bird Feeder Worth it? Reviewing the Unique Droll Yankee Flipper

Squirrels recently returned to my bird feeders with a vengeance. I’m a proponent of using squirrel-proof bird feeders if you want to save money on bird seed and wanted to try a new feeder to keep them at bay. Enter the Droll Yankee Flipper Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder. I saw it listed at about $150 on Amazon (subject to change). I’ve never spent this much on a bird feeder before, but decided to splurge and write about my experience.

The Droll Yankee Flipper is a unique squirrel-proof feeder. Most use a weight-sensitive system to close their ports when a squirrel hangs from it, but this feeder starts spinning when they hang from the bottom, leading to hilarious situations of squirrels clinging on for dear life while being spun around.

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I’ll jump into specifics below, but if you want to skip the rest of this post: I’d 100% recommend this feeder. Yes, it’s expensive. But, it’s a large, quality bird feeder that works at keeping squirrels away with a fun concept. It’s an ideal feeder for someone invested in the hobby with a squirrel problem…or someone who doesn’t want to even get started with local squirrels.

Related Bird Feeding Content: Five Highly Rated Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders for Sale Online

What I Like About the Droll Yankee Flipper Bird Feeder

The Droll Yankee Flipper bird feeder and its parts out of the box laying out on a table.
This is what the bird feeder and its parts looked like straight out of the box. The tube to the left is where the seed goes. The middle section is attached to the bottom after it’s charged up. The charger is on the right.

First, when this feeder arrived, I was struck by how big it is. This feeder isn’t messing around with capacity, holding five pounds of bird seed. It has four feeding ports at the bottom. The ring around the ports is large enough to accommodate songbirds of all sizes, like Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Finches, and more.

Setup is a breeze. The bottom part of the feeder is charged using a port on the top. It was easy to charge and then slide into place beneath the tube. It comes with a metal loop on top for easy hanging. I’ve had several days of heavy rain since putting this feeder out and it holds up well against the elements. The seed is completely dry. The charge is supposed to last for weeks, but I haven’t had to charge it months later. There’s a lifetime warranty on the feeder body and a one-year warranty on the motor and battery charger.

Here’s a link to purchase the feeder here.

Most important, this feeder completely stopped squirrels. Most tried to get at the seed from the top of the feeder, but it’s so long (21 inches) and well-made that they can’t hang from the top to get to the seed ports. Interestingly, I haven’t spotted a squirrel getting flung around on this feeder yet. They seem too afraid to try that. I’ve had this feeder for months now, but it’s accomplished its goal through sheer-intimidation. Time will tell if I’ll see a squirrel get flung. It’s possible they tried when I wasn’t looking and quickly learned their lesson. I can also verify that a local Chipmunk tried to hop on this feeder with no success.

The weight sensitive ring is well-calibrated so birds don’t set it off. In my limited time of using it, here are birds I’ve seen enjoying the feeder:

  • American Goldfinches
  • Black-Capped Chickadees
  • Downy Woodpeckers
  • House Finches
  • House Sparrows
  • Northern Cardinals
  • Pine Siskins
  • Red-Winged Blackbirds
  • White-Breasted Nuthatches

If you’re curious, I filled the feeder up using a big bag of Melody Select Bird seed I bought from Costco. It has a ton of different seed that seems to appeal to a lot of birds. It’s also affordable if you have a Costco membership.

What I Dislike About the Droll Yankee Flipper Bird Feeder

The Droll Yankee Flipper Bird Feeder hanging with my other squirrel-proof bird feeder and a suet cake.
This is what the feeder looks like (to the right) in my current setup. I also have a smaller squirrel-buster bird feeder out on the left. Both have never let a squirrel get to any seed.

I’m happy to report that I have no complaints about this feeder after using it for a few months. This is how it should be at its price-point. I’ll report back here if I have any issues with quality and maintenance over time, but I’m very pleased so far.

This isn’t a complaint, but be sure you have enough support to hang this feeder. It gets pretty heavy if you load it up completely with bird seed. My deck hooks didn’t have any issues.

Related Content: The Ultimate Guide to Bird Feeders

Shopping Options

I purchased my feeder from Amazon, at about $150. I believe it was on a slight sale/discount at the time and it could be listed higher over time.

Here are some other places you can buy the feeder from. It’s worth looking around to check prices!

I hope this review was helpful! This is a feeder that, in my opinion, is worth every penny. Yes, $150 is a sizeable investment for a bird feeder. But, the potential entertainment and the money you’ll save over time from squirrels eating your bird seed makes it well worth it.

Have you tried this feeder? Let me know in the comments below or email me: DeBaunDan@gmail.com

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