Feeders & Nectar

Mix 1 part plain white sugar with 4 parts water. No red dye, no honey, no other sweeteners. Change the nectar and clean the feeder every few days in warm weather (every 2 days or sooner when it's above 90°F) and at least once a week when it's cool. If the nectar looks cloudy or you see black specks, it's overdue.

The nectar recipe

  • Ratio: 1 part refined white sugar to 4 parts water. For example, 1/4 cup of sugar in 1 cup of water.

  • Mixing: hot water helps the sugar dissolve. Boiling isn't required. Let it cool completely before you fill the feeder.

  • No red dye: it's unnecessary and could be harmful. The red on the feeder is all the color the birds need.

  • No honey, corn syrup, raw or brown sugar, or artificial sweeteners: honey in particular can grow a fungus that's dangerous to hummingbirds.

  • Storage: extra nectar keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

How often to clean the feeder

Sugar water spoils fast in the heat, and spoiled nectar can make birds sick. The hotter it is, the more often you change it.

  • Hot weather (above 90°F): every 2 days or less.

  • Warm weather (around 80°F): every 3 days.

  • Cool weather: at least once a week.

  • Every time: dump the old nectar, scrub the feeder and ports, rinse well, and refill.

  • Once a month: soak the empty feeder for about an hour in a weak vinegar solution, then scrub and rinse.

  • Warning signs: cloudy nectar or black specks (mold) mean it's past time.

On my porch in Denver, I change the nectar every two days when it's really hot and about every four days the rest of the time. Because I keep up with it, plain soap and water is all I use to clean them.

Choosing a feeder

  • Easy to clean beats everything else: you'll be taking it apart every few days, so pick one that comes apart fully and has openings a brush can reach.

  • Saucer (basin) vs. bottle: saucer feeders hold the nectar below the ports, too far down for wasps to reach, which cuts down on insect trouble.

  • Skip yellow: yellow parts and yellow "bee guards" attract bees and wasps. Red attracts hummingbirds.

  • No leaks: a feeder that drips draws insects. If yours leaks, replace the seal or the feeder.

Where to hang it

  • Shade: a shaded spot keeps nectar cooler so it spoils more slowly.

  • More than one feeder: several small feeders spread out, out of sight of each other, cut down on fights better than one big feeder.

  • Windows: the old "keep it 3 feet or 30 feet from the glass" rule is no longer recommended by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Instead, make the window itself bird-friendly with decals, screens or other window treatments.

  • Bear country: see below.

If you live in bear country

Colorado Parks and Wildlife asks people in bear country not to hang bird feeders from April 15 to November 15, and names hummingbird feeders as a source of bear conflicts. That's the whole hummingbird season. If bears come through your area, check CPW's guidance for where you live, and consider bringing feeders in at night or leaning on native flowers instead (see "Plant flowers too" below).

Common problems

  • Ants: hang the feeder from an ant moat (a small cup filled with water above the feeder). Skip petroleum jelly, cooking oil and other greasy deterrents. They can end up on feathers.

  • Bees and wasps: use a saucer feeder, avoid yellow, fix leaks, keep the ports clean, and try moving the feeder a few feet, which can cut insect visits without losing the hummingbirds.

  • Cloudy nectar: it's spoiled. Dump it, scrub the feeder, and change it more often.

  • One bird guarding the feeder: add another feeder or two where the bully can't see them all at once. In Colorado's late summer, the bully is very often a Rufous Hummingbird passing through.

Plant flowers too

A feeder works best alongside real flowers. Good Colorado natives include red columbine, Indian paintbrush, larkspur, scarlet gilia, penstemon, currants and native sages. The U.S. Forest Service recommends choosing plants native to your area.

My setup

I run three feeders: two simple bottle feeders and one Humbirdy camera feeder. The Humbirdy has a camera built in, so it's already at the perfect angle and I don't need a separate mount. It's on the pricey side, but the camera comes with it.

All three hang in the shade under the porch roof. A little sun hits them now and then, but not often.

Wasps and spiders are the only pests I've had to deal with. Spiders love to hide in the smallest cracks of a feeder, which is one more reason to take everything apart when you clean.

I've never had one bully bird take over. Instead, they chase each other out of the area. Sometimes they get along.

Sources

From the Journal

Journal
Update 1 - Learning

This is the first update since starting and creating this website. A lot has happened since, and I would like to take the time today to do so with this first blog post.

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