[OLS]

No, the grid is pretty much the base of it, the feed fills the individual cells and spills over fine.
But from the look of it, your clearance under the glass might be an issue, so you might be better served
by slicing your hands all up with a section of 1/2" hardware cloth and using that as a base, maybe bending
the tips down at a length of about 1/8" so that you get the same effect without the brutal 3/8" clearance
issue inherent with the white grid.

But then I can ALMOST guarantee that if you switch to ONLY the black sunflower seeds, you will stop
having these issues, since I THINK the birds that are ruining your feeder will not prefer these. You still
will attract all the songbirds and cardinals and jays, woodpeckers, etc. You will just lose the grackles,
blackbirds and house sparrows. They need to be eating insects right now, anyway. The mixes contain
mostly millet, cracked corn and red milo, with a few sunflower seeds. Most birds will eat the millet and
sunflower seeds, but will ignore the corn and milo. If you force the issue, the good birds will still come,
but the seeds that attract problem birds will not be available to them anymore and they will eventually
just stop coming. Keep in mind, the BAGS will say 'premium mix" and "songbird mix", but that is just a
clever way to get you to buy them, with the cheap, heavy filler making up the bulk of the bag.
The same birds they claim you will attract with that crap will all eat black sunflower seeds, and what's more,
they LOVE IT.