Generally speaking, they prefer to visit flowers that are tube shaped, like bee balm or salvia. They love flowers that are colored red and orange (I have had them check me out quite closely when wearing a red t-shirt), but I have seen them sipping nectar from plants of other colors, too. Over the years, I have tried to fill my yard with plants that will attract them. Hummingbirds consume half their body weight in bugs and nectar, feeding every 10 to 15 minutes and visiting 1,000-2,000 flowers per day! Their benefit to the garden as pollinators and insectivores, in addition to their entertainment value, makes them a worthwhile asset to anyone’s yard. To fuel their activities, they need lots of nectar and also a great deal of protein, which they get from the aphids, gnats, mosquitoes, and other insects that they eat. By keeping the two feeders out of sight of each other, a lot of fights are avoided. If one is at the feeder when another comes in for a drink, there is usually a squawking, aerial dogfight until one is chased away. I have two feeders at opposite sides of the house, since these little guys seem to be very territorial and don’t like to share. Needless to say, one of my favorite summer activities is hummingbird watching. It is hard to believe that something so small migrates all the way from Central America to the northeastern U.S. They possess the ability to hover and even fly backwards. Barely three inches high with long slender bills almost half as long as their bodies, these tiny dynamos fly at great speeds, beating their little wings over 50 times per second. Take a moment to listen to the call of the ruby-throated hummingbird. In my neck of the woods (New Hampshire), we have only one type of hummer-the ruby-throated hummingbird. Learn more about hummingbirds here! The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird So, if you want to attract lots of hummers to your yard, then don’t use pesticides to kill the insects (as annoying as they may be). One additional important note about feeding hummingbirds: Over 80% of their diet consists of soft-bodied insects. A general rule is: If you won’t drink it, don’t give it the hummers. Try not to use dish soap for cleaning feeders. To clean a bird feeder and remove mold, soak it in a simple solution of 1/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of hot water. After a few minutes of soaking, rinse it with water and let it dry. Plus, hummingbird feeders are typically red anyway, which makes dying the nectar itself unnecessary.Īlso, please keep your bird feeders clean to avoid mold that can harm these tiny flyers. PLEASE DON’T USE RED DYE IN YOUR NECTAR! Red coloring is not necessary and the chemicals can prove harmful to the birds. ONLY use plain white table sugar (sucrose), which, when mixed with water, very closely mimics the chemical composition of natural nectar. Organic, natural, and raw sugars contain levels of iron that could be harmful to hummingbirds. Do not use honey either, as it can promote dangerous fungal growth in the birds’ esophagus. Try to refrain from making more nectar than you need, as it won’t store for more than a couple days in the refrigerator. Stir the mix occasionally to ensure that the sugar dissolves entirely.Īllow the nectar to cool to room temperature or below, then fill your feeders. After boiling the water (an electric kettle comes in handy here), pour the water into the measuring cup and mix in the sugar.

Best hummingbird feeder recipe