Are you having problems attracting your hummers?
Are you having a hard time attracting your hummingbirds? Well, there may be many reasons why they won't come.
This may be one of the biggest reasons why you may not have hummingbirds-
-You may not be cleaning you feeder out often enough.
- When your feeders are left out in the hot sun for several days, the nectar doesn't taste as good. Also, long periods of time in the warm sun may lead to mold growths. Bugs, such as earwigs, like to climb into your feeder- hummingbirds don't seem to like earwigs in their food.
Here is another big reason why you many not have hummingibrds-
-Sometimes, larger birds, such as robins and orioles, like to sit on your feeders.
-This summer (summer 2013) I had a group of about five robins that would hang around my feeders. They were really annoying. They would sometimes swoop down and sit on my feeders and try to drink out of them. I had also seen orioles drinking out of my feeders. I hadn't had hummingbirds in weeks! I didn't understand! Why didn't I have hummingbirds? They were supposed to scares the robins away! I did not enjoy scrubing robin crap off my feeders. That's when I realized that the robins thought it was their teritorry and that they owned the feeders. So I went big. I got out my airsoft gun and shot at them. And yes, it did work. I didn't feel too bad because one member of their gang had major brain damage. In the spring, this robin would sit on the railing of our porch, then fly into the window, then sit on the railing again, then fly into the window, all morning long, every day for about two months, then he found a mate. Before he came to our house, he was at our next-door-neighbor's house, doing the same thing for about a month.
It took a few trys to scare them away, but it worked. I am so happy that they are gone now! Now I have hummingbirds that know it's their territory. So, now the hummingbirds are scaring them away! It all worked out.
You are the master of your backyard. Find creative ways to scare them away.
Feeder care
Keep your feeders squeaky clean! Here is what you'll need:
Dish soap
A sink
A tooth brush---and if you have or had braces, use a christmas tree brush (they look like mascara brushes)
A towel / paper towels (optional)
Let's get started!
First off, take your feeder(s) down. Take your feeder(s) apart and dump out all the extra nectar into the sink. Rince out the remaining nectar. Then, pour some dish soap into the sink and fill the sink with hot water.
Put your feeder parts into the water and swirl them around. Then, squirt some dish soap onto your toothbrush like you would squirt toothpaste on it. Then, get your toothbrush wet and scrub your feeder parts inside and out. Make sure to get out all of the bugs and dried nectar.
You can use your christmas tree brush to get inside the small holes where the hummingbirds put their beaks into.
When you are done scrubbing all of your feeder parts, rinse them out with water until all of the soap is completely gone (soap does not taste good).
Filling your feeders
You will need hummingbird nectar (some nectars are powders that you mix with water, other nectars are ready to use nectar that you can just pour into your feeder bottle.)
For powdered nectar:
There are many different kinds of hummingbird feeders. You most likely have an upside-down bottle feeder. It looks like a water bottle turned upside-down then screwed into a container.
This may be one of the biggest reasons why you may not have hummingbirds-
-You may not be cleaning you feeder out often enough.
- When your feeders are left out in the hot sun for several days, the nectar doesn't taste as good. Also, long periods of time in the warm sun may lead to mold growths. Bugs, such as earwigs, like to climb into your feeder- hummingbirds don't seem to like earwigs in their food.
Here is another big reason why you many not have hummingibrds-
-Sometimes, larger birds, such as robins and orioles, like to sit on your feeders.
-This summer (summer 2013) I had a group of about five robins that would hang around my feeders. They were really annoying. They would sometimes swoop down and sit on my feeders and try to drink out of them. I had also seen orioles drinking out of my feeders. I hadn't had hummingbirds in weeks! I didn't understand! Why didn't I have hummingbirds? They were supposed to scares the robins away! I did not enjoy scrubing robin crap off my feeders. That's when I realized that the robins thought it was their teritorry and that they owned the feeders. So I went big. I got out my airsoft gun and shot at them. And yes, it did work. I didn't feel too bad because one member of their gang had major brain damage. In the spring, this robin would sit on the railing of our porch, then fly into the window, then sit on the railing again, then fly into the window, all morning long, every day for about two months, then he found a mate. Before he came to our house, he was at our next-door-neighbor's house, doing the same thing for about a month.
It took a few trys to scare them away, but it worked. I am so happy that they are gone now! Now I have hummingbirds that know it's their territory. So, now the hummingbirds are scaring them away! It all worked out.
You are the master of your backyard. Find creative ways to scare them away.
Feeder care
Keep your feeders squeaky clean! Here is what you'll need:
Dish soap
A sink
A tooth brush---and if you have or had braces, use a christmas tree brush (they look like mascara brushes)
A towel / paper towels (optional)
Let's get started!
First off, take your feeder(s) down. Take your feeder(s) apart and dump out all the extra nectar into the sink. Rince out the remaining nectar. Then, pour some dish soap into the sink and fill the sink with hot water.
Put your feeder parts into the water and swirl them around. Then, squirt some dish soap onto your toothbrush like you would squirt toothpaste on it. Then, get your toothbrush wet and scrub your feeder parts inside and out. Make sure to get out all of the bugs and dried nectar.
You can use your christmas tree brush to get inside the small holes where the hummingbirds put their beaks into.
When you are done scrubbing all of your feeder parts, rinse them out with water until all of the soap is completely gone (soap does not taste good).
Filling your feeders
You will need hummingbird nectar (some nectars are powders that you mix with water, other nectars are ready to use nectar that you can just pour into your feeder bottle.)
For powdered nectar:
There are many different kinds of hummingbird feeders. You most likely have an upside-down bottle feeder. It looks like a water bottle turned upside-down then screwed into a container.
First off, when you first purchase your feeder you need to clean it out. It may have dust in it from sitting on that shelf. Next, flip your bottle right-side up and pour your nectar powder into the bottle and fill it up to the top of the metal ring. Then, fill it with hot water to the line in the middle of the bottle. Cover the opening of the bottle with your hand or put your finger in the opening, then shake to mix. You can also stir it with the handle of your toothbrush or another long skinny item. Let it cool for a minute, then hang it up. The hot water just helps it dissolve. Your feeder may come with instructions for filling it, but this works just the same.
<----- fill with powder to metal ring
<----- fill with hot water to line
Best 1 hummingbird feeder (My favorite feeder. They work great!)
For ready to use nectar:
Just fill to the line in the middle of the bottle.
IMPORTANT
Make sure to clean your feeders every 2-3 days!!!
It's OK if you forget a few days. Just try your best. Not cleaning your feeders often may lead to mold and bacterial growths. It doesn't happen very often, so don't panic.
Buying the right feeder
Where do I buy a feeder? Which brand works the best? Will it look good in my yard? What should the feeder look like?
You can order hummingbird feeders online or go to a local store like Walmart. All hummingbird feeders will work, but some work better. Hummingbirds like to perch (sit), so they need a place to rest and digest. So find a feeder with a perch. Also, make sure that the feeder has red on it, hummingbirds are attracted to the color red (that's because their favorite flower is red).
My favorite brands for hummingbird feeders are "Best 1" and "Perky Pet". I also use Perky Pet nectar (the powdered kind), my hummers love it! Any brand will work, but just make sure that the feeder you are purchasing has red on it.
Yes! It will look great in your yard. In addition, hummingbirds make it look even better! The color red will brighten up your yard and the song of the hummingbirds will lift your spirits and make your day.
Your feeder will work best if it has a perch on it and it is the color red.
Where do I hang the feeder?
You decide if you want to hang your feeder in the front yard or the backyard. If you have a flower bed, it would be really good to hang it near that area. Hanging your feeder in a tree will work best, and most people do. Lots of branches gives a hummingbird many places to perch. If you have a tree near your flower bed, fantastic! Also, for best results, hang your feeder a few feet off the ground, or, hang the feeder at your head level. (4 feet off the ground is a great distance.)
If you want to hang your feeder by your flower bed, but don't have a tree to hang it on, you can buy a stand. A stand is a pole with a curved end like a hook that you can hang your feeder on. Also, there are some stands with multiple hooks so you can place a few feeders on it.
You can even hang your feeders on your house. If you do this, make sure that the feeder is not touching the wall of the house. This is just because if the feeder is resting against the wall, then there is no room for a hummingbird to sit in that spot. There are also hummingbird feeders that have suction cups on them so that you can stick your feeder on the window. This means you can just look out your window and wahlah! There are hummingbirds.
You decide where you want to put your feeders.