After years of watching these delightful little visitors in my garden, I’ve learned that sometimes we unknowingly drive them away. These tiny creatures are more sensitive than most folks realize, and even the most well-intentioned bird enthusiast might be making mistakes that send hummingbirds searching for friendlier territory.
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Pesticides may reduce the number of bugs and insects that annoy you, but pesticides can make hummingbirds sick, and these little birds actually need to consume insects to survive! We recommend skipping the pesticides in your hummingbird-friendly garden.
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Hummingbird information sources warn against using pesticides on flowers or any plants in or around your yard. Bugs or nectar from flowers that are Hummingbird food could become contaminated and be fatal to the birds.
2. Bright Clothing Can Draw Them Over Looking for Food
Hummingbirds are attracted to red, orange, and yellow. If you’re wearing a bright article of clothing or sitting next to a colorful object, hummingbirds may fly by just to check it out in search of food.
3. Loud Noises and Sudden Movements Keep Them Away
Maintain a peaceful environment. Hummingbirds may be more likely to visit a calm, quiet garden that is free from loud noises and sudden movements.
If you have active kids and pets, consider planting your hummingbird garden in a quieter part of your property.
4. Place Feeders 3 Feet or 30 Feet From Windows
Hanging feeders should be about 5 feet off the ground, which helps to avoid squirrels reaching them. It’s also very important that feeders be positioned either 3 feet or 30 feet from windows to avoid deadly window collisions.
In fact, researchers have found that placing feeders directly on your windows can decrease the number of collisions, while mortality increases when feeders are placed between five and 10 meters from glass windows.
5. Artificial Sweeteners Give Them No Energy
The only safe sugar for hummingbirds is refined white table sugar. Don’t ever use artificial sweeteners; they don’t give hummingbirds any energy.
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Also, avoid organic sugar, brown sugar, agave, honey, corn syrup, and other sweeteners, which present assorted health hazards for the hummingbirds. Once you’ve got your hummingbird feeder, fill it with a nectar mixture that’s four parts water to one part table sugar.
Don’t use artificial sweeteners or honey – keep things simple when feeding hummingbirds.
6. Keep Cats Indoors and Watch Other Pets
You should also make sure that your garden is free from dangers. So, grow organically, and avoid using any harmful herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers.
Don’t use netting that might snare birds, and where possible, keep pets like domestic cats indoors. You should also avoid placing obstacles like netting, which could cause entanglement and injury to our feathered friends.
And keep a close eye on pets etc., to keep birds in your garden safe.
7. They Need Cover Within 10 to 15 Feet
Skip the crafting and rely on the plants in your garden to provide for the hummingbirds’ needs. Native shrubs and trees in a variety of sizes are best for offering hummingbirds the foliage cover that helps them feel safe!
Ideally, place feeders close to natural food sources, water, perches, and places of refuge and shelter for the hummingbirds that visit them. Cover should be no further than 10-15 feet away.
8. Using Noisy Garden Equipment
Loud lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and other garden equipment can frighten away these sensitive birds. Try to schedule your yard work during off-peak feeding times, typically mid-day when hummingbird activity naturally slows down.
Consider creating a quiet zone around your feeding stations.
9. Dirty Feeders Make Them Sick and Drive Them Off
Dirty feeders are a deterrent to hummingbirds. Mold and mildew can make them sick, and nectar that is spoiled or ant-filled is going to make hummingbirds avoid your feeders.
One of the reasons you must always clean your feeder is that hummingbirds can catch diseases from a dirty feeder. Hummingbirds themselves are rarely carriers for diseases, but other birds may visit their feeders, and those birds could carry illnesses.
10. Windbreaks Create Sheltered Microclimates They Use
One key thing to think about – especially in the mountains – is creating windbreak hedgerows and shelterbelts with native species to reduce the wind and create more sheltered micro-climates, which are helpful to the plants that you grow and the hummingbirds you welcome.
11. Avoid Crowding Hummingbird Feeders Together
There really is no limit to how many hummingbird feeders a person can own. The bigger your yard, the more you can put up.
If you want your hummingbirds to be happy and healthy, it is best to avoid crowding them together.
If hummingbirds will not stay
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hummingbirds get sick, or food proves fatal | Pesticides on flowers or plants; bugs or nectar become contaminated. These birds need insects to survive. | Skip pesticides on flowers or any plants in or around the yard |
| They stay away from a loud, active yard | Loud noises and sudden movements | Plant the hummingbird garden in a quieter part of the property; keep it calm and quiet |
| Deadly window collisions | Mortality increases when feeders sit between five and 10 meters from glass | Position feeders either 3 feet or 30 feet from windows, or directly on the windows. Hang them about 5 feet off the ground to keep squirrels off. |
| The nectar gives them no energy, or presents health hazards | Artificial sweeteners, or organic sugar, brown sugar, agave, honey, corn syrup, or other sweeteners | Use only refined white table sugar, four parts water to one part sugar. No artificial sweeteners or honey. |
| Birds get snared or injured | Netting; pets like domestic cats; also harmful herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers | Do not use netting. Keep domestic cats indoors where possible, keep a close eye on pets, and grow organically. |
| They do not feel safe at the feeder | No nearby foliage cover, so they do not feel safe | Use native shrubs and trees in a variety of sizes. Cover should be no further than 10–15 feet away. Place feeders close to food, water, perches, and shelter. |
| They avoid the feeder or get sick from it | Mold, mildew, spoiled or ant-filled nectar, or disease carried by other birds that visit a dirty feeder | Always clean the feeder |
| Wind, especially in the mountains | No windbreak hedgerows or shelterbelts | Create windbreak hedgerows and shelterbelts with native species to reduce the wind and make sheltered micro-climates |
| Hummingbirds are not happy or healthy at a cluster of feeders | Feeders crowded together | Avoid crowding them together. There is no limit to how many you can own; the bigger the yard, the more you can put up. |
