Hummingbirds are small birds. Everyone who loves to watch birds want to attract hummingbirds in his garden. Watching them flying and enjoying them with each other is an eye-captivating moment to watch. Nobody can explain that feeling in words. You can also attract them to your garden or birdfeeder by using the tips I mentioned below.
So here is the short answer of How to attract hummingbirds to your birdfeeder?
- Choose the right bird feeder
- Color should be bright
- Location matters a lot
- Make the nectar at home
- Don’t add artificial flavors
- Don’t colorize the nectar
- Keep changing the nectar
- Clean the birdfeeder more often
- Keep the feeder always full
- Keep the remaining sugar water in the fridge
- Keep the other predators and birds away
- Prevents ants from reaching the birdfeeder
- Place feeders as much as you can
- Keep the small birdfeeders
- There must always be birdfeeders before their arrival
- Try other birdfeeders like window one
- Plant flowers
- Plant dense shrubs
- Encourage your neighbors to do the same
- Don’t use pesticides in your garden
- Don’t use harsh detergents to clean
- You can put bananas to attract fruitflies
- Provide them a place to nest
- Place birdbath in your garden
- Keep other birds away
- Don’t use a yellow birdfeeder as it attracts wasp
- Feeding slits are better than holes
- Plant red trumpet wine
- Keep your dogs and cats away
- Patience is the key
- Use Perches
Choose the birdfeeder that is easy to clean
Hummingbirds are not like other birds. They have different diets and foods to get nutrition. These birds eat nectar mainly from the flowers and insects from the shrubs. They need different types of birdfeeders that have nectar in them.
Mainly, the most common bird feeder is tube-shaped. YOu should choose a bird feeder that is easy to clean. It is due to the mold and bacteria growing in the nectar. As it is sweet in taste, the process of growing these microorganisms is fast.
The feeder with molds can be harmful to the hummers that are feeding on. You have to clean the feeder after 2 days. It would be not a one-time process, you will be tired of cleaning it if it is difficult to clean. The easier it would be clean the less time it would take to wash.
The clean bird feeder will attract more hummers to your garden and keeps them healthy.
Look for the bright colored feeders for attracting maximum hummingbirds
Hummingbirds can see purple, green, red, and yellow colors more easily. These colors can easily captivate their eyes. It is easy for them to differentiate these colors. Many flowers from which they get nectars have these colors. These colors should be in their bright form.
Hummingbirds like to see red colors. They have more attraction towards bright red flowers and birdfeeders. It doesn’t mean that other bright colors don’t have the ability to attract them.
Bright Yellow and red birdfeeders can attract hummingbirds to your yard. Other colors don’t charm them as much as they colors do. It is recommended to go for the red birdfeeder instead of yellow.
Yellow feeder not only attracts the hummers but also the wasps. If you to keep the wasps away you should use the red feeder.
Choose the right shape for the birdfeeder
It is recommended to go for tube-shaped or saucer-shaped feeders. Both have the ability to attract them. But if you would ask my recommendation, I will go for tube-shaped.
You can use both. Place them at different locations in the yard. Test and see which is attracting hummers. If one is attracting more, buy more for that kind. Look for the small feeder or fill the sugar water in small quantities in the existing large feeder so it would be finished easily in two days.
Placing the feeder at the right location will attract them more
The location of the birdfeeder matters a lot. The wrong location can give more access to insects and pests. In some cases, the nectar may be spoiled faster than at the right location. If it is at the place where predators have easy access the hummers will keep themselves away.
It should be easily accessible to you for easy cleaning and also at a distance where you can easily see them flying and feeding in your garden.
Look for the open space: You may have seen hummingbirds feeding on the flowers while flying. They mostly do not perch while quenching their thirst. That’s why it is recommended to place it in the open space, not in the congested space.
Place it under the shaded area: In summer the temperature is too much hot. The homemade nectar is more susceptible to rotten in intense heat. Place it under the shade or at the place where the afternoon sunlight doesn’t reach it. You can place it under the tree or under the patio at the edge.
You can place it close to windows where they are easy to watchable. Place the feeder from the area where other birds don’t have much access. If you have other feeders place them at one side of your yard and hummingbird feeders on the other corner. it is done to keep their private space.
Keep the predator’s access away: The common predators are cats and dogs. If you have these pets keep them inside and place the feeder at the place where your pet animals and other predators don’t have easy access. It will keep the hummers safe
It should be Noticeable. Place it somewhere it is easy to visualize by them. Red flowers can be a good location. It should be not so high that you find it difficult to reach. As you have to put it down for the refill and cleaning. Also, it is not too low where every other animal has easy access.
Make the hummingbird nectar at home because they like it more
There are many companies selling hummer nectars. They might be safe or harmful depending on the composition. YOu can buy them too. If there is a dye added to it, I would say don’t go for it. Some say that the addition of red dye is not safe for hummingbirds. I recommend you don’t waste money on buying these nectars.
You can prepare hummingbirds’ nectar recipes at home. It is simple to make and costs you almost nothing because all the ingredients are already present in your kitchen.
Hummingbird nectar recipe ingredients:
Ingredients required to make the homemade and safe nectar are
- White sugar
- Water
Only these two will be enough to fulfill their food requirement
How to prepare nectar:
- Take 1 part sugar and 3 part water. The ratio would be 1:3. Keep it simple. Don’t use any honey or any other sweetener. It is the best combo.
- Boil the water in the saucepan and add white sugar to it until it dissolves. When it would be dissolved turn off the fire. Congratulations your nectar is ready.
- Cool it down. Don’t serve it as hot. You can store the excess sugar in the freezer.
Don’t add artificial dye:
People may say you to add artificial red dye in the nectar as the red attracts them more. Don’t do this these small birds will come to you even without the red dye. Keep the nectar simple. They will drink from your feeder if you place the red feeder at the correct location and make your yard appealing to them.
Red dye can be harmful to the hummers. Also, try not to add any sweetener except for the white sugar. Hummingbirds may prefer homemade nectar if they find it taste better.
Keep changing the nectar because the hummers will not be attracted to a spoiled nectar
It is recommended to change the nectar after every two to three days. As it is a mixture of water and sugar, it gives rise to many bacteria to grow. These microorganisms grow faster in the sugary environment. These can spoil the nectar.
If hummingbirds drink old nectar they may have digestive problems as the fungi, mold bacteria grow there. This makes the nectar less nutritious and less digestible for them. It is not safe for them and may lead to illness in them. They may not return to your feeder again
In cold water you can change it once or two times a week but for the summer or hot environment keep changing it every two days.
You can store the nectar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. If you see any mold in the nectar throw it away. Don’t use it
Clean the feeder for hummingbirds more often as fungal feeder will keeps hummers away
As I explain earlier, you need to clean the feeder after two days when you change the nectar. You need to change the nectar after the cleaning. Cleaning plays an important role. If you will not do it correctly, chances are mold will be present there and can harm the bird.
So how to clean the feeder correctly?
- Before moving the first step to clean the hummingbird feeder correctly is to Pour out the old nectar.
- Disassemble every part of the feeder. Everything including the flower ports and bee guards must be removed.
- Keep all the stuff in the hot water mixture of dish soap for almost 1-2 hours. It will make it easier for you to remove the dirt.
- Clean every part of the feeder with the cleaning mop or bottle brush.
- Now rinse the feeder. There must not be a single particle of soap because it can change the taste. They will not come back,
- Dry the feeder and assemble it
Note: You can use vinegar instead of soap.
Make a hummingbird attracting garden
The most important step is to create an environment that is eye-captivating to them. You can make it at home without any effort. You don’t need to pay extra money to the designer to do this. All you have to do is to plant those flowers and plants which attract them.
There are many flowers from which they get nectar. It is for sure where they will get the food they will go there. These flowers are bright in colors and visually attract them also. For example, there is a flower red buckeye which is red in color. It is seen that hummingbirds are attracted to these flowers. It is almost grown in every soil. You can plant it in shade or sunlight both.
Having more flowers and trees in the garden increases the chances of attracting more hummers. So, here is the list of flowers, shrubs, trees, and vines that you can plant in your yard.
| Flowers | Shrubs | Trees | Vines |
| red buckeye | flame azalea | flowering crab | trumpet creeper |
| jewelweed | lilac | Horse chestnut | trumpet honeysuckle |
| columbine | pink azalea | red buckeye | |
| trumpet creeper | winter jasmine | yellow poplar | |
| red morning-glory | beauty bush | locust | |
| bee-balm | hardy fuschia | Tulip Poplar | |
| scarlet painted-cup | weigela | ||
| trumpet (or coral) honeysuckle | sweet azalea | ||
| fly-honeysuckle | butterfly bush | ||
| cardinal flower | Rose of Sharon | ||
| round-leaved catchfly | |||
| fire-pink | |||
| four o’clock | |||
| phlox | |||
| coral salvia | |||
| lilies | |||
| scarlet sage | |||
| aloes | |||
| penstemons | |||
| wild bergamot | |||
| royal catchfly |
Pine trees are good to attract them. They love to perch on them as they can provide them shelter.
Hummers are the birds that like more flowers and tall trees. That’s why you may have seen that they are mostly attracted towards rural gardens instead of cities. They visit cities but mostly you can find them in the parks and in window boxes or gardens. One good thing about them is that once they like your place and start visiting it on daily basis. They will return back to your garden next year also.
Make a plan
As you are going to attract them to your feeder, you need to look for the spot where you want them to be. Look for a place near your window where you can see them clearly. Make a plan where you are going to plant the flowers and place the feeder. If you have already some trees and shrubs think about how you can enhance them.
You don’t need a large garden to do so. A small garden which is fulfilling their requirement. Just make sure they have food to feed on.
Look for the native plants first
I already have told you which plants attract them most. In your area look for plants that are easily growable. Hummers will have more association with the native ones.
Choose more red flowers as they are more attractive. Orange, yellow, and pink flowers can also serve the same function. Look for the flowers that have more nectar in them. Honeysuckle or trumpet creeper are hummer favorites.
Plant more of the same type
If you plant one honeysuckle, it would not serve the same function as 3-4 of them. When one hummer will approach the flower, he will drink from it and go for the same flower to get the nectar. It is better to have more plants of the same type.
Choose flowers that bloom throughout the year
As you want these birds to be in your garden throughout the year. So, it is better to have flowers and plants that bloom throughout the year. It is done to always have nectar for them. If you are leaving in an area where hummers are present throughout the year. Variation is the key to success.
Look for the species of hummers that are seen in your area. Keep an eye on when they leave, migrate, and their seasonal presence. This will tell you which plants to choose and which to avoid. If they visit you only in spring then go for the flowers that bloom in the spring.
Encourage your neighbors to plant hummingbird loving flowers and trees
This will increase the possibility of these birds being in your area. If in your area they are less in quantity and are not visiting you, you can make your area habitable to hummers.
As I told you earlier in cities, they look for a garden or area which has a food source. The food source is present in the flowers, trees, and shrubs – the nectar and insects. They will move to your area if you and your neighbors plant nectar flowers.
If they are already visiting your area then just focus on your yard.
Prevent ants from reaching the birdfeeder
Ants may keep the hummingbirds away. They can eat insects not ants. Ants reach the feeder, enter it and die there. It pollutes the nectar. You can keep them away by following simple tips.
- Use ant moats: There are feeders that have existing moats on them. If you don’t know what is the moat? It is the water barrier that prevents the ants from reaching the food. For example, in the below feeder they have already a built-in moat or they may give it along with it.
You can make your own at home. Although if you buy from the market it will cost you almost nothing. For making moat at home, you need a bottle of cold drinks and then cut it down a little far from the upper end. The cup-shaped bottle you will get. Add water to it and hang it above the feeder.
If you have a tube-shaped feeder, there is a little space at the top, you can place water in it. Due to the small space, you need to have additional water after 6-7 hours or may it take more time to evaporate depending on the temperature.
- Use tanglefoot: You can apply tanglefoot to the attached wire which holds the feeder.
- You can hang the feeder with the fishing line as the wire is so thin that may prevent them from reaching the target.
- You can also apply peppermint or citrus oils on the attached wire to keep them away.
Put bananas mesh at the feeder
YOu may be wondering that hummers are nectar drinking and insects eating birds but why are you recommending bananas. The purpose of bananas is to give them protein food.
Bananas attract fruit flies. They are the food source for the hummers. Hummingbirds will visit you more if you have more food in your garden. You can place the bananas in the box or close to the feeder. As the fruitflies will come. The birds will always be there to enjoy the feast. This attracts more birds to your garden and feeders.
Place birdbath or fountain in your yard
This is very important. It not only increases the possibility of hummers being in your yard but also the number of them. They love to have water. When they will see flowing water in your area. They will approach there and play with the water. Along with playing they get a water source which they can drink.
When you provide them water, food, plants, flowers, and trees on which they can nest, you are increasing the chances of visiting them in your yard. By implementing all these tactics, you will be successful soon.
Here is the video of the fellow who arranged a very beautiful birdbath for the hummingbirds with perfect depth. You can see how these birds are enjoying the water.
Patience is the key
In the end, the only thing you need is patience. Don’t lose hope. After you create the whole environment. It takes time to notice them. Slowly when they noticed all the arrangements you made for them, they will visit you. Not the single one but the swarm of them.
Good luck!
Share your experience or tips that work for you
If you have been successful in attracting hummingbirds to your feeder and yard, you can share your experience with us. It will help the other fellows too. Thank you.
Share your photographs or videos us to be featured in our website.
Some sources :
https://www.thespruce.com/hummingbird-feeder-placement
https://www.audubon.org/designing-hummingbird-garden-15-ways-keep-them-coming
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