How to Attract Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are so pretty that one of the most common questions concerning them is how to attract more of them to your garden. Here are some tips on how to do that.

Ask people what type of bird is their favourite and a common response will be the hummingbird. Hummingbirds are so pretty that one of the most common questions concerning them is how to attract more of them to your garden. The best way to attract them is to offer them food and shelter.

Probably the most common and easiest way to feed hummingbirds is to put up a feeder for them. You can buy nectar for the feeder or you can make your own. Making your own nectar for the feeders is easy. First, boil one cup of water. Next, add 1/4 cup of white sugar and stir until all the sugar has been dissolved. Let the mixture cool before adding to the feeder. Remember to clean the hummingbird feeder with hot water every 3 – 4 days (to prevent dangerous bacteria from developing) and fill with fresh nectar. Since the feeders usually have a base that is bright red, it is not necessary to add food colouring to the nectar.

One key consideration when using a hummingbird feeder is to know when to put it up and when to take it down. It is a common myth that hummingbirds will stay around if there is a food source available, even though the weather has turned cold. In fact, hummingbirds know when to start their migration due to the length of the day, which is called photoperiod. Handy Hint: Put feeders up once the risk of frost has passed for the season and flowers have started to bloom. Put feeders away for the season when the flowers in your garden start to die off.

Besides using feeders, another way to attract hummingbirds is through flowers. The natural nectar of flowers is better for these petite birds and adds remarkable beauty to your garden. Birds are attracted purely based on eyesight, so the brighter the flower, the more hummingbirds it will attract. Some common plants that have bright flowers include:

• Cardinal flowers, which produce bright red flowers.
• The Trumpet Vine is a climbing vine that produces clusters of dark orange-scarlet blooms.
• Beebalms "Marshall's Delight" variety produces pretty pink flowers.
• The Songbird Cardinal Columbine produces a spurred flower that is red and white.
• Coral Bells "Bressingham Hybrids" produces tiny bell shaped flowers in a variety of colours.

In addition to food, hummingbirds also need shelter in order to rest, to protect them from the weather and to build nests in. Here is a list of common shrubs and trees that hummingbirds like to rest on:

• The Butterfly Bush, which is also used to attract butterflies, hence the name.
• Different varieties of honeysuckle, including the Vines Honeysuckle and the Trumpet Honeysuckle.
• Azaleas, which are a part of the Rhododendron family and have many stems on each plant.
• The Trumpet Vine, which has large, trumpet-shaped flowers and dense foliage.

Fact: Hummingbirds spend 75-80% of their time sitting and only 10-15% of their time eating. Therefore, it is very important that they have somewhere to rest. If you provide both food and shelter, you will be successful in attracting and keeping the hummingbirds in your garden over the summer months.

 

 

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