Learn How to Feed Hummingbirds at Home.
You can do various things to your garden to make it hummingbird friendly and attract more of these birds. Even if you stay in the city’s middle and didn’t have any luck getting these birds in the past, you can soon have them around your garden by following some simple steps.
As most of the birds, hummingbirds virtually have no sense of smell. Apparently, these birds depend on sites and are directed by the flowers to find their nectar source. Some of the plants which you can consider to plant in your garden to attract the birds are, cardinal flowers, bee balm, columbine, cypress vine, honeysuckles, petunias, geraniums, fuchsias, Indian paintbrush, salvia, mimosa, azalea, manzanite, butterfly bush, etc. If you are having any doubts regarding their growth in your area, check with the local nursery to find which of them will grow in your garden.
When using your own hummingbird nectar for the feeders you must never add artificial red coloring to them. The red colors of the feeders are enough to attract them. Also, use of honey or artificial sweeteners has to be avoided. Artificial sweeteners do not have any food value and honey ferments easily which can cause sores in the mouth of the birds. The hummingbird feeders in your garden have to be cleaned every 3-4 days and the nectar changed to keep on attracting the birds.
Setting up hummingbird feeders is a very popular method to attract hummingbirds to the garden. You can use the homemade nectar solution of sugar water in the feeders to feed the birds. Hanging some red flowers or planting them near the feeders will make the hummingbirds easily find the feeders.
Using red colored hummingbird feeders in your garden will attract more of these birds. An artificial red flower or band can be tied to the feeder if you feel the feeder doesn’t have enough red in it. But, using of red food colors in the nectar solution should be avoided as they are found to be harmful to the birds. Sometimes, the male hummingbirds try to exert their dominance and drive away the other hummers if you have fewer feeders in your garden. You can prevent this by adding several other feeders around the garden and bring more hummingbirds to your garden.
Never try using artificial sweeteners or honey for feeding the hummingbirds. The quick fermentation of honey in the feeder can cause sores in the birds’ mouth or promote a fatal fungal disease. You have to clean the feeders and change the nectar solution every 3-4 days, or more frequently if the weather is hot. Use a good bottle brush to clean the inside of your feeder if any mold formation occurs. Some sand and water can also be added inside the feeder and shaken to remove these molds. Instead of using soaps and detergents, you can use hot water with little white vinegar to wash and rinse the feeders, as the birds do not like any traces of soap.
Insects like ants and bees may invade your garden and feeders and drive away the hummingbirds. You have to use the feeders with built-in bee guards and attach moats or nectar protectors on the feeders to control their invasion. These steps will ensure that your garden continues attracting the hummingbirds.
June 05 2009 | Gardening | No Comments »