Final batch from Geoff's workshop • In 12 active baskets • 74 left
Geoff's Tail-Rest Woodpecker Feeder
Geoff's Tail-Rest Woodpecker Feeder
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30-day money-back guarantee
Free UK delivery with tracking
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Geoff's Tail-Rest Woodpecker Feeder
Built in a brick workshop in the Shropshire hills
Geoff Pritchard, 73, climbed telegraph poles for 38 years and has built woodpecker feeders since 2008. Arthritis in both thumbs has ended the groove cutting — this is his final batch.
“A woodpecker’s tail is his safety belt. He leans back on it the same way I leaned back on mine for thirty-eight years. Most feeders leave his tail hanging in the air. So I gave him a board to lean on. The first time a great spotted woodpecker tried it, he stayed ten minutes.”
Geoff Pritchard · Clun, Shropshire
What comes in the box
Stained wood frame, 21 × 28 cm
Grooved board, already fitted
Rustproof, slides out for cleaning
Steel cable, ready to hang
Six things 38 years on the poles taught Geoff
A 10 cm wooden board under the suet. The woodpecker leans its tail on it, just like on a tree trunk, and eats without struggling to hold on.
Grooves cut across the board give the tail feathers something to hold. “Smooth wood is like ice to them.”
Lift the roof, drop in a suet block, close it. No screws and no tools, even with gloves on.
The rustproof wire front slides out of the top. Rinse it off and slide it back in.
Made for birds that cling, like woodpeckers and nuthatches. Pigeons can’t get at it.
Dark-stained wood and a painted roof. British rain runs straight off, and the suet stays dry.
“Woodpeckers are built to brace against a trunk with their tail. Most suet feeders leave the tail hanging in the air, so the bird works harder just to hold on. A tail board gives it back its natural stance. In winter, when every mouthful counts, that matters. I notice the woodpeckers stay longer at feeders like this.”
Margaret Ellis · Retired biology teacher · 20+ winters of garden bird surveys
Perfect for
Why Geoff’s feeders last
- A real tail rest. The grooved board is part of the frame, not an add-on.
- Rustproof wire. The front grid stays clean and slides out whenever you want to rinse it.
- A roof that closes. Rain runs off the painted lid, so the suet stays dry.
- One design since 2008. Geoff’s first feeder still hangs on the apple tree by his kitchen window.
- Checked by hand. Geoff looked over every feeder in his workshop before it went into the box.
If the woodpeckers don’t take to it, one email to info@cedarandtinco.com is enough. No forms, no questions — Geoff would rather have it back than have it sit in a box.
Geoff’s one tip. Hang the feeder about head height or a little higher (1.5 to 2 metres), close to a tree trunk, where you can see it from a window. Suet is not included — any standard square suet block fits. Give the birds a week to find it.
Product details
| Contents | 1 suet feeder with fitted tail rest, wire front and hanging cable |
| Material | Dark-stained wood, painted roof, rustproof wire, steel cable |
| Dimensions | Approx. 21 cm wide × 28 cm tall (8 × 11 in); tail rest 10 cm (4 in) |
| Fits | 1 standard square suet block; also apple halves or nesting material |
| Refilling | Lift the roof, drop in the block — no tools |
| Hanging | Branch, shepherd’s crook or wall bracket |
| Best for | Great spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches |
| Care | Slide out the wire front and rinse with water now and then |
| Made by | Geoff Pritchard, Clun, Shropshire — final batch, 74 remaining |
The Last Winter
The Last Winter
A note from the workshop:
Geoff Pritchard climbed telegraph poles in the Shropshire hills for 38 years, first for the GPO, then for BT. He watched great spotted woodpeckers lean on their tails the way he leaned on his safety belt, so since 2008 he has built suet feeders with a grooved tail rest in the old brick pigsty behind his cottage in Clun — about 1,100 of them. His very first one still hangs on the apple tree by his kitchen window. Arthritis in both thumbs means he can no longer hold the router steady to cut the grooves. There will be no further batch — the 74 feeders left in the workshop are the last.
Free UK Delivery
Free UK Delivery
Free delivery across the United Kingdom
- Delivery time: 3–5 working days
- Every feeder is packed by hand and sent with tracking
- Approx. 21 cm wide × 28 cm tall (8 × 11 in), grooved tail rest 10 cm (4 in), steel hanging cable
- Holds 1 standard square suet block (suet not included) — lift the roof to refill
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (UK time). Whether it’s about your order, where to hang it, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Hang it up, give the birds a week, and if it isn’t right for your garden, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and UK delivery is free.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Geoff builds each feeder in his workshop: a dark-stained wooden box with a rustproof wire front that slides out for cleaning and a painted roof that lifts for refilling. Underneath he fits the tail-rest board and cuts the grooves across it one by one with a small router, so a woodpecker’s tail feathers have something to hold. Geoff checks every feeder before it goes into the box.