Well, very soon Vancouver will start seeing some migratory birds coming in! These birds may just be coming up from Washington and Oregon or, more likely, they are making an epic journey up from Mexico and South America. One of the smallest of these migrants, the little Rufous Hummingbird, makes one of the longest trips and will be very hungry when he arrives. So to welcome these tiny birds, let's start putting out hummingbird feeders. You can buy nectar formula in a store but it's super easy to make your own! The trick is to mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water and voila, cheap and easy hummer food.
To make the most of your nectar, put it in a red hummingbird feeder; that is the colour these birds are most attracted to. And finally, refill! Once the hummers learn that there is food to be had in your yard, they will keep stopping by to fill up. Be a good hummer host and keep your feeders full!
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Another important point to make is that the sugar solution needs to be changed every 3-5 days to prevent fermentation and mould. The feeder should also be cleaned with some hot water every week (don’t use soap as they appear to dislike like the taste).
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you don’t feel like buying a feeder just yet you can make one out of a sports drink bottle that has one of those caps that have a rubber seal to stop the drink from leaking unless you suck on it. Just fill it with the sugar water, hang it in a horizontal position, and put something red on it. I used a Powerade bottle in this fashion until I could afford a proper one and it worked out quite well.
A question: last year I had a feeder but no visitors (as far as I know). Does it take a year or two for them to trust a location, or did I just choose a less than ideal spot?
ReplyDeleteGreat question! Hummingbirds will have to learn where feeders are. If it's not positioned along their regular route it may take a few breeding seasons for them to stumble upon it. Once they do find it they will come back year after year, so keep it up and eventually the hummers will come!
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