Hummingbirds are a good indicator of the weather warming up, or more precisely, of when it's staying warmer at nighttime. Warm enough for them to migrate northwards being warm enough to leave plants outside at night.

When I first moved in to my neighborhood, I wasn't even thinking about there being hummingbirds. It just so happened that I had a bright red Anthurium plant that I placed on my front porch. I was heading out one day and noticed a hummingbird buzzing around it. So I bought a feeder and filled it up. Little did I know that every hummer in the whole country would end fighting over it. So I eventually bought a few more feeders and put a couple in my backyard, too. They were drinking up the nectar so fast, I ended up having to buy bigger feeders. Towards the end up summertime, there are so many that I have to fill up each feeder on a daily basis. Fortunately, all of my neighbors noticed the feeding frenzy and have put out feeders of their own. This has helped somewhat, but they still seem to favor my feeders. My neighbors have asked me what I use and I joke with them that it's a highly guarded secret. But really, I just use a more concentrated mixture.

This photo shows a few of the "bottomless pits" feeding. This was back when I still used the smaller feeders. There are so many coming and going that the best I can do to guess how many there are is to stand back and snap a photo from behind and count how many are in there. This photo was more of a closeup. I think the most I counted at one time was roughly two dozen. They get so busy fighting over the feeders that they'll forget that I'm even standing there, haha. I always laugh at myself for getting startled when one buzzes right past me when I'm out back watering my plants. I've had one family member get hit once on accident, but so far I haven't... yet. :)

Consider yourself lucky......I have tried several types of hummingbird feeders, and would get an occasional visitor, but the Yellowjackets overrun the feeders and force me to take them down.

Joe

Fun ...Hummers are primarily sunlight driven not temperature driven. They'll feed during a snow storm as long as the sun shines long enough. Sunrise to sun set times are what you want to track.

Hummers here start to arrive on the second week of April and begin the southern departure on the same days as the equal sunrise to sun set times in the fall.

More hummer information. They will remember where your feeder(s) is/are from year to year I Hang mine two weeks early for arrival and two weeks after departed They also become very territorial and they don't like to share eventually they will fight for the food a feeding schedule becomes a very tricky compromise to and from any other hummer second to the feeder.

They also become very territorial and they don't like to share eventually they will fight for the food with out compromise as a feeding schedule becomes a very tricky compromise to and from any other hummer second to the feeder.

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I see so many pictures of multiple hummers at feeders and wonder how they do it. I get one at a time, even though I just got a nifty 5-port feeder.

Yes, same here multiple hummers at a feeder are commonly seen at early and into peak arrival times, it's also while mates are being chosen. After the eggs are hatched mommy hummer will defend her feeder. To keep the battles fewer and more hummer ( selfish of me) viewing I've several three port feeders. Females will also show/ teach the young how to use it, but not how to defend it.

Home made nectar:

One (1) part sugar to four (4) parts rolling boiling water ( well or city tap water is fine) add sugar let boil for four to five minutes.

Allow to cool before capping and storing in clear glass bottle(s) Store the sweet nectar in fridge. I keep a stored gallon of nectar on hand and make more when gallon is near to empty hold time in fridge may vary I estimate a gallon avgs a month with zero wasted from fridge

Bi weekly ( & sometimes weekly) I empty any remaining nectar from the feeder(s) at the sink with a hot tap five minute soak and scrub then triple rinse with cool. ( overkill maybe but why not.)

I also compliment my grounds with additional birds bees butterflies and hummer attracting zone hardy plants.

'Got buzzed twice' Made me laugh!

There's never any hummers here but I bet there will be tons when I head to my cabin this week! Can't to see the male Rufous again!

The ideal ratio of sugar to water in the summertime is 1:4, as mentioned above. Nomen, you might be boiling off quite a bit of water by boiling it that long.

The sugar water doesn't need to be boiled at all, though probably a good idea if making up a large amount to store in the fridge.

I only keep two feeders going; I make two cups of sugar water for the two of them. It doesn't fill them up, but I like to clean them out every four or five days, anyway. I don't like to make up a lot in advance.

Avian experts recommend that we do not use the commercial nectar mix nor that we add any red coloring to our homemade sugar water.

They are such amazing little creatures, aren't they? Surprisingly easy to 'tame', I've been able to have them perch on my fingers many times.

I make my hummer feed a bit sweeter at the beginning of the season and usually just make it as needed.

I start with sugar and cold water and boil. As soon as most of the sugar is dissolved, I turn off the heat and stir until it's all syrup.

I need to find another place to hang feeders so there are choices once the babies hatch.

Good feedback Rizo: One of my life experiences was 15 years in higher end dinning with above avg executive chef style kitchens.

I turn down the rolling boil to a hot simmer to dissolve the sugar with out burning it on the bottom of the boiling pot after about 4 minutes I then cover and turn up the heat a bit to a low but still rolling boil I uncover by tipping cover on one side for stove top cooling for an hour then to a counter top for more gradual cooling before it gets bottled for the fridge

A four gallon measured water batch yields apx 3.9 gallons of nectar sometimes more depending on the actual heat of the kitchen & sometimes less at a low of 3.75 gallons yield Depends on what else is being heat cooked ( if anything) at the time of nectar making.

Noted again is the day to day cooking and cooling that's done on a day by day basis when hung outside is also the reason why I option for glass bottles over plastic and are stored in clear glass in fridge.

As it is a house plants forum and my kitchen is part of my house A small my kitchen fun fact

My kitchen changes climate so often that no plant I have currently or had in the past would ever be successful in it.