Do you just use sugar and water in your feeder or is it a special hummer food?

I use bottled water as our tap water is highly chlorinated. Ratio is 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. I boil the water, add the sugar, stir and put in fridge to cool. You can keep what you don't use in the fridge for later use. Make sure to change every 3-4 days, clean the feeders each time. You will get mold and gunk esp when it is hot weather. Other insects can introduce bacteria into the feeder as well so keep it clean. No need to add food coloring.

I have never seen a hummingbird in my area...... how are they attracted?!?!?

With the right plants.
If you plant for butterflies you can get hummers. That's what happened to me.
Their favorites in my yard are any color firespike, red shrimp, fruit cocktail shrimp and sanchezia blooms.
They can visit anytime after Oct and leave by March.

Those are some great hummingbird pictures.
In my yard the hummers are very fond of the porterweed.

Simple red salvia works good too. Congrats on having those lovely birds.

Gary

I saw a Ruby-throated yesterday. I was standing in front of a long picture window in my house, and he flew right up to the glass...within inches of me. I felt sorry for him since every plant in my yard that used to give them nectar was torched brown, and he seemed to be saying "help me!" I haven't seen the hummingbirds in weeks so I didn't think that they stayed here through this nasty cold snap. I immediately jumped in my car, drove to Lowes and bought a feeder (my wife was cooking the sugar-water while I was at Lowes). I came home, filled up the feeder, hung it from a shephard's hook and then...nothing. I never saw one on it yesterday. Maybe they'll find it today.

I did the same thing bluepalm! I haven't see a hummingbird in 2 days but I did put a new feeder up by the plants they usually visit.
I bought a feeder years ago but decided not to use it because I had alot of nectar plants. I didn't want to give it to my neighbor because she didn't seem like the type to be changing the water often, so of course I must've thrown it out. Or it's hidden and I'll find it once it turns 80 degrees.

Because of mboston's post, I too have put up the hummer feeder. There's certainly no nectar plant in my neighborhood that's even close to producing right now. In case there's a little flying one nearby, I want to help. If I end up just throwing sugar water away every few days, I don't mind. I feel better knowing I tried. - June

Thanks everyone for helping. Hoping its okay to post this. I thought Steve from Valicro might post but haven't seen anything since Fred banded at his home on Friday. They banded a dozen in little over an hour and then he saw 4 more unbanded ones later that day so they are definitely around. I don't know if they will stay in my area if there aren't actual nectar plants but if they do it will be because people like us provide them the feeders. If they go further south then at least I know I have helped them store energy for their trip. BUT hoping they stay in my yard! Haven't seen the female in 2 days but then she is shy compared to the males. In fact on Sat. I feel certain that "Hummie" from last year returned. He sits in the exact same spot he did last year and he chases the other male away from "his" feeder.

I was actually just beginning to compose a message to this thread when I was called away for a short time. I was talking to someone in Highland City who has at least 6 hummingbirds visiting her yard. Doreen Cubie will be coming down through central Florida in the first week or so of February to band hummingbirds.

Please contact me or post to the floridahummingbirds forum if you have hummingbirds visiting feeders and wouldn't mind a bander in the yard.

As was reported, we banded 12 Ruby-throateds in a little over an hour. I've since seen at least 6 birds that weren't banded. Each bird banded was given a small spot of pink liquid paper on their heads so that we could identify them as having been banded in case they re-entered the cage. This was especially good in that it was very cold and the cages were, for the most part, their only food source. Even though they are given as much sugar solution as they want while being banded, a number of them came back for seconds. The mark allowed for us to recognize them and then we didn't close the door. They were allowed to feed and then be on their way without being handled a second time.

There was a videographer from FOX in my yard during the banding filming for a What's Right With Tampa Bay segment. The report can be viewed by clicking the link below.

I am disappointed that they didn't mention my floridahummingbirds.net site or the misinformation regarding hummingbirds that I'm trying to correct. I would have also liked if they would have emphasized the number of birds currently in the yard. We had banded over ten birds at that point.

I guess 60 seconds isn't a lot of time for the amount of information I'd like to share. It may have been better for him to have come before the freeze when he could have gotten colorful video of flowers. But, then I'm guessing he wouldn't have gotten any close ups of the hummingbirds.

Steve in Valrico

Here is a link that might be useful: What's Right With Tampa Bay - Bird Sanctuary

Thanks for the video, Steve. I thought it was running tonight and would have missed it.

Just saw the female at the feeder so she's still around.

Steve,
Since the plants are toasted, do you think they will stay in this area or move south?

FOX left me a message on Monday afternoon that they moved the air date up to that evening.

The hummingbirds will stay so long as there are feeders. Last year I had 20 regular birds stay after all of my flowers were destroyed by two long nights of freezing temperatures that I thought were at 26 degrees. It seems like this year was so much more severe but I just lost the last of my flowering plants yesterday. I must have had more insulation above them this year. Maybe the lighter freezes in the beginning that burned the tips resulted in a layer of insulation that protected them some.

The big problem I'm having today is with bees.

Steve in Valrico

Cool about Highland City, that is not far from me. Good to know that there are quite a few then in this area.

I have had a few bees out but nothing like I had this fall. I swear for a while there were so many honey bees on my one feeder that they would make it move back and forth. They seemed to prefer one over the other so I finally took the one down that they used.

Enjoyed the video, Steve. Thanks for posting.

I've had three visiting my single feeder the last four days or so---all are ruby-throated. Two are females and one is big, beautiful male.

The only plants that I currently have with flowers are the shrimp plants. They don't seem to be bothered by the freeze and should start really blooming in a few weeks. I still have roses and camellias, but they don't attract hummers.

I never used to put out feeders, but now I am. In the summer they prefer the flowers, but will visit the feeders from time to time.

Finally saw one today around the red shrimp. Had no interest what so ever in the feeder. Sugar ants loved it tho. Cleaned it and will try again tomorrow morning.

Tom123, you mentioned that your shrimp plants don't seem to be bothered by the freeze. Are you in an area that had a fair amount of below 32 degree weather? If yes, then this cold weather tolerance is an attribute of shrimp plant that I didn't know about. It definitely puts it in the plus column for why it should be added to the hummer garden. - June

Just as an aside, MY shrimp plant froze to the ground. It's a total goner, I'm afraid, so perhaps yours was in a micro-climate sort of spot that didn't take a direct hit, Tom? Or more sheltered than mine was?

I'm glad to hear that so many of you are seeing hummers. I was so busy taking care of company and my mother that I never did get my feeders ready before the cold hit. I'm going to put them up tomorrow, in case any are still lurking about in my area.

I've had very few birds the last few weeks, since a pair of hawks moved in. I also have some barred owls, and believe it or not, they seem to be fishing my pond at night! I'm thinking of restocking it with, oh, I dunno...barracuda, maybe? Okay, the owls are welcome to anything they catch. They belong here and are a treat to see and hear. But I need something with sharp, pointy teeth to take care of the CTF's which are ALSO fishing in my pond. They have been a real nuisance this year! I saw one leap from the side of my shed out into the air about 6' off the ground trying to catch a sphinx moth. I'm quite sure the big ones can take hummers. Thankfully, the cold is depleting them somewhat. Now to look up the number for Barracuda World and see what they have to offer. *grin*

Lovely pics of your hummers, mboston, and as usual good to hear the latest from you, Steve. I always learn a lot from your posts!

Marcia

My red shrimp plant is against a wooden fence on the east side of my yard. I covered it with a sheet or what I could of it and the lower part looks okay. The top part and the part not covered is burnt. I lost almost all of the Black and Blue Salvia that was next to it, which was also covered. My poor hydrangea that was my original plant, at least 20 years old will not be blooming this spring, if ever again.

On the other hand, the honey bees are loving my hummingbird feeders! We must have a hive nearby - cause they literally were covering one of them the other day and clumps of them would fall off, then rejoin the mass hanging onto the feeder. Seems like the one with the yellow flowers that are raised was the feeder they could get nectar out of best. They flew to the others and would try, then give up and go back.

Witnessed my first hummingbird confrontation this morning. There were 3 birds involved. I thought it was the female and "Hummie" the one I am sure is the returnee from last winter. They were face to face and hovering in front of the feeders. Then a third whizzed by and "Hummie" took after it. I was surprised cause I have seen him let the female nectar at "his" feeders. A little while later, DH and I saw two hummers at the flat feeder that sits on a post on the other side of the yard. The female has been using it and I had not seen another one at it. Then we realized that it looked like two females or the female and an immature male. So now I am thinking the three this morning may have been the immature male that "Hummie" was confronting and the female that whizzed by. If thats the case then I have 4 in my yard now. The three and the other little male that was with the female in the pictures I posted originally. Either way, it looks like I have picked up an additional hummer today. Yeah!

Does everyone use bottled water for their nectar? I have been but with 5 feeders now, its going to get costly. Could I just boil our tap water, which is highly chlorinated and use it?

I have never used bottled water in my feeders. I know there's chlorine in our water, but it evaporates out pretty quickly, I believe. At any rate, it has never seemed to harm any of my hummers over the years. I do have well water available, too, but have never seen the need to use it.

BTW, I don't boil the water first and then add sugar. I've always read you need to boil the water WITH the sugar stirred into it. Boiling the sugar water itself supposedly helps keep it from fermenting quite so quickly. Steve, can you confirm if that is still considered the way to go? It was standard operating procedure years ago, but I know info has changed in recent years.

Marcia

Marcia,

That was the standard practice when I started feeding them but it is no longer viewed as necessary. I boil the water just to dissolve the sugar.

The current thinking is that no matter how clean the solution, as soon as a tongue dips into the solution, it's been inoculated with bacteria. A hummingbird's mouth, just like ours, is going to house some bacteria.

How fast it sours and if mold will grow depends on the birds habits, what flowers it last visited, and the temperature of the solution. Bacteria reproduce faster in higher temperatures. That's why you can't necessarily believe people who say that you can wait longer to change out your solution in the winter. That's theoretically true if the whether has been like it has been over the past couple of weeks but not true if the temperatures are in the upper 70's and 80's. Our winters are equal to the summers in many areas, where they recommend changing the solution every 2-3 days.

If you boil the water to dissolve the sugar, any chlorine should dissipate out along with any other unwanted chemicals. Boiling the water may also help the shelf life in the refrigerator by initially sterilizing the solution should any portion of it have been contaminated in any way. It just won't likely make a big difference in how long it will stay fresh in the feeder.

Steve in Valrico

Thanks for that update, Steve. I was wondering if that might be the current thinking on it. So, that's even faster than the old way, which didn't take long in itself.

Yeah, I've mostly never been able to leave hummingbird solution out longer than 2 to 3 days, even in winter.

Hey, while we're on the subject, what do you use to clean your feeders with, Steve? I always use a bleach solution, rinse thoroughly, and let dry completely. Any residual chlorine should evaporate by the time it is dry, right?

Marcia

Marcia,

I've heard both sides of the bleach argument. I think the important thing is to use a very dilute mix. I believe I've heard 1:10 or one-tenth (not quite the same) dilution. Too high of a concentration may not totally rinse off and/or be removed as it dries. It also may not be good for plastic feeders.

I try very hard to not need bleach. I rinse it in the hottest tap water that I can handle. And, I clean them early before any mold appears.

I use fleece tipped bottle brushes and rub all surfaces of the feeder looking for any crud that may have collected. I've heard others speak highly of baby bottle brushes and of a brush that PerkyPet sells. The main thing is the earlier you clean the feeder, the less work it should require.

Steve in Valrico

That sounds like a Plan to me, Steve! I'll try to stay on top of it this time. What have you been spotting in your yard lately? Hummers and otherwise? And do you have ANY nectar plants that survived the freeze?

Marcia

Steve,

I'm wondering if you have any advice for me as to how to attract the hummers to my yard? Living in other parts of the US, all I've ever had to do was hang a feeder or two. It seems much more difficult here. I am downtown St. Petersburg.

I've planted lots of hummingbird 'preferred' plants and have put out feeders too. I also have lots of tall Cape Honeysuckle which they seem to visit very frequently - over anything that I've deliberately planted - the few times that I've seen them in my yard.

The challenge is that they seem to visit for just a few days to a week and then are gone. I get maybe one or two during the early part of migration and at the tail end. It seems to always be females (or perhaps juveniles?). The only plants that they seem to visit are the Cape Honeysuckle which is around 20 ft. tall. They visit mostly the highest flowers. I planted Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) last year and it was doing well trailing on the fence until the freeze, that is. However, I have never seen any hummers pay attention to it.

Do I just live in the wrong area or is there something more that I can do?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

I was like you Saintpfla. I would only see one for a couple days usually in early Feb. during a few gray days. But last year I had the one who stayed Jan.-early April to my surprise. Then I saw them randomly throughout the summer and fall, both males and females. So I'm thinking maybe their migration paths are changing or that we are getting year round residents. I wouldn't give up - they may be there and you are just not seeing them. I see them as early as 7am and then later in the afternoon till about 5pm. I do them them throughout the day but if you have a chance to just sit and watch the feeders, you may be surprised.

Hi Mboston! I'm happy for you that your hummer population has increased and remained stationary in your yard.

My homeoffice, where I've worked for the last 4 years, views the yard and feeders. This garden view has enabled me to see the hummers come and go and provide me with a good idea of their patterns. I worked mostly international (Asia) hours so early, early morning until very late in the evenings.

I cannot figure out the 'WHY' they only stay around for a week or less. I guess it's like you said, it must be due to their migration paths? It seems to me that they prefer more inland locations over coastal. I'm less than a 1/4 mile from the Bay.

In California (Silicone Valley area, which is more inland), you would spot large groups of them literally everywhere - even driving down the interstate.

Marcia,

I had a few things that survived up until the last day, most of them under sheets. Unfortunately, we had one more day of freeze than was predicted. When I got home from work around noon, they were predicting a low of 41 degrees so I uncovered things and watered them. By 5 pm, they dropped the low to 31 degrees. By 5 am, it was 27 degrees. I believe it was the watering that resulted in much of the freezing on the 11th day.

Most of my plants still have life around their base but I don't know what will happen if we get another freeze.

The best two flowering plants that were left uncovered were the the flowering maple and two patches of shrimp plants. The shrimp plants were somewhat burned prior to the last freeze but they did have flowers. The flowering maple had flowers for a few days after the freeze but has since lost them and has some leaves turning brown. Plants that survived last years freeze, including the chinese hat and the firespikes were completely burned after about a week.

I'm still seeing a number of hummingbirds including a number that weren't banded. Still, all appear to be Ruby-throateds. During the freeze, I saw a dozen or so goldfinches and a couple dozen chippies but those numbers have now dropped. Almost all activity halted for a few days after the second day of above freezing nights but things have gotten back to normal. Around the time I noticed things slowing down, I saw a large light colored bird fly past the windows a few times. We heard a frantic squeal from the tree one night and were able to find a raccoon in the tree. I believe the raccoon was attacking a flying squirrel. The next day, a Black Vulture was eating a squirrel on my roof just above where my wife saw the raccoon. A day later, I saw the big white bird drop down past my kitchen window. I looked out to see a Cooper's Hawk on the ground with a squirrel tail sticking out from under it. It flew off with the squirrel. I also had a stray kitten eating my bird seed on stump where I feed the birds so I do have some deterrents in the yard that may prevent some birds from stopping by.

I'm seeing regular Pine Warblers and a Yellow-throated and a Black-and-white. A White-eyed Vireo has become a regular in the yard.

saintpfla,

The best advise I can give is to hang feeders as well as landscaping. I have a friend who sells the dish type feeders so I would love to endorse their use but unfortunately, many hummingbirds won't use them. There are so many advantages to them over the others but bottom line is if the hummers don't use them, they are useless for anything other than a decoration. I have so many issues with the PerkyPet pinch waist glass feeder with the yellow cage type bee guards but that seems to be the feeder my hummingbirds prefer. Unfortunately, so do the bees. And, my bees get their heads stuck in the bee guards. So, if your feeder isn't attracting the birds, try a different type.

I've read some discussion of hummingbirds being less common along coasts but my parents live just inside Mosquito Lagoon on the east coast and they have hummingbirds pretty much year round. I also know of at least one yard in Largo that has had them during a couple of the past few winters. I'm hoping to discover more regarding coastal hummer spots through my floridahummingbirds.net site.

The birds that you're seeing for a couple of days are migrants who are most likely not going to be persuaded to stop. You need to keep feeders up past the "end of migration" in hopes that one who is going to stay will find your yard.

I hope this helps,

Steve in Valrico

Thanks Steve for your reply. I'll try the PerkyPet per your recommendation and see if that might improve my odds.

By the way, do you still have that stray kitten in your yard? You probably already know that cats do not eat bird seed. If you see the kitten doing that, it is probably starving. Is there anyway you can capture it and bring it to a shelter?

We put food out for the kitten that day but have not seen it since.

Thanks for doing that. It may still be around but not as active due to the cold or just scared. I'm currently volunteering at an animal shelter, so that is why I asked about the kitty.