by Bill Fintel, Avian Aquatics
Nectar feeders, or more specifically, sugar water feeders, are just one element in attracting hummingbirds. For maximum success and the health of the birds, you should also provide flowering plants frequented by hummingbirds, a source of drinking water, and shelter from the elements.
Feeders
When selecting a feeder, keep the following points in mind:
- Your feeder should be brightly colored; most are bright red. With such a feeder, dying the sugar water red does NOT help, so there is no reason to feed the birds a chemical dye they don’t need.
- Feeders with perches are desirable, for the perch allows a tired bird to rest while it feeds. In the east, it is unusual to have more than one hummingbird feeding at a feeder at one time, thus a large feeder is usually not beneficial.
- Inverted feeders have a tendency to drip as they heat up in the sun. This attracts ants and wasps. Upright feeders do not have this problem, but, they hold less syrup than many of the inverted feeders.
- Feeders should be equipped with ant guards. Typical ant guards are small cups filled with water below which the feeder is hung. Some feeders are made with a built-in ant guard. Be sure to keep the ant guard filled with water.
- Inverted feeders should also have wasp guards. This is a plastic cage that encloses the tube out of which the sugar water is drank.
- To attract more hummingbirds, provide more feeders. This minimizes the territorial conflicts which erupt. With multiple feeders, you can spread them around so a bird defending one can not see a bird at another, or you can place lots of feeders near each other so one bird can’t possibly defend them all.
- Hang feeders in a location and at an elevation that is easily viewed. You can hang one right in a window for really close-up viewing.
- Plan to clean your feeders at least weekly, so select a design which is easy to clean. Buy special brushes to get in the cracks and cranny’s if necessary. Some feeders are dishwasher safe.
Hummingbird Nectar
The broadly accepted recipe for syrup used in hummingbird feeders is one part sugar to four parts water. The sugar should be dissolved in warm water, and the solution allowed to cool to room temperature before using. Store extra solution in the refrigerator. Clean and refill feeders AT LEAST weekly, or when they become low or cloudy. You can use refrigerated syrup directly in the feeders.
Flowers
I recommend wildflowers with tubular red blooms, when limited to a single criteria for selecting hummingbird flowers. In the east this includes Trumpet Vine, Cardinal Flower, Beebalm (Monarda), Coral Honeysuckle, Columbine, and Azaleas. In the west it includes Texas sage (Salvia coccinea), and many of the Penstemons. Note that many eastern flowers can be grown in the west, and vice versa. Hummingbirds will feed on other color flowers, but seem attracted to red first when given a choice. As far as cultivated varieties of flowers, frequently the nectar desirability seems to get bred out of the plants, and beautiful blooms just get sampled and then ignored by hungry hummingbirds. I don’t know how to tell which ones will be good and which will not, other than to try them. I have found this to be particularly true of cultivated Salvias.
It is best to plant different flowers which bloom over an extended period of time, and plant them in fairly large groups to make a conspicuous display to better attract the hummingbirds. Feeders should be placed within sight of the flowers. Flowers which bloom when the young birds fledge are particularly beneficial in attracting and feeding the young birds. For instance, in the east, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fledge in early July at about the same that Beebalm begins to bloom.
Water
The absolute best source of water for hummingbirds is a mister set up to wet foliage of a bush or small tree. Hummingbirds are attracted by the mist and will fly through it, but most actual bathing takes place by them rubbing up against wet foliage. Occasionally hummingbirds will bath in a shallow bird bath with moving water, but not as frequently as by using wet foliage.
Shelter and Nest sites
Early in the spring and again in the fall, when a strong cold front passes through, it is important that hummingbirds can find shelter from cold winds. Hedgerows and other dense plantings afford such shelter. If your flower beds are on the south side of such a hedgerow, or on the south side of your house, the birds will be able to feed while being protected from the harsh winds.
Hummingbird Calendar – East
Over 99% of the hummingbirds observed east of the Mississippi are Ruby-throated hummingbirds. Only the adult male has a ruby throat. The female and immatures are similar with green backs and wings, and off white throat and belly. For the mid-Atlantic, adults are first observed in early April, often returning to the same feeders they used in previous years. Frequently after a brief appearance, they “disappear” to nesting areas, typically large wooded tracks, wooded swamps, etc. Then in early July when the young fledge, there is a dramatic increase in hummingbird sightings. These increased numbers persist until early September when they begin southward migration to Central America. It is during this July to September period when you can have the greatest success attracting numbers of hummingbirds to your yard. Breeding and migration patterns of the dozen or so hummingbirds found in the west are far too complicated to be covered in this brief space, but more information can be found in the following references.
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