Reviews
First Nature 3051 review
The only budget feeder we recommend, and the reason is one design decision nobody else at this price made.
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Buy it if the budget is tight or you want a second feeder. Sixteen ounces, ten ports, an ant moat built into the base, a wide-mouth reservoir that takes a real bottle brush, and a patented two-part base that twists apart so you can reach the underside of the ports. That last detail is why it is on this site at all. Skip it if you have bees, or if drips will bother you — it is an inverted bottle, and inverted bottles drip.
What we recommend here
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No product photo yet First Nature 3051 16 oz 16 oz, ten ports, and it genuinely comes apart | Best budget feeder | 8.6 out of 10 | |
| 2 | No product photo yet Aspects HummZinger HighView 12 oz A saucer that cannot drip, for a bit more | Worth the upgrade | 9.2 out of 10 | |
| 3 | No product photo yet First Nature 32 oz Hummingbird Feeder Only if you are genuinely refilling daily | The 32 oz version | 7.4 out of 10 |
Scores are our own editorial ratings from the criteria on our methodology page. They are not customer ratings and they are not test results.
What it is
A classic inverted-bottle feeder at 16 oz with ten feeding ports, in plastic, with a strategically placed perch and an ant moat built into the base. It is one of the best-selling hummingbird feeders in the country and it costs a fraction of what the good saucers do.
Two published features do the work: a wide-mouth reservoir, and a patented two-part base that twists apart for cleaning.
Why a cheap bottle feeder is on this site
We recommend saucers by default and we are hard on bottle feeders, so the exception needs explaining.
Cheap feeders normally fail on cleaning access, not on capacity or looks. The typical twelve-dollar bottle has a narrow neck a brush will not enter and a base that does not separate, which leaves the underside of ten ports permanently unreachable. That is where mold establishes, so that feeder is unsafe on a schedule you cannot fix.
First Nature solved both problems. The mouth takes a standard bottle brush without contortions, and the base twists into two pieces so the port undersides are exposed. First Nature specifies warm soapy water rather than a dishwasher, which is normal for thin plastic parts.
It is not as fast as a two-part saucer — nothing is — but it is genuinely cleanable, which at this price is unusual. The ranking.
What you are giving up
It drips. Not through a fault, but because it is an inverted bottle: the air above the nectar warms, expands, and pushes liquid out of the ports. Nothing prevents that, and dripping is what recruits bees and ants. Why bottle feeders leak.
No bee guards. Ten open ports on a feeder that drips is close to the worst combination for bees. If you have them, this is the wrong feeder — bee-proof feeders.
Thin plastic that will haze. It will look tired in a couple of seasons. At this price that is arguably fine.
The capacity trap
Sixteen ounces sounds generous. In an average yard it mostly means you pour more away, because nectar spoils on the weather’s schedule rather than on how much you poured.
Fill it half full. Capacity is a maximum, not an instruction. There is one bottle-specific caveat — a part-filled bottle has more trapped air, so it drips a little more — but wasting less nectar every three days is worth it. Sizing.
The 32 oz version exists and we would steer almost everyone away from it. It is the same design at double the volume, on the same change cycle, with a reservoir taller than a standard 13.5-inch bottle brush reaches.
Who should not buy this
- Anyone with a bee or wasp problem. Ten open ports and a drip-prone body. Buy a saucer instead.
- Anyone hanging it over a patio or deck. It will drip on whatever is underneath.
- Anyone who wants one good feeder for a decade. This is a two-or-three season feeder. That is a reasonable thing to be for the money, but it is worth knowing.
Where it fits
Excellent as a second feeder. Hummingbirds are territorial and a dominant bird will guard a single feeder all season — two feeders out of sight of each other shows you far more birds than one big one. A cheap, cleanable feeder is exactly right for that role. Placement.
Recommended for this
What we’d buy
1. Best budget feeder
First Nature 3051 16 oz
Ten ports, a wide-mouth reservoir and a base that twists into two pieces — the cheapest feeder in the category that is genuinely easy to clean, which is the only reason it is here.
photo yet
- Type
- Inverted bottle
- Capacity
- 16 oz
- Feeding ports
- 10
- Material
- Plastic
- Base
- Patented two-part base, twists apart
- Reservoir
- Wide-mouth
- Ant moat
- Built into the base
- Dishwasher
- Not dishwasher safe — warm soapy water
Our score: 8.6/10 — an editorial rating, not a customer rating or a test result.
Cleaning access
Better than the price suggests. The reservoir mouth is wide enough to take a bottle brush without contortions, and the base twists into two pieces so you can reach the underside of the ports — the spot that grows mold first on a cheap bottle feeder. First Nature specifies warm soapy water, not the dishwasher.
What works
- Wide-mouth reservoir takes a standard bottle brush, unlike most budget bottle feeders
- Two-part base opens up the port undersides, which is where mold starts
- Ten ports and an integrated ant moat at the bottom of the category's price range
What doesn’t
- It is an inverted bottle, so it can drip as trapped air warms and pushes nectar out
- Not dishwasher safe, and the thin plastic would not enjoy a hot wash anyway
- Fill all 16 oz in a quiet yard and you will pour most of it away
Specifications from Amazon — First Nature 10-Port Hummingbird Feeder 3051, 16 oz and Oak Ridge Stores — First Nature FN3051. We have not handled this feeder — here is what we did instead.
2. Worth the upgrade
Aspects HummZinger HighView 12 oz
A four-port saucer feeder with the ant moat built into the lid and a cover that lifts straight off — the shortest path from hanging it up to washing it out.
photo yet
- Type
- Saucer (dish)
- Capacity
- 12 oz
- Feeding ports
- 4
- Material
- Polycarbonate, metal hanger
- Dimensions
- 7.75" x 7.75" x 1.75"
- Ant moat
- Built in
- Perch
- Raised wraparound perch
- Mounting
- Hang or post mount
Our score: 9.2/10 — an editorial rating, not a customer rating or a test result.
Cleaning access
Two parts. The cover lifts off the base with no tools and no threads to cross, and the whole dish is one open bowl — a two-minute wash with a brush and hot water, which is exactly the cadence a nectar feeder needs. The moat is part of the lid, so there is no separate accessory to lose or forget to refill.
What works
- Saucer design puts nectar below the ports, so it does not drip as the air inside warms
- Ant moat is integral to the lid rather than a separate hanging accessory
- Opens to a single shallow bowl — the easiest shape in the category to scrub
- Raised ports shed rain, which keeps the nectar from being diluted
What doesn’t
- 12 oz is small for a busy yard
- Polycarbonate clouds over several seasons in a way glass does not
- No bee-excluding port tips fitted — that is the Ultra's feature, not the HighView's
Specifications from Duncraft — Aspects High View HummZinger and Amazon — Aspects HummZinger HighView 12 oz. We have not handled this feeder — here is what we did instead.
3. The 32 oz version
First Nature 32 oz Hummingbird Feeder
The same design at 32 oz. Right for a genuinely busy yard in peak season, wrong for almost everyone else — nectar spoils on a schedule that ignores how much you poured.
photo yet
- Type
- Inverted bottle
- Capacity
- 32 oz
- Feeding ports
- 10
- Material
- Plastic
- Base
- Two-part base, twists apart
- Ant moat
- Built in
Our score: 7.4/10 — an editorial rating, not a customer rating or a test result.
Cleaning access
Same two-part twist base and wide-mouth reservoir as the 16 oz, so the method does not change — but you are washing a bigger bottle on the same two-to-five-day cycle, and the reservoir is tall enough that a short brush will not reach the bottom.
What works
- Genuinely useful where a yard empties a 16 oz feeder in a day
- Same easy-clean two-part base as the smaller model
- Ten ports spread out the traffic that justifies buying this size
What doesn’t
- Most yards will pour out more spoiled nectar than the birds drink
- Tall reservoir needs a long bottle brush, not the one in a standard kit
- A full 32 oz bottle is heavy — check what you are hanging it from
Specifications from Walmart — First Nature Hummingbird Feeder, 32 oz, 10 feeding ports and Amazon — First Nature Hummingbird Flower Feeder, 32 oz. We have not handled this feeder — here is what we did instead.
Common questions
Frequently asked
Is the First Nature 3051 easy to clean?
Yes, unusually so for the price. The reservoir has a wide mouth that takes a standard bottle brush and the base twists into two pieces, exposing the underside of the ports. First Nature specifies warm soapy water rather than a dishwasher.
Does the First Nature 3051 leak?
It can, like every inverted-bottle feeder: warming air above the nectar expands and pushes liquid out of the ports. Hanging it in shade and filling it completely reduces it. A saucer feeder eliminates it.
Does it have an ant moat?
Yes, built into the base. Keep it filled with plain water and make sure the feeder hangs free rather than touching a wall or branch.
Can you put the First Nature 3051 in the dishwasher?
No. First Nature specifies that parts should be washed in warm soapy water and not put in a dishwasher.
Sources
Where this came from
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By Scooter M.
an enthusiast who's genuinely into this. I read the manuals, compile the published specs, and do the math. No lab coat.
Published September 1, 2026