I wish I could see this talk, and also hear more about the work the sargents have done showing the little Saw-whet owlslive year-round in Alabama. There was a good newspaper article about it, and we are lucky to have dedicated bird people here. I have noticed that when I can attend events put on by bird groups like Audubon, or other nature-related events, the knowledgeable folks who have the most to teach are generally older folks. I know some of the most active Audubon members in B'ham are in their 80's and even 90's. Really, I don't see much evidence that younger folks are doing much to benefit from the years of accumulated knowledge these folks have. I don't see younger people showing up. I might not care to comment on this, except you can't help notice in the newspaper today that although we have more empty retail space and big empty stores where i live in Hoover, they are set to finish yet more new development with close to a million more square feet of retail and parking lots, when you add it all up. So I wonder how many more Best Buys and Targets we need, and I hope to see more birds before the cell phone towers and parking lots completely win out.

pm2: Mine is an 8 oz one from Wild Birds Unlimited. It's identical to humzinger in every way, even made for them by humzinger. They have a retail store near me and their feeder was a few $ cheaper than the brand name Humzinger. 8 oz is plenty for me because my birds will not allow more than one to feed at a time. I make nectar in larger portions and store in covered jar in the fridge. Only takes a minute for me to clean, refill, and rehang. Again, easy to clean and can even go into the dishwasher. I just use any old soap or spray cleaner. Someone above mentioned no soap but the manufacturer makes no such recommendation and I don't see how soap could be a problem as long as it's rinsed well. Karen Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Birds Unlimited

All of the sites I consulted said to make the nectar 4:1, water:sugar. I change/rinse the feeders every day. The plant that gets almost all of the attention from butterflies and hummers here is Lantana. There's a few around the yard, and 5 giant ones along the back fence, always covered with butterflies, visited constantly by the hummers too although they don't stay in any one place for more than a minute. It took me a few tries to get our feeders where I wanted them. Wherever it is, the hummers should find it. When I realized that, I put one just a few feet from the window we can see out of when sitting on the couch. Commercials aren't so boring now, just look out the window, the hummers are constantly visiting that feeder. There are no nectar plants on that side of the yard, or in the next 2 neighbors' yards. If you want to be 'selfish' about the placement, try it. For a few dollars in seeds, you can provide nectar with Basil, Zinnia, Coleus, without worrying about how they fit in the garden perennially, useful in any 'holes,' pots. I've also seen the hummers spending time repeatedly visiting Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender,' usually sold as a house plant (and easy to overwinter as one.) (Took this pic for the pots but the Lantana is the giant stuff on the left. You can't even see, there's a fence that goes through it.)

Do not use any of the red premix it can be harmfull to hummingbirds!!!! Use white granulated cane sugar and water only 1:4 Personally I use only bottled water for my hummers, better taste. Some of the smaller feeders will leak if not filled full and then they may still leak just a little. Hang your feeder in an area where you have seen them garden area or from a tree. During this month you should see more hummers as they are working their way back south.