| ksflowergirl: One of the reasons that I asked this question was due to the fact that I an making use of a second WBU (Wild Birds Unlimited) Advanced Pole System, which can be found at the link noted below. I specifically decided to opt for a second advanced pole system because I found out that the racoons that traverse our back yard have a love for not only grape jelly and orange marmalade, they also have a foundness for the nectar in the feeders. http://www.wbu.com/prod/mnt.htm Unfortunately, this link, photo, and pdf file really do not show the full extent of the system. Althought relatively expensive - depending upon how many 'adapters' you make use of, it is not so in the long run - the system is very well designed and is extremely well built. In short, it will last for many, many years - nay decades. I was also fortunate that the WBU store in Traverse City, Michigan mailed out a nice coupon for $15.00 off on any purchases over $70.00 - so that another system cost me a total of (with tax) around $62.00 after the coupon. Currently, I have three sets of 'arms' - I just added the third "arm" today - from which to hang a variety of Oriole and Hummingbird feeders and one very nice hanging pot containing two Fushia plants. If you're fortunate to live in an area where there might be several WBU stores, you might check them all out - even if you have to travel a bit of distance. In my situation, I live in one part of the state of Michigan and work - during the week - in another part. So I have two WBU stores not to far from where I work and live. Each store has its own set of prices and I have thus found that the store in Midland, Michigan - about 30 miles from where I 'live' and work during the week offers the parts of the pole system much cheaper than the one near home. Since several WBU stores have web sites, you might wish to check out the variety of prices that might be available for the variious parts in their advanced pole system. Now with that said, I have two Oriole feeders. One is made of recycled milk cartons, but looks like wood. It is supposed to last for many decades of use and I decided to invest in one. This particular version offers two sturdy plastic 'cups' which can be filled with jelly. I put Grape Jelly in one of the cups and Orange Marmalade in the other. I haven't bothered to place orange halves on the 'spikes' in this feeder. Here is a link to that type of feeder. http://www.backyardbird.com/snof.html The other Oriole feeder that I purchased can be filled with nector and there are a few small indentations into which you can also add grape jelly. And, if you so wish, you can 'spike' an orange half on the hanging post. Here's the link to that type of feeder. http://www.buytelescopes.com/product.asp?pid=10093 With regard to the (suspected) difference between Hummingbird and Oriole feeders, I believe that the diameter of the holes are slightly different - or so they appear to be. The Hummingbird holes are smaller and the Oriole feeder holes are bigger - but only slight so. As for Hummingbird feeders, I have three different types: Here's the first:
Droll Yankees Little Flyer 2 Hummingbird Feeder http://www.buytelescopes.com/product.asp?t=136&pid=3677&m= Here's the second: One of the Colibri Hummingbird Feeder(s) http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=9628&N=2005+113595 And here's the third: A DECORATIVE HAND PAINTED METAL HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER made by Opus. It is very well constructed and should last for a decade or two. I found mine at a local pet/bird supply store for around $1.50 less. http://www.birds-n-garden.com/hummingbird_feeders8.html Unfortunately, I haven't seen hide nor hair of any of these two feathered creatures in our gardens in northwestern Michigan. For the last several weeks, it has been rainy and cool to rather cold - last night it got down to around 38 degrees. As a consequence of this cool/rainy weather, many of the nectar producing flowers are not in bloom and most are just beginning to make their appearance in our garden and probably won't come into bloom for several more weeks. Finally, if you're still in the process of adding various kinds of plant material to attract Hummingbirds, Birds, Butterflies, etc. to your garden, you might wish to make use of the excellent 'PlantFinder' search tool buried within the Missouri Botanical Garden web site. By doing a search for plants that attract hummingbirds, I came across Phlox paniculata 'Mount Fuji'. Information on this plant can be found at the link provided below. http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=E600 The main search tool in the 'PlantFinder' can be found at the site below this commentary. Once you arrive at their main search site, you can click on "attracts hummingbirds", etc. and then key in other factors - zone, color, type of lighting, and so on and so forth and come up with a nice variety of plant material from which to choose. And if you look carefully, this wondrous garden tool also provides links to various sources. And, it goes without question that if you are traveling to or through the St. Louis area, a two day stop at this superb garden is a must. Hope you find this "dissertation" quite useful. Best regards in your gardening endeavors. Bill | 
