Ken I don't have an answer for your question. They do welcome feeders but I think flowers are their first love. I have been considering cutting back on my feeders and just let the flowers take care of the hummingbirds.

For me feeders are just for my own satisfaction of seeing the hummingbirds up close and personal. I have one attached to my computer room window. I am less than three feet from them when they are using the feeder.

Thanks again mimidi!

And they don't spook when you move? I have had a male hummer on my window feeder in the kitchen at times. Any movement inside the house and it flies!

As far as your post in my survey thread, lucky you! I am almost past being discouraged, but I will keep it up as I think they are so cool. I am doing everything right too!

Ken

It is a hard question to answer. I think it is only natural for them to go to the flowers. But when I sit outside at dawn coffee in hand in august , some will go to the flowers first some will go to the feeders first , but will also go to the flowers available , thats the best I can do.

Ken

We had a pretty heavy rain early this morning and these feeders may be diluted some but as you can see still feeding. This mix has been out a couple of days and it was full, but I wont change it till tonight as it is still overcast and may rain some more. Part of the cloudiness is from sun exposure.

{{gwi:994406}}

Thanks Steve!

I was sitting outside tonight, like I have for the last few nights, and the male came back from the same direction it always does for its one drink. It stopped short and changed direction 15 feet from the feeder. I was still, but I assume he saw me.

Should I not sit outside till I have more activity? I know they come up and check out people at times, but I am wondering if they are so nervous at the same time that I might be scaring them away.

Ken

Ken, he'll probably get used to you. Mine used to get spooked--and the juvies still do--but now they ignore me unless I make a sudden movement (like when I swatted a wasp out of my ear yesterday!). If you wear a red shirt or hat, they may even come over to check you out up close and personal!

Thanks mbuckmaster!

I guess I will retreat a bit till they decide they like the place. LOL

Ken this is the first year that I have had such skiddish hummers. If the wind blows the wrong way they are history. They don't stick around like they have in the past. I used to have hummers buzzing in and out all day long. When I do happen to catch a brief glimpse it is at one of the feeders. In past years I have actually had them sip nectar from a flower in my hand but not this year. None of my plants are getting any action. This has been a very uncommon year for me.

Penny

Wonder why Penny. :c(

I am close to giving up on keeping feeders out. :c(

I thought many times last year and this that it would be the time changing the nectar that would do me in. I am beginning to realize now the time spent looking for them and the disappointment that they are not here will be the determining factor.

Ken

Ive noticed too that some of the hummers are more skittish this year but not all. But movement will cause them to flare off. A hummer has to decide to protect your yard as his own thats when things will change for you . Hummers can also be bold when protecting "their" food supply , I have had them face off with me flutter a foot or in front of my face. This is not uncommon from anyone who has had hummers. Dont give up Ken, wait till august and see if things pick up for you during that time. Hang in there, it takes time and patience.

Ken, to answer your original question. During the spring, my hummers went straight to the feeders, ignoring healty blooms. But startig in June they became much more interested in the blooms, often going to the blooms first, or even after filling up at the feeders.
Good luck to you. Persistant care of your plants and feeders will pay off in time.

...very common for me to have one hover while I'm hanging refilled feeders. They'll land as soon as I take a few steps back. The males do act a bit "irritated"...females seem more trusting.

Thanks guys! I am still hoping to get a bunch!

That male is back regularly in the evening and morning. By regular I mean he comes back 2 or 3 times for a quick drink.

My Hummers (a male out front, a female or juvenile male in back) seem to like the feeders better- totally ignoring the plants that Hummers in my previous backyard (a mile away) couldn't get enough of. The only flower I see them going after are the Black & Blue Salvia. (nts- buy more)
I'm working on my Hummer gardening as much as possible- I bought Honeysuckle, Echinacea, Phlox, Kniphofia, Cardinal Flower, a Trumpet Vine (all by itself, so it can invade the woods) and perennial Agastache. As of now, my Crocosmia are in bloom, and no action. They haven't even really been going after the Monarda or the Butterfly bushes! (I have four)
A total departure from my previous mini- Hummer garden.

Our hummers seem to be happiest with our feeders although we have lots of blossoms for them. I think they are comfortable in our 'habitat' because the red and purple flowers make a 'homey' atmosphere for them!

I'm guessing the early summer and spring blooms brought them to our yard in the first place and then they noticed all the feeders and decided to stay for a while.

I've got tons of perennials that are in full bloom at the moment. In the spring I have tons of Lilacs, natural honeysuckles(yellow), Azaleas, creeping phlox, Pink roadadends,etc. Feeders up since end of March.

My male is the only one who checks out the black & blue salvia, fuschia, foxgloves and of course my red petunias. But the both of the females go straight to the feeders. They come out of the tree and hit the feeder.

Yesterday my male was here 5 times (that I saw) and the females tend to feed a lot more at night.

One of the females a few weeks ago came over to investigate me. We were almost eyeball to eyeball. Maybe she was saying "Hi" or maybe "get out of my space" LOL. Whichever I love it when they visit me pulling weeds.

Now Im beginning to see more plant usage epecially black and blues, and tutti frutti, also licorice mint[agastache rupestris] honeysuckle, and david verity.

At 9:50 this morning I saw the first female hummer in three weeks. Even better, the "lady in red" salvia I bought a month ago finally got used. There were 60 bright new blooms this morning and the female checked out every bloom it could reach. I had the container sitting on the patio in the morning sun so I got a great view. The only negative is the hummer never went to the feeder, only a few feet away, even though I'm pretty sure she saw it. She just went around the yard looking for good flowers and then flew off.

The feeding at my PP209s is quite aggressive. Before I went to bed last night I noticed both 30oz feeders were half full, now half way thru the day they are all but empty, cant see liquid in the bottles but the base holds quite a bit but even that will soon be gone.

We all love hummers, so lets have some fun! Both feeders and flowers are useful in attracting hummers, but water, cover and nest building material and timing also fit into the formula. Hummers do just fine in nature without feeders. They get their protein from small insects and spiders alone. Feeders only provide just energy. Flowers are a source of insects, spiders and energy. But, you will attract more hummers by offering both.
As for the party who was concerned about frightening the hummer, don't worry. Hummers are persistent. I have found that if we use a little patience, our hummingbirds will become accustomed to having us near "his/her" feeder. They may eventually become so bold that they will actually land on your head, shoulder or even feed from your hand. Now if someone would be so kind as to tell me how to paste an image from iphoto into this message box, I will share a couple shots of hummers landing on my hand or my grandson's hand.

O. K where are the photo pros? I am anxious to see these pictures.

Hummingbirdjoe you can you Photobucket to post the pictures. Or you used to. I have not tried this on the forum in a few years. I quess I need to get started again.

hi Ken, my hummers the first year, didn't care for the nectar, so i left water in there instead. also, they LOVE the cypress and the other vine that is like it. we have honeysuckle and orange trumpet vine, they absolutely love them. but i can sit on the porch and they will come up and sip from the cypress vine while i;m out there. they also will do that i'm out there with the fuschia. at my neighbors house they love they white butterfly bush. ~Medo

Here is an old photo I took and and not very good either and I havent tried since sorta hard since Im by myself. Did this two or three years ago with a lesser camera. Did this in august early in the morn when I was having 20plus or so in my front yard. Dont know why I even kept it, good for a laugh I suppose.

The female hummer that showed up a few days ago has returned to feed every morning and evening. She is strictly a flower bird and refuses to use the feeder. This morning I even moved and raised the "lady in red" salvia container, her favorite, and lowered the feeder so the salvia and feeder were only one foot apart. She checked every bloom of the salvia, but only gave a quick glance at the feeder. I also have a male hummer visitor, but he ignores the salvia and goes directly to the feeder.

You're using a 1 to 3 ratio for sugar water? I'm using 1 to 4.

Everybody has different experiences; my answer to you is that it depends. Is the feeder well-maintained (at a decent height, with a perch, and kept clean with fresh sugar water)? Of course something important is to hang it where you will see it often! Not just in the yard, but it's nice to hang it by a window. Often their hours are not the ones I'm outside, but this way when I'm moving around inside I see them out the window and know when they're there. BEST OF ALL, I put my feeder on a shepherd's hook in a bed with flowers they like, so if the red on the feeder doesn't get their attention, maybe the flowers will, and they have two sources of food drawing them to my window. This has very much revolutionized my hummingbird garden.

The hummers in my yard really seem to appreciate a variety of food. Last year, one was very possessive of the feeder and would perch above it to guard it and chase others away (only his mate was allowed to use it). But he still took breaks for the pentas, and mandevilla, and hibiscus--even when he was on guard duty. They're very curious creatures. This year is just day 2 with hummers, but already he is completely ignoring the feeder and the pentas, and going for the butterfly bush, esperanza, and (again) mandevilla. Maybe this will change, but right now, he is completely unimpressed with last year's favorites (and it's the same feeder, in the same spot, with sugar water made the same way). And mine always fly to several flowers on the same plant, then want to move on to some completely different kind of plant. So my advise is, have a few different things they like to keep their interest (which keeps them around).

Last bit of advise is, give them time. When I first started this garden, I saw a hummer on only a couple times a year. Now I may see a few at a time, and if I look outside certain times of day during this part of the season, I'm nearly guaranteed to see them. It's like owning a restaurant--they have to figure out you're THERE, and that you consistently have an awesome and fresh buffet, and they just keep coming back after that. :)

Happy gardening!

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond! It is greatly appeciated! Had two hummingbird tonight. Male at the window feeder and a female at a PP209. It was a good night!

My female hummer now even comes around in the afternoon. She checks everything for nectar. This morning she poked at the grape jelly on my oriole feeder and kept trying to get nectar from the red ribbons I have hanging from the shepherd's hook. She has finally checked the hummer feeder a couple times, but each time she only stuck her beak into a port for a second and then flew off. I don't know why she won't sit and drink for a while. The 4:1 nectar is fresh.

Ken --- Good for you glad to see you having a little better luck.

Hawkeye--- I have tomato plant smack dab in the middle of my flower garden and its comical to watch hummers checking out the blooms on those, maybe wondering whats this doing in my flower garden.

Thanks Steve!

In addition to that male that comes 3 times in the morning and 3 times at night I have at least 2 females on the PP209 feeder now! From 5:30 till at least 8:30. I know that there at least two, even though I don't see more than one at a time, because one never perches when she comes and another always does. Who knows... there might be more.

All the hard work seems to be paying off now. At least changing the nectar is no longer a task! You must have a huge population as even with the ones I have I still never see the levels drop. I can't believe that you go through a whole 209 bottle a day!

Ken

After seeing my female poking at the red ribbons and oriole feeder again this evening, I once again lowered the hummer feeder down next to the LIR salivas. The next time she came she cautiously poked at the hummer feeder and then FINALLY perched to feed. It only took her about four days to figure it out. Hopefully, she'll remember how it works when she visits in the morning.

I'm only seeing the male every other day.

Hummersteve- I have 5 of those little feeders- I bought them a few years ago at Walmart. My Hummers love those the best- it's fun to watch them drinking and watching the little bubbles rise up to the top!

I don't know which they like better, since I've never put up a feeder. But I do know that with flowers alone, you can attract regular visits from the hummingbirds! Each year, there are more flowers growing in the gardens than the last. Once the Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) goes into full bloom, the hummers will visit the flowers regularly until they are ready to leave in the fall.

After the Bee Balm, the Lobelia cardinalis blooms, and then the Salvia splendens and coccinea, and the Cardinal climber. These are all hummingbird favorites.

The flowers seem to be visited about every 15-20 mintues. Often I'll see 2 hummers, tussling and chasing each other around the flowers and yard. Last summer, there were 2 females fighting over the Lobelia cardinalis, and a male flew into the fracas, probably the mate of one of the females. Three hummingbirds were the most I've seen at one time.

I have a very native and natural backyard, so their needs for habitat and insects are satisfied as well. It also helps that a couple of the neighbors have nice gardens too.

Just now a hummer was in my yard checking out all the flowers. It then went to the ribbons and oriole feeder again, but after that it went over to one of my nyjer socks where a bright yellow goldfinch was eating. The hummer went right up to the goldfinch and examined it like it was a flower. The goldfinch just kept eating. It was hilarious.

I'm starting to wonder if I might have two different female hummers. Sometimes a hummer goes right to the feeder hanging next to the salvia, quickly perches, and drinks. At other times a hummer comes and uses the flowers and often hovers over the feeder but doesn't appear to know how to use it.

terrene

I dont know which they like better either, but just the opposite from you in the beginning I only had feeders no plants and the few I had seemed to be there till sept. Now, I have an equal amount of flowers and feeders and it seemed to up my score each year.

Hummersteve, if I put up a feeder, I would probably have more visits and more hummers and be able to watch them up closer. But with just flowers, Ma nature does the work and I still get to enjoy the company of these little birds and the beauty of the flowers and all the other wildlife that visits.

I feed the birds most of year, make them home-made peanut suet, and participate in bird counts during the winter. During the summer they are everywhere in the yard and very fun to watch, I just want a break from the work of feeding them as much and try to enhance their sources of natural food with bird-friendly plantings.

My hummers are still looking for the blooms they enjoyed in early summer. Especially the B&B and Coral Honeysuckle, which are not blooming well now. Even my new Trumpet vine that surprised me by blooming last week, isn't interesting to them. They're spoiled on the B&B and Honeysuckle.