I had a strange, near tragic event at my tube feeder.  I saw a young Gold Finch with its head in one of the feeding ports was not moving.  I first thought it was dead, but on closer look, saw it was breathing.  It's head was apparently stuck.  Looking through the opposite port, I could see that a chunk of consolidated sunflower seed chips had shifted and trapped the bird's head.  I was able to get the bird loose by using a small stick to give it a better perch for its feet, then using a piece of stiff wire to reach through the opposite feeding port and move the chunk of consolidated feed away from the bird's head.  He/she then pulled out of the port and flew away.  So, I'm pretty sure I managed the extraction without doing any harm.

But, this is the last straw with the "sunflow seed chips" sold by Walmart.  They are actually chips, with some meal and chaff included.  When it gets wet, it gets gooey, and then when it dries out, it gets hard.  It is a real mess to clean out of the feeders, wet or dry, once it has become wet.

In contrast, the sunflower seed "chips" from the local Wild Bird Store are really whole seeds, with no meal of chaff.  When it gets wet, there is no problem.  And, it costs only pennies more per pound than the junk at Walmart.  I learned my lesson, and hope to save others some trouble.