Hummingbirds are amazing little creatures that can fly like acrobats. They are not too expensive to attract to your yard, but you need to know a few things that they really want, like their favorite color and flower. They also like a clean space to eat. There is a chance that you could make a homemade nectar that would harm them, so do your research. Continue reading to discover the best and safest ways to keep these birds in your yard.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check PriceRed Flowers as a Welcome Sign
Hummingbirds are very attracted to the color red because of their advanced color vision, making red flowers act like a giant “NECTAR HERE” sign. Although they might check out a nostalgic red geranium, the top red flowers provide even better meals. Plant nectar powerhouses like Bee Balm (Monarda), Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and red Salvia to give them a visual cue and a tasty, energetic drink.
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The Most Perfect And Safest Sugar Water Recipe
Nectar can be made easily using just one part of white table sugar to four parts water. To create this mixture, boil the sugar to dissolve it and to eliminate any present bacteria. After cooling your mixture, fill your feeders. It is important to **NEVER** use ingredients such as brown sugar, honey, or red food coloring as they can be dangerous to birds. Any excess nectar can be stored in the fridge for a week.
An Overgrown Trumpet Vine
While the trumpet vine can be a little aggressive, it is a five-star restaurant for hummingbirds with plenty of rich nectar in its long, tube-like flowers that perfectly fit a hummingbird's beak. Although it does like to bully the other plants in the garden, seeing a ruby-throated hummingbird dip into the bright orange flowers is a reward.
Feeders Hung Near a Window
For an up-close-and-personal view of the action, you can place a feeder about three to four feet from a window. This distance allows the birds enough comfort to feed and even squabble. You can have your own live nature documentary every day!
A Hose-End Mister for spa days
The misting attachment you bought for the plants is actually a hummingbird spa! These tiny birds love the fine mist and flying through it. On hot summer days, the mist helps to cool them down, and they love to clean their feathers. Watch them dance when you turn it on in the afternoon. They will perform an amazing ballet as they fly through the mist!
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A Shallow Dish for a Bath
Hummingbirds love shallow baths. Most bird baths are too deep for them. Instead, a shallow plant dish or saucer with a half inch of water would work great! You can add small stones or pebbles as perches where they can splash around while standing. This is an easy feature that they will love and use all the time.
Salvias That Flower All Year Long
Salvias are incredibly reliable. They work very well in hummingbird gardens as they are drought tolerant and produce spikes of tubular flowers rich in nectar from spring all the way until frost. Red salvia may be thought of as the neighborhood diner that hummingbirds rely on all season long when many of the other flower stops have closed.
A Feeder You Clean with Devotion
This is not a suggestion! In warm weather, sugar water can ferment and grow black mold in just a couple of days, and a dirty feeder can make the hummingbirds sick. For warm weather (and cool weather), wash the feeder every 2 – 3 days (and 4 – 5 days) with hot water and a bottle brush. Your effort makes sure you are not hurting these little guests.
A Patch of "Organized Chaos"
Purely manicured gardens can become a food desert. Instead, try letting a corner of your yard grow a little wild, just plant some native wildflowers. These plants will give food to your local hummingbirds and are the best choice for nectar at the perfect time. What appears to be beautiful chaos is really a self sustaining ecosystem that provides shelter, food, and sustenance.
Most Asked Questions
1. What is wrong with red dye in my hummingbird nectar?
Never put red dye into hummingbird feeders. Although red dye may attract them, dye is a chemical that is harmful to a bird's tiny body. It could even cause organ damage. The red dye is unnecessary since it is well documented that hummingbirds are attracted to red. The red parts of the feeder will draw them in. Keep their nectar as simple as you can; just sugar and water.
2. What are some ways to prevent ants and bees from accessing my feeder?
This is a common issue, and one way to stop ants is to create an "ant moat." This is simply a small cup you can hang between the hook and the feeder that you fill with plain water since ants can't swim and will not go across it. If you want to deter bees and wasps, select a "saucer-style" feeder where the nectar is at a level below the feeding port. Since bees have short tongues, they won't be able to reach the liquid, but a hummingbird will be able to reach it because their tongues are long. Also, avoid feeders with yellow plastic parts since yellow attracts wasps.
3. What other foods do hummingbirds eat?
Yes, this is very important for their diet. Nectar is simply the fuel, but they need protein in their diet to build muscle and grow feathers. Tiny insects like gnats, fruit flies, and even small spiders are the source of that protein. Hummingbirds are expert insect hunters and can catch those insects right out of the air. Because of this fact, it is important to avoid pesticides in your garden. A yard that is healthy and has a natural population of insects is equally as important as a feeder.
4. When are the best times to put up and take down feeders?
As a general guideline for the country, research migration maps online for expected bird migration for the their initial arrival in the spring to take down your feeders about 2 weeks after the last migratory bird leaves your area in the fall (use this to determine when to put your feeders up). Don’t worry about leaving feeders up too long. Leaving feeders up will not stop migrating birds. It will actually give stragglers a vital fuel source when they need to stop.
5. I set up a feeder, but I haven't seen any hummingbirds. What could be the problem?
It takes a lot of patience to wait for a hummingbird to find your feeder. In fact, it can take weeks for them to discover it. Try to keep your feeder in a highly visible spot! You can use a large red ribbon tied to the feeder or a plant nearby as a signal. Even if the feeder sits empty for a while, be sure to keep the nectar fresh. Hummingbirds go to feeders, and as a result, they are likely to return to a clean and dependable nectar source!
