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There are 17 different species of Hummingbirds that breed in North America alone. Using a few tried and true methods you can soon enjoy the beauty of hummingbirds right in your own backyard!
First, it's important to note that hummers are migratory birds and where you live will determine what time of year you'll see the birds and how long they will remain in your area. Leaving your feeders out year round will not cause the birds to stay in one place. Their instinct to migrate is too strong! You will generally start to see hummers in the spring once the weather is warm and then through out the summer.
The best way to initially attract hummingbirds to your yard is to create a hummingbird garden. Like most birds, hummers are attracted to their food by site, not smell. So brightly colored flowers send out a big loud message that says, "Food is here"! Some easy to grow favorites are:
Azaleas, Lantana, Honeysuckle, Morning Glory, Trumpet Vines, Canna, Impatients, Petunias, Scarlet Sage, Shrimp plant, and Snap Dragons. Any flowers that produce a good amount of nectar will attract hummingbirds. You can create a whole garden dedicated to flowers preferred by humming birds, or simply place several types of flowers around your yard in your existing landscaping. Using species of plants native to your area is also a great idea. It's very important to not use any pesticides on your flowers. Hummers can ingest the pesticides when trying to feed and the results can be fatal to them. Pesticides also kill off the small soft-bodied insect and spiders that are the mainstay of the hummingbird's diet.
Once you have your garden going, hang feeders around your yard. Hummers have excellent memories and will continue to frequent the feeders even after the flowering season of your plants has ended. Hummers will come to, and will find feeders that are not near gardens, but it may take them a little longer.
Their are commercially available hummingbird food syrup mixes available on the market, but it's just as easy to make your own syrup using one part pure cane sugar to 4 parts boiled water. It is not necessary, or in the best health interests of the birds to add red food dye to the syrup! Fill your feeders, and store the remaining syrup in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. It's very important to keep your feeders clean and filled with fresh syrup. Contaminated feeders can make hummers sick, and even kill them! Clean feeders out at least once a week.
Hummingbirds are also very territorial, and once they find a feeder they will spend a great deal of their time watching it and protecting it from other hummers. Once they start coming to your yard, it won't be long untill you witness your first feeder show down! To help drawn in more hummers, and keep them all happy, try hanging feeders in several locations around your yard out of site from each other. There are feeders that can be suction cupped to windows, nailed to trees, and hung from hooks or wires so the options on where you can hand them are endless!
Properly maintained, your hummingbird feeders will continue to draw crowds year after year!
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