wonbyherwits, we had our first hummer here (SE of Raleigh) last Thursday, April 5th. Last spring, the first one showed up 4/1. Here's a link you can use to track the Hummingbird migration.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummingbird Migration

i've noticed they typically show up when the coral honeysuckle and aquilegia canadensis are in full bloom. those are both favorites of theirs, and i often see a male up at the honeysuckle pretty early. not yet this year- but it's up by the road, and i could have easily missed it.

I thought there were some types of hummingbirds in NC all year round? I know some migrate in and out, but some are here during the winter months as well. Can anyone verify this for me? Try putting out hummingbird feeders in the winter. You will see them there!

Rubythroats migrate south and come back. Rufous have been seen in winter, mostly in the western part of NC although there are occasional reports elsewhere. I have never seen one here in Cary in winter (but I take down feeders).

I've had a male RT visiting regularly since last Wednesday the 4th. And bluebird babies too--love, love, love spring!

Oh I need to get my feeder out! Yeah - I'm so happy their back! I hope their getting thru the cold we've had ok.

Yippee- I love my hummingbirds. I'm glad to know it is hummingbird season. Can anyone tell me how to keep the ants out of the feeder? I heard that you can spray Pam on the line and then they will slide off but I haven't tried this yet. And I have a small yard (1/4 acre)how many feeders can I have? Last year we had two males? fighting over the one feeder. How far apart do they need to be? Thanks, Shannon/Dirtrx

I saw my first hummingbird this morning! Shannon, my theory is the more feeders the better. I don't think you need to space them a certain distance apart, but if they are out of sight of each other then one bird can't guard more than one feeder. As far as keeping the ants out, Walmart did have some ant guards that you fill with water and then hang the hummingbird feeder under the ant guard. The ants can't get across the water to get to the feeder.

Here is a link that might be useful: ant moat (ant guard)

That is so cool, ggwrn! I think I feel the need for a WallyWorld trip. I think I will grab a some extra ones. I think a couple of these would be appreciated by MIL.

I've not put feeders up because i simply fill my yard with plants that hummers readily feed on. I'm tempted to get a feeder, though...

I got tons of stuff the hummers like. But I like to sit on my porch and see them every morning and then again at dusk feeding at the feeder. You can hear them coming for sure. Last year I had a box seat for the hummingbird wars and it was quite amazing. Adele

When I lived in Wisconsin I figured out an ant trick. I would mix a little pennyroyal essential oil with vaseline and smear a bit on whatever the feeder was hanging from. Mostly it was the ones that I had on shepherd hooks that had ants so I put it on the bottoms of the poles and the ants didn't climb through that. But then I had bees! Mary

Someone mentioned buying the Hummer food-- I never buy that stuff. I just put 4 cups of water in the microwave and heat about 8 minutes then stir 1 cup of sugar in it.
I pour it in little pitchers I have and keep it in the fridge.

I clean the feeders about 2 or 3 times a week so its nice to have it right in the fridge. I never fill them all the way full cuz I'm going to be refilling in a couple days anyhow. It takes me just a few minutes to rinse out and refill my 4 small hummer feeders every few days. Then on a day when I am not busy I brew more sugar water up and put it in the fridge again.
I don't use the red food color in the feeders either. I got a little pick of red silk flower clusters at the dollar store and I used that one pick to make a red flower for each feeder top. I tied them on with string and its pretty and will hopefully attract a passing hummer to my new Charlotte garden soon. Red bows work too- or for awhile I was using little red baby toys. Mary

Hummingbirds are in Sumter County (SC)...watched my first Hummingbird feed on Tuesday...April 9...

you bring up a great point, mary. you shouldn't use red food coloring in the water. it's dangerous to the birds. as long as there's something red about the feeder to attract them first off, they'll come and after that they'll keep coming even if you take away the red- they are smart buggers. i always just tuck one of their favorite flowers in one of the holes the first time i hang mine in spring. you can cut the sugar ratio down to 5 to 1 once they get going, too. i do the same as mary- brew enough for couple refills at once. that way i'm much better about cleaning & refreshing it.

i also have a yard planted with hummer faves, but like watching the action close-up. nothing as thrilling as working in the garden and hearing that distinctive buzzing & chipping, though.

Another thing--one of the main reasons I like to clean my feeders frequently is that they can get mold in them, and also bugs--like the ants or bees especially. mold is always so dangerous to birds. I have a little tiny bottle brush I use in my very small feeders. I always give them just a bit of a scrub with soapy water. Also check to see if the holes are dirty in the feeders those can be cleaned up usually with q tips or tooth picks. mary

I was visiting a friend's beautiful garden recently and she shared some info about winter humming birds. She said that she does sometimes have them in winter--and she thinks it has to do with 'pineapple sage' she has some of this in her yard and apparently it blooms later in the season and they will stick around for that. Perhaps if she reads this thread she can share more of her expertise. Mary

Mikepots, the main reason I have the feeders is to bring them in closer where I can see them better. By the end of the summer they are use to us sitting out on the deck and will buzz right past our heads.
Mary, do you think that having the flower or ribbon on the feeders attracts more hummingbirds???

No sightings here yet - have had one feeder out for a couple of weeks now, but forgot to put the red streamers on it - thanks for the reminder, apparently they do help. After throwing out a number of feeders - mostly because they dripped all over attracting bees & ants - the ones I have now are very attractive, don't drip but are a real pain to clean. Might invest in the Droll Yankee design this year.

I use the 4/1 to make the nectar, heating it up in a saucepan, and store in the 'fridge as some above. But here's a question - I know there's lots of 'fear factor type' stuff printed, but I've always been leary of microwaving and use mine very little. Occurred to me this winter that microwaving would save washing a pan (yep, I'm lazy!) ..... but ....some factions have serious reservations about what microwaves do to food values/nutrients. This article suggested an experiment - plant identical seeds in identical soil in identical pots, water one w/regular water (preferably filtered, tap if you're lazy like me) and water the other w/water that has been microwaved. According to this writer, the seeds watered w/microwaved water will not sprout. I'm going to try it - will let you know what happens!

Meanwhile, I'll continue to make my hummer nectar stovetop - just in case.

snopes.com did that very experiment and the idea that microwaved water is weird is bunk. we always make our tea in the microwave (and we drink A LOT of tea), and have never had issues. we use our micro for most veggies and a lot of our precooking & reheating, too. i make my solution in a clean spaghetti sauce jar that has markings on it (but you can eyeball if it doesn't). nuke it about 4 mins (til it boils), stir and let cool. in the fridge it goes. it will keep for a few weeks.

the best feeder for ease of use and cleaning i've ever found has been '#1 best hummingbird feeder' from poteet texas. it's really called that. it's not the prettiest, but it's a breeze to clean and never drips. the red bottom is 2 pieces that fit together and separate easily for cleaning the nooks & crannies, and that screws onto a glass top. the plastic bottom uses a standard vinegar bottle screw, so you can replace the bottle easily if it gets broken or you want a more decorative one (which i did- i used one of the gorgeous curvy blue water bottles). you can wash the bottom in the dishwasher if you want, but i normally just use a toothbrush. the only tricky part is getting a bottle brush to the bottom of whatever bottle you choose to use, and that's not too difficult. logan's in town used to carry them, but they didn't have them last time i was in. my first one that i got more than 10 yrs ago has finally gotten too brittle and i need to find another. the second that's 5 -7 yrs old is still going strong. they are durable! used to run about $12. if anyone knows a source, let me know.

Thanks, Tamelask - since I obviously have far too much time on my hands (and a bunch of open seed packets) I'll give the experiment my own go anyway, just for chuckles. :o)

I'll keep an eye out for the "#1 best" feeder and let you know if I run into them. With the ones I have now, best cleaning method I've found is hard rinsing w/ripping hot water and an overnight soak w/mild bleach solution - then lots more ripping hot water to rinse. Not exactly in line w/water conservation, but best method I've found for these.

you can try putting raw rice down in there and shaking vigorously. that's what i do to clean my salt & pepper shakers after we use them for posies. (we have a whole collection of old ones). also, the instructs that came with the feeders said to soak with vinegar, not bleach, because it's less harmful to the birds. i try to mostly do vinegar but a couple times a season i do bleach and soak it good before i store it in fall.

let us know how your experiment turns out!

My most active feeder was a small plastic feeder from Walmart. It was about 3.97. It suction cups to your window and is real easy to clean. You could probably put it right in the dishwasher. It's made something like a Tupperware bowl and has a red top. Last summer it was busy all day long. It was neat having it right on the dining room window. You could watch them rest in the Japanese Maple by the window. Boy, I can't wait til the maple bounces back from the freeze.

I put up my feeders on Thursday, and saw my first hummer this morning. I just moved here from Massachusetts and for some reason I could never get them to come to my yard there. I put up feeders and planted all the things they're supposed to like, but only saw one in 4 years. Looks like I 'm having better luck here.

I put one of our feeders out yesterday and had one little guy all day today in the rain. I got all my feeders at wally world and they are the easiest to clean as the container is the same size diameter all the way up. No neck to clean. It has a red circular base with five feeding ports, they never leak unless you put them in direct sunlight.We were told the heat from the sun is what makes them leak,... it expands? I also purchased the suction cup hangers to hang from the windows and it is so neat to see them up close ! They have their own personalities after a bit of watching them. I mix up the nectar and keep it in the fridge also. I keep one feeder 'clean' , so that I can always have at least one feeder out there that they can get to. Jeeze, dont ever take them all down at once to clean !! If you sit out on the deck in a red or pink shirt you WILL get divebombed. My inlaws were down from the north and were amazed by them. We put flowers on dads baseball hat so the hummers would visit him as he sat out side. They loved it !!