It's interesting to me that those who design feeders to be sold don't take into consideration what design(s) work(s). They keep making junk because we keep buying it. In my opinion, there are three big no-no's in hummingbird feeders. 1) The holes through which the juice is accessed must be small: just big enough for the hummers and no more. 2) The distance from the top of the juice to the feeder hole needs to be too long for wasps and bees, but short enough for hummers to get access. 3) The feeder MUST NOT leak. Over the years I have fed thousands upon thousands of hummers.

All of my feeders are hanging under the branches of shade trees out of the sun, since light and warmth will encourage bacteria and/or mold in any feeder, regardless of whether it's plastic or glass. Rainwater helps that along, so the downward-pointing tubes you're using keep the nectar cleaner than any other type, but aren't practical if the hummingbirds consume a gallon of sugar-water a day. In the past fifteen years, two or three 8 - 16oz feeders were plenty and uneaten nectar had to be dumped every third day or so. But I started planting more flowers last year and got the first breeding pair to take up residence. This year, with even more flowering plants, there was an unexpected population explosion. Now there are twelve feeders in the yard of seven different types/ brands and they all get used, though five are hung under what's become The Hummingbird Tree because of the crowd that prefers to feed there. They're using both rings on the Best-1 as perches:

The resident population here also ignored a new Hummzinger for two months, but once one adult female figured it out, the others learned from her. It's become a useful feeder, so I've changed about it, but I don't think any single brand of feeder is the best thing to have during migration if it's the only one in the yard. The birds passing through are apparently accustomed to different designs of feeders or have no experience with feeders at all. I've watched new arrivals pecking at different parts of the feeders, including the hanging chains, ant traps, bottles, and bottoms. When they hang back and observe other hummingbirds, they figure it out in just a minute. However, if there are no other hummers around, they fly off. Although someone has suggested not giving hummingbirds a choice between a Hummzinger and others, I think doing just the opposite is the best strategy if you want them to stop in and stay a while. Peoples' priorities differ: easy vs. laborious for human or easy vs. laborious for bird.

I'm sorry if this is a little lengthy, but I feel very strongly about humans taking responsibilities for the little hummers. We want to make sure that if we are going to help them, then we must do it safely. For those of you that are not familiar with Rockport, Texas, we are on the main migration route for hummers, especially the RT. And I know that some of you have attended our annual Hummer/Bird Celebration in September. Literally, thousands of hummers migrate through here each spring and fall, although we do have some that are year-round residents here. The birds are much more prevalent in the fall than in the spring. I have been told that one possible reason for the light sightings of hummers in the spring is because they are on their way to start the breeding process. OK, for what it's worth, I have found over the past 17 years of feeding hummers that some feeders attract more birds than others. I have also found that some feeders should not be used because they can harm the hummers. And overall I prefer the glass feeders because they do not wear out as fast as the plastic ones. The plastic ones discolor and can even warp with too much heat (like we have here in south Texas). However, they work good for hanging in a place that cannot hold a lot of weight. And, I have been given many different hummingbird feeders as gifts. Some of them are beautiful, i.e. rose-colored bottles with an etched hummingbird on it, a beautiful stained-glass feeder, pretty little glass globe feeders. Well, for me I have found that the hummers won't even look at them let alone drink from them. They seem to like the "less expensive" ones much better. And the saucer style does not seem to work very well for me. And the reason is probably because of our constant SE winds that generally blow in at 15 mph. It splashes the solution out easily. Regarding cleaning the feeders, I use a 1:10 ratio of bleach to water and let them soak for at least 15 minutes or more. A baby bottle brush works well for getting into the bottles. After soaking and scrubbing them, I rinse thoroughly (some people use a vinegar water rinse), and then hang them to dry thoroughly. After that I just fill and hang them. It really doesn't take too much work to keep them clean. So here is some information that you might want to check out. MY FAVORITES: #1) Perky-Pet Brand 4 Fountain Hummingbird Feeder (203cp) either with or without the perch. It is easy to clean, and not only do the hummers have the advantage of more than one hummer being able to feed from the port, it also attracts butterflies and orioles. #2) Glass Humming BirdFeeder Pinch-Waist either with or without the perch. It is easy to clean, but only one hummer can feed at a time on this feeder. Notice the flat yellow ports which I used to replace the cupped yellow flower ports which I make reference to below. The following three are plastic feeders, but I still use them, and the hummers seem to like them. #3) Perky-Pet Brand® Hummingbird Feeder (216) A good light weight small feeder, easy to clean. #4) Perky-Pet Brand® 48 oz Hexagonal Hummingbird Feeder The hummers are feeding heavily on it, but it is so large that in normal conditions, i.e. less frenzy feeding, I would probably not use it because the solution would go bad before it was eaten. #5) Perky-Pet Brand® Hummingbird Feeder 19 ounce Rose Petal Feeder. It says it is easy to clean, but I have not found that to be the case. It has four ports that have attached white designs around them. It appears to be very safe, but the hummers have not been crazy about it. DON'T USE UNLESS, . . .: #1) Perky-Pet Brand® Lantern Design Hummingbird Feeder (201) This feeder has the cupped flowers that caused a hummer to get hung up yesterday and died. #2) Perky-Pet Exclusive Dew Drop Design, large 32-ounce capacity, number 273 This was actually the feeder that caused the hummer to die. It has the same cupped flowers as in #1. Both #1 and #2 above can be modified by removing the cupped flowers and replacing them with the 202-F flowers (See following paragraphs for more information.) #3) The old fashion Best One Models that is referred to by Sarah on October 1, 2005, 10:16 p.m. in post I'm so upset! On Saturday, after finding the dead hummer, I went to Wal-Mart and checked out the feeders. The one that I am talking about is the Perky-Pet Exclusive Dew Drop Design, large 32-ounce capacity, number 273. The problem appears to be with those "pretty yellow flower ports" opposed to the actually style of the feeder container. I think that if you just pull the flowers out (that's what I did), that the feeder will probably be OK to use. I bought some of the Perky-Pet Brand replacement flowers number 202-F (the flat yellow flowers), and pried the little slots open with a table knife and snapped them in. I have hung two of them back up, and I have seen no further problems. Like I said, I think the problem was with the "cupped flowers" opposed to the "flat flowers".