Hummingbirds anyone?

[Anonymous]

Please ignore this post if you think lack of hummingbird sightings is a first world problem.

I've had two feeders up since the first week of April. Three coral honeysuckle vines blooming away almost all that time. The Vermillianaires have been blooming for over two weeks. I've installed several Hot Lips, Black and Bloom, Amistad, and four other kinds of salvia in my garden.

Admittedly blooms have been sparse and it is rare to see hummingbirds in the rain, but I was beginning to feel like I threw a party and no one came. Where were my fickle feathered friends for whom I had laid out such a feast?

One quick sighting of a hummingbird zooming over my garden on Saturday, Sunday a sighting at the Hot Lips, and this morning two sightings, one at the honeysuckle and another on the Vermillionaire and the Salvia Deep Rockin' Purple.

I can't wait to get home to see if they have discovered the feeders.

[Anonymous]

We had our first sighting yesterday! We have a feeder next to a butterfly bush and are so excited they have found us again. Glad your beautiful garden has been discovered as well!

[Anonymous]

I had my first sighting of the season last Saturday at 6am. One hummingbird drinking at the feeder and one who chased her off!

[Anonymous]

Question - I put nectar in a feeder 3 weeks ago and haven't seen any yet. Do I need to replace the nectar every once in a while or does it not get old?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question - I put nectar in a feeder 3 weeks ago and haven't seen any yet. Do I need to replace the nectar every once in a while or does it not get old?

I change the nectar weekly in cool weather and every other day in the hottest part of the summer. 3 weeks is too long!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question - I put nectar in a feeder 3 weeks ago and haven't seen any yet. Do I need to replace the nectar every once in a while or does it not get old?

I change the nectar weekly in cool weather and every other day in the hottest part of the summer. 3 weeks is too long!

Yes definitely. I fill it up to about one quarter or so until I see a hummingbird. Then I ramp it up a bit until I actually see one at a feeder, at which point I fill it all the way.

Be sure to clean your feeder very well before you refill it.

[Anonymous]

I put it out weeks ago and nothing at all. Except in my neighbors yard and she doesn't have a feeder. Sigh. I have 3 large pots of flowers nearby (a variety of red flowers, funnel shaped...).

[Anonymous]

You must change the water every three days. Any mold will kill these birds.
We use the humzinger brand of feeders as they are super easy to clean and fill and has a perch for the hummingbirds. We make our own nectar (4 parts boiled cooled water and 1 part plain white sugar), changing it every 3 days. Else, you will have a problem with black mold that can be fatal to these birds.

http://www.amazon.com/Aspects-367-Hummzinger-Hummingbird-12-Ounce/dp/B000CSH7VA/ It is a bit pricy but our feeders have been going strong for many years. Very durable.



We wash the feeders with soap and water and then do a final rinse with vinegar and water and let it dry, before filling the nectar. It is amazing when they bring their fledglings and teach them to drink from the feeders. We also have a lot of nectar producing flowers in our garden and we attract many birds, butterflies and insects.

Here are some more tips -

1) Stick a large red bow near the feeder to attract the hummingbirds if it is your first time feeding them. The bigger and gaudier (maybe an old Christmas decoration) the better.

2) Do not use feeders with yellow colored feeding ports, they tend to attract wasps.

3) Use an old mascara brush to clean the mold off the feeding ports. I use a disposable one from a cosmetic counter.

4) When washing feeders, after using soap, rinse with vinegar water to remove all traces of soap and a final rinse with water to remove the vinegar residue. It is very easy to clean humzinger.

Since we change the water frequently, I have stopped filling the feeder to the brim. I make very small amounts of feeder water and do not fill the feeder very much. This way I can change the water frequently and cut down waste.

[Anonymous]

It's been too cold this spring. I think they're either late in arriving, or they were winter-killed on the way here, or starved.

This spring was rediculously cold. It's like we were living in Montreal.

[Anonymous]

We are in Gaithersburg. I have had my feeders up since April. I have seen them since mid-April. I know at least two males and a female ruby throat hummingbirds are visiting because I saw all three of them at the same time. I have established feeders and have been putting them for several years now.

[Anonymous]

Does a hummingbird feeder attract wasps? I have a kid who is very allergic to all stinging creatures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does a hummingbird feeder attract wasps? I have a kid who is very allergic to all stinging creatures.

Ours does not. Yellow is said to attract wasps, so make sure yours is all red. I also heartily endorse the Humzinger a PP posted above. Very easy to clean and all red.

I don't know if the feeder issue could be the same for bumble bees, but for what it is worth our garden is full of bumble bees and I have never seen them go for the feeder, which is located very close to their favorite plants. Favorite, as in they cover them nonstop all day long.

The company that makes the Humzinger also offers very small tubes that you can insert into the holes of the feeder. Hummingbirds can feed through them but not wasps. I bought those when I first got my feeders but haven't seen a reason to use them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in Gaithersburg. I have had my feeders up since April. I have seen them since mid-April. I know at least two males and a female ruby throat hummingbirds are visiting because I saw all three of them at the same time. I have established feeders and have been putting them for several years now.

Boo...I'm a pp who hasn't gotten any yet, and I'm also in Gburg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You must change the water every three days. Any mold will kill these birds.
We use the humzinger brand of feeders as they are super easy to clean and fill and has a perch for the hummingbirds. We make our own nectar (4 parts boiled cooled water and 1 part plain white sugar), changing it every 3 days. Else, you will have a problem with black mold that can be fatal to these birds.

http://www.amazon.com/Aspects-367-Hummzinger-Hummingbird-12-Ounce/dp/B000CSH7VA/ It is a bit pricy but our feeders have been going strong for many years. Very durable.



We wash the feeders with soap and water and then do a final rinse with vinegar and water and let it dry, before filling the nectar. It is amazing when they bring their fledglings and teach them to drink from the feeders. We also have a lot of nectar producing flowers in our garden and we attract many birds, butterflies and insects.

Here are some more tips -

1) Stick a large red bow near the feeder to attract the hummingbirds if it is your first time feeding them. The bigger and gaudier (maybe an old Christmas decoration) the better.

2) Do not use feeders with yellow colored feeding ports, they tend to attract wasps.

3) Use an old mascara brush to clean the mold off the feeding ports. I use a disposable one from a cosmetic counter.

4) When washing feeders, after using soap, rinse with vinegar water to remove all traces of soap and a final rinse with water to remove the vinegar residue. It is very easy to clean humzinger.

Since we change the water frequently, I have stopped filling the feeder to the brim. I make very small amounts of feeder water and do not fill the feeder very much. This way I can change the water frequently and cut down waste.

I'm inspired! Just bought a feeder and will give this a go. I've seen a few hummingbirds in my yard in years past, but would love see more!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You must change the water every three days. Any mold will kill these birds.
We use the humzinger brand of feeders as they are super easy to clean and fill and has a perch for the hummingbirds. We make our own nectar (4 parts boiled cooled water and 1 part plain white sugar), changing it every 3 days. Else, you will have a problem with black mold that can be fatal to these birds.

http://www.amazon.com/Aspects-367-Hummzinger-Hummingbird-12-Ounce/dp/B000CSH7VA/ It is a bit pricy but our feeders have been going strong for many years. Very durable.



We wash the feeders with soap and water and then do a final rinse with vinegar and water and let it dry, before filling the nectar. It is amazing when they bring their fledglings and teach them to drink from the feeders. We also have a lot of nectar producing flowers in our garden and we attract many birds, butterflies and insects.

Here are some more tips -

1) Stick a large red bow near the feeder to attract the hummingbirds if it is your first time feeding them. The bigger and gaudier (maybe an old Christmas decoration) the better.

2) Do not use feeders with yellow colored feeding ports, they tend to attract wasps.

3) Use an old mascara brush to clean the mold off the feeding ports. I use a disposable one from a cosmetic counter.

4) When washing feeders, after using soap, rinse with vinegar water to remove all traces of soap and a final rinse with water to remove the vinegar residue. It is very easy to clean humzinger.

Since we change the water frequently, I have stopped filling the feeder to the brim. I make very small amounts of feeder water and do not fill the feeder very much. This way I can change the water frequently and cut down waste.

I'm inspired! Just bought a feeder and will give this a go. I've seen a few hummingbirds in my yard in years past, but would love see more!

If you have space in a sunny spot near your feeder, plant a couple of Vermillionaire cuphea, a couple of Black and Blue (or Black and Bloom) salvia, and Hot Lips salvia. The first two are definitely annuals here. My Hot Lips survived last winter. You should be able to find all three in a nursery and maybe even one or two at Home Depot.

Monarda Jacob Kline is often recommended, but I find it scraggly. I admit to lurking on a hummingbird forum, and people there swear by salvia Amistad, which I found at Merrifield, and Wendy's Wish. I could not find the latter locally and it seemed sold out everywhere on-line everywhere except Burpee (live plant, not seeds). They just arrived and I planted them today.

I have discovered another virtue of the Humzinger. Finches come to my feeders and sip water from the ant moat.