Hummingbird advice needed

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Texgal
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Hummingbird advice needed

#1

Post: # 24312Unread post Texgal
Fri Jul 03, 2020 7:21 pm

Hello friends,
I saw a couple of humming birds zooming around a neighboring plot at my community garden so i put up a small humming bird feeder. It is hanging from about a 6-foot pole over one of my raised beds. It has been almost a week and the level of the nectar has hardly moved. I think they are not finding it. I would appreciate any advice. Wondering if it is too much out in the open.
Thanks!
~ Emmie ~

EdieJ
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#2

Post: # 24318Unread post EdieJ
Fri Jul 03, 2020 7:57 pm

Hummers do like quick cover. We have ours hanging where they can sit in a tree and check for predators and can easily dart back if they feel threatened.
North Central AL (mountains)
Zone 7

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MissS
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#3

Post: # 24324Unread post MissS
Fri Jul 03, 2020 8:57 pm

Not all hummingbirds know how to use a feeder. This is a learned behavior and they learn either from trial and error or watching another bird use it first. Here are some things to know to ensure success.

Keep your sugar solution fresh by changing it out every 3 days. This is very important because it does spoil and also get moldy. If it is spoiled, it will be quite awhile before the birds try using your feeder again. If you let this happen, move the feeder to a new location.

Use a sugar water solution of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Cane sugar is supposed to be better for the birds than beet sugar. There is no reason to fill your feeder all the way up. This just wastes your sugar. I use 1/4 sugar to 1 cup of water for each feeder. These birds are small and even though I see them using the feeders, I can hardly notice the level of nectar dropping. They just can not consume a huge amount of this solution.

Having the feeder out in the open in Texas is not such a great position due to the fact that it would get far too hot from the sun. If possible, I would move it to where it gets a little shade so it stays cooler.

Patience is my last word of advise. I bet that these birds have checked out your feeder and perhaps even used it. Hang it in a sheltered area and be diligent about keeping it clean. You won't notice the nectar going down but you will eventually see the birds using it.

Enjoy!
~ Patti ~

Texgal
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#4

Post: # 24340Unread post Texgal
Sat Jul 04, 2020 1:36 am

Thanks @EdieJ & @MissS, The feeder is about 8 feet from a large rose bush but still out in the open and I was thinking most everyone hangs them from an eave of the house so I'll try it under the cover of a structure nearby. It has indeed gotten hot here and I had not considered that the nectar had spoiled. I will change it tomorrow. Thanks for the advice!
~ Emmie ~

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TXTravis
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#5

Post: # 28612Unread post TXTravis
Wed Aug 19, 2020 3:11 pm

[mention]Texgal[/mention] we probably live within a few miles of each other, and I have TONS of black chinned hummers that come around. I've not noticed much difference whether the nectar is super fresh, nor do they seem to mind my feeders being in the sun and HOT. I have 4 feeders in various positions. 2 are off the deck rail in full sun. One is under the eave on the back porch and is mostly shady most of the time. Those three are on the East side of the house. One is hanging off a bar attached to my garden shed on the North side of the house. All are pretty popular with the birds, though some factors seem most important.

1) Color--all of my feeders are blown glass with interchangeable metal bases. The one feeder that isn't red tinted gets maybe 1/3 the activity of the others. It's the only opaque one as well (it's blue and white), and thus theoretically cooler than the other transparent ones. Red/yellow/orange seems to really matter. I only use clear nectar, but if I had a perfectly clear feeder I might be tempted to dye it, based on what I'm seeing.

2) Like [mention]EdieJ[/mention] said, they like quick cover. I have trees over the fence, and I see them lurking there ALL the time.

3) Related to #2, they REALLY like to have place nearby to perch. My garden feeder has a cucumber trellis (really just a folded over cattle panel) that they often sit on and watch the feeder from. The ones on the deck often perch on dead twigs in the surrounding trees, but are just as often seen perching on adjacent tomato cages (the feeders are near some of my container plants on the deck). I suspect that this is why the porch feeder isn't as popular as some others--there's nowhere within 25 ft or so to hang out and rest. 3-8 ft seems to be about right.

4) Season--I get a flock that passes through in the early spring, and back through in the fall. For a day or two on each end, I'll see up to 15 at a time (I only had 2 feeders until after this spring, so am very interested to see what happens this Fall with 4). It's pretty steady through early spring, tapers off significantly through April-June when the flowers are out, and has picked back up substantially once the heat really hit.

Other than that, I'm not sure. I'm fortunate to live on an undevelopable greenbelt (underground caves!), but it's in the middle of a normal neighborhood (Stone Oak, if you know where that is).

An aside--folks in the neighborhood (self included) have recently noticed a massive uptick in nectar consumption with no related increase in hummers. I think it was verified by and infrared game camera--turns out it's BATS at night (different kind than the Mexican Freetails that live under the McNeil bridge). Pretty cool!

Good luck!
Last edited by TXTravis on Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:28 am, edited 2 times in total.
A seed not planted is guaranteed not to grow.

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Paulf
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#6

Post: # 28630Unread post Paulf
Wed Aug 19, 2020 9:44 pm

All the above is good advise. We have had a hummingbird feeder in place for 15 years. The first year nothing happened until it was time for the southern migration and we had a few visitors. The next spring a couple began visiting. The next year we had four. We thought that was plenty until this year a friend showed a photo of their six feeders and a dozen birds.

So we got a couple more feeders and this year we have at least eight or ten buzzing all over the yard. We have to refill the feeders every three or four days. Next year maybe six feeders and who knows how many birds they will attract.

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ponyexpress
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#7

Post: # 28636Unread post ponyexpress
Wed Aug 19, 2020 10:40 pm

TXTravis wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 3:11 pm
1) Color--all of my feeders are blown glass with interchangeable metal bases.
I would like to see a picture of your feeders if you get a chance to take one.

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brownrexx
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#8

Post: # 28641Unread post brownrexx
Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:13 am

The most hummers I ever get at one time is 2. We have Ruby Throated Hummers here

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MissS
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#9

Post: # 28649Unread post MissS
Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:47 am

I have been gardening for the hummingbirds for 40 years. What I have learned is that it requires patience to attract your first few birds. It took me 5 years at my first house to get them. After that, you will have increasing numbers but no more than your yard can support. I prefer watching the birds feed from flowers rather than feeders and can only think that it is better for them to use nectar for a meal than sugar water so I only hang two feeders until fall migration. During fall migration I can have 100 - 350 birds here a day. It is amazing. When the population is that high I do put up an additional 3 feeders. It is funny to watch because I have found that most migrating birds have not been exposed to feeders and thus don't know how to use them at all. I'm sure that by the time they have watched enough birds use the feeders that they have figured out what they are.
I only use clear feeders with red bases without the addition of food color.
~ Patti ~

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TXTravis
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#10

Post: # 28654Unread post TXTravis
Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:34 am

ponyexpress wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 10:40 pm I would like to see a picture of your feeders if you get a chance to take one.
I'll see what I can do.

Generally, they're all similar to this one (I actually have this exact one). Shapes and colors vary, but the bases are the same.

A seed not planted is guaranteed not to grow.

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ponyexpress
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#11

Post: # 28676Unread post ponyexpress
Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:32 pm

TXTravis wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:34 am Generally, they're all similar to this one (I actually have this exact one). Shapes and colors vary, but the bases are the same.
The picture did not come through in the post but I was able to get the URL and post it below:
Image

Looks nice!

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TXTravis
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#12

Post: # 28679Unread post TXTravis
Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:10 pm

I halfway lied (but not on purpose)--I bought this exact one for my mother, and don't have it myself. But all are similar. Thanks for the help with the pic--when I look at my post I can see it with the link, but I'm no tech wiz.
A seed not planted is guaranteed not to grow.

bluee19
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#13

Post: # 28726Unread post bluee19
Fri Aug 21, 2020 4:47 am

How do you handle the ants getting into the feeder? I tend to get more ants than hummingbirds.

Thanks!

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MissS
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#14

Post: # 28746Unread post MissS
Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:53 am

Yep ants and yellow jackets can be a big problem. I use feeders with built in ant moats. You just fill the moat at the top with water and the ants will not cross it. Eventually they stop coming by at all. Before I used these feeders I used Vaseline spread either on the post or the hanger with good but not perfect results. If you go the Vaseline route be sure that it won't spread out onto your feeder and contaminate it. They also sell Ant Guards that you hang above your feeder and fill with water.

I have put up a link to the First Nature feeders that I use. These feeders have the ant moat built in and are the most Yellow Jacket proof feeders that I have ever tried.



~ Patti ~

bluee19
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#15

Post: # 28759Unread post bluee19
Fri Aug 21, 2020 9:30 am

Thanks so much for letting me know these type of hummingbird feeders.

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Growing Coastal
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#16

Post: # 28766Unread post Growing Coastal
Fri Aug 21, 2020 11:07 am

MissS wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:47 am I have been gardening for the hummingbirds for 40 years. What I have learned is that it requires patience to attract your first few birds. It took me 5 years at my first house to get them. After that, you will have increasing numbers but no more than your yard can support. I prefer watching the birds feed from flowers rather than feeders and can only think that it is better for them to use nectar for a meal than sugar water so I only hang two feeders until fall migration. During fall migration I can have 100 - 350 birds here a day. It is amazing. When the population is that high I do put up an additional 3 feeders. It is funny to watch because I have found that most migrating birds have not been exposed to feeders and thus don't know how to use them at all. I'm sure that by the time they have watched enough birds use the feeders that they have figured out what they are.
I only use clear feeders with red bases without the addition of food color.
Yes! No need for any special mixes and no colour required. As well, the colouring might be harmful to such tiny, sensitive creatures as hummingbirds. Sugar and water is all they need. A red ribbon would serve as well as anything to attract them to a feeder that has no colour of its own.
Perches are a nice feature as it allows them to have a little rest while they fuel up.
Right now my Anna's hummingbirds are feeling the strain of flying as they are moulting and and have fewer feathers making it a bit harder to fly. The sound they make is also different, a little deeper and louder due to missing feathers. I see them cling to plants to get a drink so a seat is a great feature on a feeder. It helps them conserve a tiny bit of energy.
The birds in my yard use the flowers and eat insects, topping up on the feeders when they need to. I think the feeders help them thrive rather than merely survive, especially in winter, here. They go through far less syrup in summer than winter.

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ponyexpress
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#17

Post: # 28788Unread post ponyexpress
Fri Aug 21, 2020 3:29 pm

Growing Coastal wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 11:07 am I think the feeders help them thrive rather than merely survive, especially in winter, here. They go through far less syrup in summer than winter.
Do the feeders freeze in your area in the wintertime?

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Growing Coastal
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#18

Post: # 28843Unread post Growing Coastal
Sat Aug 22, 2020 9:02 am

Freezing is an issue. It is one of the things that made me an early riser since retirement, to get the feeders out at first light when the birds show up for their first feed. People have methods of keeping syrup flowing with xmas lights and other things. One neighbour wraps his feeder with part of an old wool sock but I don't know if that really works. I also up the sugar content a bit to help keep it from freezing a while longer. Being on the coast we don't have as many days of hard freezes as those who live inland, fortunately.
Hummingbirds go into a state called torpor when temps get too low.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news ... %20degrees.
In cold weather, hummingbird bodies enter into an "energy-conservation mode called torpor," according to Oregon State ecologist Adam Hadley. Birds that stay north for the winter experience a nightly "mini-hibernation," in which their 107-degree body temperatures can plummet to 48 degrees.
My son once asked me where they go in winter. I replied that they just tuck in among the pinecones on the fir trees. :lol: :roll:

friedgreen51
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Re: Hummingbird advice needed

#19

Post: # 28844Unread post friedgreen51
Sat Aug 22, 2020 9:36 am

bluee19 wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 4:47 am How do you handle the ants getting into the feeder? I tend to get more ants than hummingbirds.

Thanks!
Here is a picture of my hummingbird feeder with an anti-ant cup (the green basket). It works great, just point the cup up and keep it filled with a couple drops of vegetable oil and water. They can be found on Amazon, Home Depot, etc. Also there are several Youtube videos that show how to make a DIY one.
Hummingbird Feeder With Ant Guard.jpg
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