You put a fresh sugar water hummingbird feeder in the yard and hang it up while waiting for birds to come. Several days pass, and you see nothing at all, while a neighbor down the road has five hummingbirds flying around the porch.
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Instead of thinking you purchased the wrong brand of feeder or picked the wrong location, relax. There’s a chance the feeder isn’t the problem.
Hummingbirds are searching for a complete habitat, instead, which you can create without breaking the bank on new equipment.
The Real Draw: Habitat Over Hardware
The specific flowers and insects they eat vary from one habitat to the next, but these core components of their diet remain the same. When they live near humans, hummingbirds will also eat nectar water from hummingbird feeders.
Still, native plants provide the most natural food options for hummingbirds, and the best way to attract them to your yard is to plan plenty of flowering plants. Whether a hummingbird remembers who you are, they’ll remember where they found food.
So, if you enjoy seeing a hummingbird population in your yard, continue to plant native flowering plants that provide the birds with nectar, create a healthy habitat, and supplement those offerings with a sugar solution in a hummingbird feeder, if necessary. Remember, too, that hummingbirds need more than just a meal to feel at home in your garden.
They need places to perch and water to bathe in and cool themselves down in summer. Where possible, you should include plenty of trees and shrubs in your space to provide hummingbirds, other birds, and other wildlife with shelter and habitat throughout the year.
Next, partner up with plants. Nearby shrubs and branches will give hummingbirds protection and places to perch and rest.
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Nectar-producing plants will draw hummingbirds and let them know there’s food on the menu. Providing a man-made feeder for hummingbirds can help you aid and welcome these beautiful birds into your garden.
It is always best to plant flowers to provide natural food sources for our feathered friends. You should also take steps to provide a biodiverse habitat in your garden, which provides hummingbirds and other wildlife with everything they need.
Factor 1: The Need for Tiny Insects
Sugar water fuels a hummingbird, but protein builds their muscles and feeds their young. Hummingbirds eat hundreds of tiny insects every day.
They hunt for fruit flies, gnats, aphids, and small spiders. If a yard is perfectly manicured and completely free of bugs, it is a food desert for a hummingbird.
Leaving a little wildness in your garden provides the protein these birds desperately need.
Factor 2: Continuous Native Blooms
Bright red feeders catch a bird’s eye, but native plants tell them they have found a reliable territory. Hummingbirds have evolved alongside native tubular flowers.
Planting a few native perennials like columbine, bee balm, or cardinal flower works wonders. The trick is to choose plants that bloom at different times of the year.
When you stagger your bloom times, you provide a continuous food source that keeps hummingbirds coming back month after month.
Factor 3: Safe Perches and Shelter
Factor 4: The Chemical Free Zone
Your Weekend Action Plan
Nectar: Nectar can come from two different places: flowers and feeders. Planting nectar-rich flowers is the best way to attract hummingbirds to your yard, but sugar water-filled feeders are a great backup plan.
- Do not use chemical pesticides. If we allow the natural insect population to recover, the birds will have something to hunt.
- Do not disturb spider webs. Hummingbirds use spider silk to construct their nests. Next time you see a web in the corner of a garden, leave it there.
- Plant one native perennial. Visit a local nursery and pick up a native nectar plant. Place it in the ground or in a pot near your feeder to act as a natural beacon.
Hummingbird Yard Audit Checklist
- Native Flowers: I have at least one native tubular flowering plant in my garden.
- Protein Sources: I let tiny insects like gnats and aphids stay in my garden.
- Nesting Material: I leave spider webs in the corners of my garden and in the trees.
- Safe Perches: I have shrubs, trees, or tall plants where birds can rest and hide.
- Chemical Free: I do not apply broad spectrum pesticides or herbicides in my yard.
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Hummingbird watching takes patience and consistency. If you choose one or two high-quality feeders and maintain them throughout the season, you will get to enjoy these amazing birds for as long as they stay in your area.
You can create a welcoming environment for these amazing birds by providing an abundant food source and shelter. And, with a bit of patience and luck, you might see them return year after year.
It may take some trial and error to craft the perfect feeder for your yard. But with a bit of patience, you’re sure to attract some feathered friends in no time.
Why the yard matters more than the feeder
| Spec | What our writers say |
|---|---|
| Main draw | Native flowering plants, not the feeder alone |
| Memory | They remember where they found food |
| Perches | Nearby shrubs and branches for rest and cover |
| Water | A place to bathe and cool off in summer |
| Shelter | Trees and shrubs for habitat through the year |
| Feeder role | A supplement after the habitat is in place |
| Patience | Pick one or two feeders and keep them going all season |
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