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You’ve seen countless YouTube videos of hummingbirds feeding, and you’ve decided that you want to make new friends with these small creatures, too.
However, it’s not as simple as just holding out your hands in your backyard and waiting for a hummingbird to come to you. There are way more steps involved, including selecting a hummingbird feeder recipe, and some careful considerations you should be aware of.
Hummingbirds 101: All About The Hummers
The colorful, quick creatures get their name from being able to flap their wings 80 times per second, thereby producing a humming noise. With a tapered bill, hummingbirds are able to obtain nectar from the center of long, tubular flowers.
While it is difficult to estimate the population of hummingbirds in numbers because they span a large geographic area, you will spot them in the Western Hemisphere — from southeastern Alaska to southern Chile.
They are also very territorial creatures. Only a few breeds come as far north as the U.S. and Canada such as the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Broad-Tailed Hummingbird, and Rufous Hummingbird.
Creating A Hummingbird-Friendly Backyard
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If you hope to see more of these small birds in your backyard, then begin by making your backyard hummingbird-friendly.
Provide Natural Food Sources
Start with the hummingbird’s diet. Make sure that your yard includes nectar-producing flowers, tree sap, fruit juices, pollen, and various small insects such as spiders. Because of their fast breathing and heart rate as well as high body temperature, they require energy sources often. You can make your own nectar by following a good hummingbird feeder recipe.
Try adding some of the hummingbird’s favorite plants to your garden: Beebalm, Coral honeysuckle, Cardinal flower, and sage.
Provide Plants that Offer Shelter, Food, and Nesting Habitat
Hummingbirds enjoy a place to perch. These areas are important as they can preen, scout, and impress while perching — all very important activities for the territorial little birds.
Your backyard also needs a lot of sunlight to reflect the various colors of a hummingbird. Dark backyards will not reflect the hummingbird’s colorful body, thereby rendering it difficult for males to attract a potential mate.
Be sure to give the hummingbirds adequate shelter from predators. Native plants give these birds sanctuaries from predators.
While many people believe that these birds survive off of nectar alone, hummingbirds also need insects such as spiders that are jam-packed with nutrients.
Because of their territorial nature, you’ll likely only find one hummingbird at a time in your garden.
Offer Hummingbird Nectar
You will catch more hummingbirds in your backyard with hummingbird nectar than simply plants and spiders alone. Flower nectar is easier to make than you think. The nectar is composed of 21% to 23% sucrose, which is regular table sugar. Simply follow a good hummingbird feeder recipe to make the nectar.
Picking Out The Best Hummingbird Feeder
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Because of the variety of nectar feeders on the market, you need to be careful to choose a type that is most convenient for you.
Here are a few tips for picking out your own feeder.
Easy To Clean
Hummingbird feeders can get dirty very easily. Insects such as ants are also attracted to the sweet nectar inside these feeders so you’ll need to keep an eye on the feeders regularly.
These feeders should be cleaned thoroughly every five days. That being said, choose a feeder that can be thoroughly scrubbed. You should avoid bottle feeders with narrow necks. It should be easy to fit a brush into the inner surface of the feeder.
Pest Protection
Look for hummingbird feeders with protected ports and ant moats. This will reduce the chances of contamination from ants and bees. Avoid feeders with yellow feeding accents; these will attract yellow jackets instead.
Correct Capacity
Select feeders with capacities that match your hummingbird population. The more feeders you put out, the more hummers you can attract. If you have only a few hummingbirds, consider using several small capacity feeders, placed out of sight so that they are not controlled by a domineering hummer. Only put enough nectar that will be consumed in your feeders before cleaning time.
Developing Your Own Hummingbird Feeder Recipe
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It is very simple to make hummingbird nectar.
Simply follow this foolproof guide to creating your own hummingbird feeder recipe to suit your feeder’s needs.
Mix 4 parts water to 1 part sugar.
Let’s say you need to fill a feeder that holds a quart of liquid.
Use 4 cups filtered water and 1 cup granulated white sugar.
To make the mixture, bring the water to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves completely. Let the mixture cool completely before pouring it into your hummingbird feeder outside.
It’s not necessary to boil the mixture. Yet, boiling the mixture will kill any bacteria in the sugar or water.
The Dos of Taking Care Of Hummingbirds
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There are several things you should absolutely do when trying to attract hummingbirds to your humble abode.
Clean Feeders Regularly
No hummingbird feeder recipe will keep your feeders clean. That’s your job.
Be sure to clean your feeders at least twice or even three times a week. More frequent cleaning sessions may be needed in the hot weather when the nectar is prone to ferment quickly.
Fermented nectar can cause mold that is fatal to hummingbirds. You’ll also lose the hummingbirds that you’ve attracted already with the sour food source.
Be sure to sanitize every nook and cranny of the feeder to prevent mold, fungus, and crystallized sugar. An easy way to clean your feeder is to disassemble it and soak it in very hot water to remove sticky residue.
Use Different Hummingbird Feeders
Because of the wide variety of hummingbird feeders available on the market, the hummingbirds that like one specific shape or size may not be attracted to another. If you use a variety of feeders around your yard, you’ll learn quickly which feeders attract the most hummingbirds. Adjust your hummingbird feeder recipe according to the size of the feeder.
Feeders with a perch may be more appealing than those without one.
Fill Feeders Appropriately
Keep in mind that hummingbird nectar can ferment in just a day or two in hot weather. Be sure to fill feeders with just enough nectar that the birds can consume in two days in order to minimize the amount of waste you’ll have. Cut down your hummingbird feeder recipe by half or more depending on the number of hummingbirds in your backyard. Nectar expands when heated, thereby being more likely to leak and attract insects as well as unwelcome critters such as mice, rats, raccoons, or even bears.
You’ll want to keep feeders comfortably filled, but not overly full or close to empty.
Provide Migration Meals
Hummingbirds require large amounts of food prior to their migration in order to have enough energy for their long flights. Keep your feeders clean and filled throughout the late fall and early winter to ensure that migrating birds can feed during their migration. Adjust your hummingbird feeder recipe accordingly. Place feeders out the following year early in the spring to attract the first-returning hummingbirds of the season.
The Don’ts Of Taking Care Of Hummingbirds
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There are also several things you should not do when caring for hummingbirds.
Forget The Water
Be sure to provide a water source such as a birdbath or fountain as hummingbirds love to bathe during hot days. Hummers particularly love a steady mist. Turn on your mister on your garden hose when there are hummingbirds around, and they will shoot in and out of the spray. You can also use various other misting devices or fountains to provide a steady stream of water for these creatures.
Use Pesticides On Wildlife
Using pesticides in your garden will create a chain reaction. Eliminating the pests from your garden could eliminate the key food sources of hummingbirds which in turn will cause them to visit your backyard less and less.
Not only this but the more pesticides you use, the more harmful it is to you and your family’s health as well.
Feed Hummingbird’s By Hand
You’ve probably seen your fair share of YouTube videos where someone feeds a hummingbird from their hands. While it is a beautiful moment to be able to feed a creature as delicate as the hummingbird, you must resist the temptation.
This does more harm to the hummingbird than good as it gives the hummingbird the impression that all humans will feed them as you did. We know well that some humans will shoo away birds that come too close. Don’t give the hummingbird a false sense of security. Stick to the feeders and keep your hummingbird feeder recipe on hand.
When To Take Down Your Hummingbird Feeder
In between early spring and late winter, it would be acceptable to take down the hummingbird feeder and say see you later to the hummingbirds until the following year.
Though, depending on where you live on the west coast, you may get away with keeping your hummingbird feeder up all year and have a few visits from some migrating hummingbirds.
Don’t worry, they’ll come back under the right conditions and especially with your handy-dandy hummingbird feeder recipe!
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