Question : Will house sparrows use it ? I hope not
Answer : Sparrows, grackles, and starlings are able to attach to mine, after some practice. However, they are not able to feed for long. The suet will last much longer than it will in a traditional cage feeder.
Question : Can house sparrows use this feeder? please say no...
Answer : I have never witnessed sparrows using it. But, grackles/black birds eventually learned how to. The feeder was perfect for about a year, by the next year the black birds figured it out.
Question : What size of suet/cake will fit in it?
Answer : It can contain either one or two normal-sized suet cakes. The angle of the opening allows only the song birds to access the suet. No more crows or raccoons at our feeder!
Question : How long is the cable that it hangs from?
Answer : It's on a hook on a pole about 6' off ground
Question : Has anyone had luck with keeping the magpies away, too?
Answer : We don't have magpies. Our nuthatches, woodpeckers and titmice like it.