Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world and this makes them flap their wings more than other birds.
These birds love to have nectar and want perching spots to have rest. Seeing these birds while feeding can be a beautiful view.
However, attracting these birds can be a difficult task. But by using some tricks you can attract them easily.
With this article, we have mentioned all the tips that can help you to attract hummingbirds to your yard.
Tip 1: Installing hummingbird specific feeders
The primary source for attracting a bird can be feeders and offering their favorite food. However, when it comes to hummingbirds, it becomes important to install a feeder that is specific to their needs.
This is so because hummingbirds usually prefer nectar or sugar water as their part of the meal. Therefore, you need to install nectar feeders to attract these birds to your place.
For this purpose, there is a wide range of styles available in the market. This ranges from glass bulbs, saucer dishes, and inverted tubes.
Many feeders in the market came with additional features like hornet, wasp, and ant guards.
Typically, these feeders come with red parts because hummingbirds are more attracted to this color.
You should also look for additional features like the ability to clean. Cleaning the feeder is important to avoid fungi, bacteria, and other organism formation in the feeder.
Tip 2: Offer homemade nectar
Hummingbirds usually have a high metabolism but they need food every 15 minutes. Nectar is the basic source for hummingbirds to get energy.
You can offer nectar to these birds so that they get highly attracted to your place. However, either you can purchase a nectar solution from the market or make it own at home.
You can easily make nectar at home by making a mixture of four parts hot water to one part sugar.
You need to stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Serve it once it gets cool to room temperature.
Tip 3: Provide Perching spots
Every bird prefers to take a rest after flying for a long period. It becomes important for them to take a break too. Most males like to perch to have a break and survey their territory.
Hummingbirds highly look for places to perch on spots. You should provide them with perching spots that are in open or hidden areas.
You should place the feeders near the trees and shrubs which will provide them a natural food source and a place to perch on.
You can also add other perches spots by offering them small twigs to a brush pile or stringing a thin clothesline, or using thin vines, wires, and multiple levels of shrubbery.
You can also use miniature swings and stick a dead branch into the ground so that it stands vertically.
Tip 4: Encourage nesting
You should encourage nesting at your place which will attract these birds to visit your place often.
Generally, hummingbirds prefer small deciduous trees and dense shrubs for building nests and raising their family.
Hummingbirds can even construct their nests on small horizontal surfaces and often uses delicate materials such as spider webs and lichens.
They also build their double-lined and cup-shaped nests in shrubs and trees. You can also offer suitable nesting materials such as fine natural cotton and animal fur to attract nesting birds.
Tip 5: Location of the feeder
When you are installing hummingbird-specific feeders to your place, the location of the feeder matters a lot. Even a small change in the location of the feeder can have drastic results.
The location of the bird feeder should be close to the areas where birds are frequently visiting your place.
The feeder should be away from the direct sunlight to keep the nectar cool and to provide shade to the visiting birds. Always hang the feeders high so that predators will not attack these birds while they are feeding.
Tip 6: Attract them with the right plants
You can also attract hummingbirds by offering them the right plants at your place. You should plant and fill your yard with native plants, trees, vines, and shrubs to attract more birds to your place.
Some plants that are highly attractive to hummingbirds include sage, cardinal flower, Mandevilla, and honeysuckle. You can find these native plants online and plant them to create a healthy environment for these birds.
Tip 7: Regular cleaning of feeders
Birds are not attractive to the feeders that aren’t clean. Therefore, it is important to clean the feeders at regular intervals.
Keep your feeder clean from both inside and outside. Even you have to change the sugar water every 3-4 days. It is so because fresh nectar is always more attractive to birds.
Rinse and clean the feeders every few days to keep ants, bees, fungus, mold, and other bacteria away from the feeder.
To clean it properly, soak the feeder in a weak vinegar solution and scrub it. Rinse and dry it properly before refilling the sugar solution in it.
Tip 8: Keep spider webs
If you are dedicated to attracting hummingbirds at your place, then you should keep the spider webs at your place.
It is so because spiders will help you to encourage hummingbirds to do nesting at your place. The spider webs provide natural traps to catch other insects.
This provides the hummingbirds a source of protein. Even the nest of hummingbirds are constructed with a few mosses and lichens.
They also use strands of spider web holding to keep the nest together. They use the spider silk to bind their nests and anchor to their foundation.
Tip 9: Install a water source
Hummingbirds also like to bathe and you can attract them by installing a water source.
These birds prefer shallow water sources and moving water sources to sprinkle their delicate feathers.
You can provide water sources like fountains, misters, drippers, and sprinklers for the bathing and preening purpose of these birds.
You can add pebbles or stones to create shallow areas in traditional baths. However, you have to keep the water fresh and clean for the better health of the birds.
Tip 10: Make use of red ribbon
Another effective way to attract hummingbirds is to make use of red ribbons. Hummingbirds rely on their vision to find food and a mate.
You can add bright colors to your place to attract these birds. Prefer the red to a yellow range of colors.
You can especially prefer bright orange or red ribbons near the feeders or flowers to catch the attention of the hummingbirds. Tie it to either feeder or fence post and it will lure these birds to take a close look at it.
Tip 11: Keep the bullies away
Hummingbirds gathering at small places can make them aggressive and territorial. But some bully birds can chase other birds and keep them away from the feed.
They even use their energies with their aggression. However, if your place also has a territorial bully bird, then you can keep them away with some tricks.
You can install multiple bird feeders in your yard to eliminate the bully birds. This will cure the problem of territorial issues between bullies and hummingbirds.
Conclusion
Hummingbirds are birds that can be a treat to watch while feeding. If you also want to attract these birds to your place you can use all these tips. All the tips mentioned in this article are very effective in attracting these birds to your place. Thank You For Reading!