Do You Love Feeding Hummingbirds? Learn How to Attract More Now!

Many people consider hummingbirds to be the most interesting of all backyard birds. They are fun to watch as they fly around looking for food and water. It is amazing how fast they can fly and how quickly they can change direction then stop and hover. If you want to make hummers regular visitors to your yard just add a food source.

Adding natural sources of hummingbird food to your yard is the best way to attract hummingbirds. Add a few hummingbird feeders to your garden and you can have hummingbirds near your home from spring until fall. Natural sources of hummer food are really easy to set up and maintain. These plants not only attract hummingbirds but they will also make your yard more attractive. Most flowers that attract hummers are red and very attractive.

Natural Hummingbird Nectar

Hummingbird nectar is sipped from flowers, usually red ones. Petunias, fuchsia, red columbine , trumpet vine and red bee balm are just a few plants that will attract your winged friends. The plants simply need sun and water to grow and the birds will find them on their own. Tiny flying insects are another natural food source for hummingbirds.

"Artificial" Nectar for Hummingbirds

You can attract hummingbirds even if you don't have a yard. If you live in an apartment, a condo or even in the city don't worry, you can still attract hummingbirds. Hanging flower baskets do a great job at attracting hummingbirds in small spaces. Hummingbirds can also be attracted using hummingbird feeders. They come in many designs, colors and sizes. They will easily hang under your eaves, on windowsills or even right on a window.

Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red so hummingbird feeders with red coloring attract more hummingbirds. Hummingbird feeders come in many shapes but the shape is not really important to hummingbirds. The nectar inside is what the hummers are looking for.

Feeders for Hummingbirds

There are two styles of hummingbird feeders - dish and bottle. The bottle style feeder is typically an upside down plastic or glass bottle with a feeding tube coming out the bottom. The end of the feeding tube often has a plastic red flower to attract hummingbirds. Some also include bee-guards to keep flying insects off the feeding port. You should hang your bottle feeder in the shade when possible. If the sugar solution heats up it expands. This expansion may cause the feeder to leak from the feeding port.

When shopping for dish style hummingbird feeders you will find some made out of plastic. The other style is made from blown glass. These feeders are beautiful pieces of art that will add a touch of class to your bird feeding station. Plastic dish feeders consist of a dish to hold the nectar and a cover with multiple feeding ports. The feeding ports are usually shaped like flowers to attract hummingbirds. The topside feeding ports are not appealing to flying insects, as they cannot reach the nectar inside. I have tried both styles of hummingbird feeders and I think the dish style works the best.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

Hummingbird nectar is easy to make. It is a simple ratio of four parts water blended with one part sugar. You can make all the nectar you want as long as you stick to the ratio. If you are putting out your first hummingbird feeder or placing one in a new spot you may want to try a stronger mixture of four parts water to 2 parts sugar. This is said to attract hummers faster.

The mixture doesn't necessarily need to be boiled. Boiling the sugar and water will guarantee that it is mixed, but stirring well will also keep it mixed. When you do boil your mixture, make sure to cool it down before serving it up to the birds. Red food dye is not needed to attract them, either. The red dye may actually be harmful to the birds. Store any leftover nectar in the refrigerator. It can remain for a week or two without going bad.

Hummingbirds will visit your hummingbird feeders into the fall. Many of the hummers you see at your feeders in the fall are migrating from locations farther north. The nourishment...

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