Two Old Gardeners and a Blog

Many people consider hummingbirds to be the most interesting of all backyard birds. They are fun to watch as they fly around looking for food and water. It is amazing how fast they can fly and how quickly they can change direction then stop and hover. If you want to make hummers regular visitors to your yard just add a food source.

Hummingbirds can be attracted into your yard using natural sources of food such as flowers. If you want to attract even more hummingbirds try adding a few hummingbird feeders to your garden. Having plants in your garden that attract hummingbirds is easier than you think. Natural sources of hummingbird food provide nourishment to birds and create added beauty to your landscape. Once hummingbirds have found your flowers and feeders they are likely to return year after year.

Natural Hummingbird Nectar
Hummingbird nectar is sipped from flowers, usually red ones. Petunias, fuchsia, red columbine , trumpet vine and red bee balm are just a few plants that will attract your winged friends. The plants simply need sun and water to grow and the birds will find them on their own. Tiny flying insects are another natural food source for hummingbirds.

“Artificial” Hummingbird Food
Having a yard isn’t always possible. Or you may not like gardening. You may live in a nursing home, a second floor apartment or a condo in the city, but you can still attract hummingbirds. You can use flowering hanging baskets or hummingbird feeders. Hummingbird feeders come in several different sizes, shapes and colors. They can be hung from windows, patio eaves and even porch balconies.

Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red so hummingbird feeders with red coloring attract more hummingbirds. Hummingbird feeders come in many shapes but the shape is not really important to hummingbirds. The nectar inside is what the hummers are looking for.

Hummingbird Bird Feeders
Hummingbird feeders come in two basic styles, dish and bottle. The bottle style hummingbird feeder is usually a glass or plastic bottle turned upside down, sending the nectar down a tube. They often include red plastic flowers and bee-guards (little plastic screens that keep insects away from the sugar solution) on the feeding port. One downside to this style hummingbird feeder is that they tend to leak. When hanging in sunlight the liquid stored in the bottle feeder warms and expands. The expansion forces small amounts of nectar out the feeding tube.

The dish hummingbird feeder is normally made of plastic although some very beautiful ones are made from blown glass. A dish style feeder is in essence a covered dish with feeding ports built into the cover. The feeding ports in the top make them less appealing to bees and wasps. Several dish feeders are now designed with a storage bottle to distribute the sugar solution from above. Since the hummingbirds may not be able to eat all of the solution, this style feeder should be cleaned and re-filled more often. I prefer this style of feeder for feeding hummingbirds.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
Hummingbird nectar is easy to make. It is a simple ratio of four parts water blended with one part sugar. You can make all the nectar you want as long as you stick to the ratio. If you are putting out your first hummingbird feeder or placing one in a new spot you may want to try a stronger mixture of four parts water to 2 parts sugar. This is said to attract hummers faster.

The mixture doesn’t necessarily need to be boiled. Boiling the sugar and water will guarantee that it is mixed, but stirring well will also keep it mixed. When you do boil your mixture, make sure to cool it down before serving it up to the birds. Red food dye is not needed to attract them, either. The red dye may actually be harmful to the birds. Store any leftover nectar in the refrigerator. It can remain for a week or two without going bad.

Hummingbirds will visit your hummingbird feeders into the fall. Many of the hummers you see at your feeders in the fall are migrating from locations farther north. The nourishment they receive from your feeders will provide the energy needed for the long flight to their winter home.

Attracting hummingbirds gets easier each year. Studies have shown the hummers return to reliable food sources year after year.

If you love feeding hummingbirds I want help you attract more of them. Using plants with hummingbird feeders will bring these attractive birds flocking to your yard. Just try these easy to follow tips.