Attracting Hummingbirds
Attracting Hummingbirds to you is important and a lot easier than trekking across fields with a pair of
binoculars. After all, the way to a hummingbird's heart is through their stomach.
Hummingbirds are very visual and go from place to place based on what they see. When hummingbirds are looking for a place to stay, they are looking for things like bugs, nectar, and water.
A good way to attract the hummingbirds is to plant a hummingbird garden following the instructions in the Garden section of this website. A hummingbird garden can be rather large rolling across several acres, to very small such as a window-box planter or a couple of plants and feeder on a porch. Hummingbirds have no sense of smell, so what the flower smells like doesn't really matter. Choose trumpet flowers like those on Honeysuckle, or a Trumpet Vine. If you don't know the name of a particular flower, don't worry. We have compiled a Hummingbird Garden Catalog with photos that will help you choose the best flowers for your location.
Hummingbirds love to drink nectar from flowers and feeders. Hummingbird feeders come in all shapes and sizes or, you can make your own hummingbird feeder using old bottles and other things around your home. We have listed our favorite feeders and recommendations in the Feeders section of this website. The recipe for hummingbird nectar can be found in the Nectar section of this site.
Hummingbirds are attracted to an area that has lots of little bugs to eat. Hummingbirds need protein to survive and eating tiny bugs like gnats and spiders give them that needed protein. Don't use pesticides around hummingbirds; let the hummingbirds will take care of those annoying little bugs for you. If you want to try to attract more bugs, see the Bugs section of this website.
Hummingbirds love to play around in the sunshine and even take a little sun bath, however, they also need shade and wind protection. Hummingbirds are attracted to areas that have both. They need the sunshine just like we do. However they need the shade to rest, perch, and nest.
Troubleshooting
If you are having problems attracting hummingbirds, be patient. Hummingbirds will be in virtually every part of the Americas at one time or another. Here are some other tips you might want to try to help you attract the most hummingbirds.
- Try placing your hummingbird feeders near flowers that hummingbirds like.
- Run strings or line to create a place for the hummingbirds to perch.
- Spread feeders out, or place a lot of feeders bunched together so that a territorial hummingbird cannot monopolize them.
- Place the feeders as a variety of heights. Some hummingbirds feel more comfortable feeding at higher levels of fourteen (14) feet or so, while others like to feed at ground level.
- Try to decorate your feeder and surrounding areas with
Flagging Tape
. The florescent tape mimics the reflections of the hummingbird's iridescent coloring.
It is also important to protect your hummingbirds from predators such as cats and blue jays. For more information on dangers to hummingbirds, see the Dangers section of this website.
Hummingbirds can feel more fearless than other birds simply because of their speed. Hummingbirds can even become accustom to certain people they know. They can, in time, zip all around someone's heads and ankles without a care.
To a hummingbird, you are a 90 foot tall monster that can eat them. They don't know that you would never do so until you prove it. When you move, make sure your movements are slow and deliberate. Try sitting out with the hummingbirds on a daily basis (like morning Coffee time). Change the feeders during daylight hours so they can see who is providing such good nectar. After a while, sit with a feeder right next to you and watch them drop by for a drink. Eventually, they may start to think of you as a perch. See also the Bugs section of this website.
As you can see, with a little thought attracting hummingbirds is not all that hard.
