Feeding Hummingbirds

Conservation is a core value at Urban Home Blog. Regular readers already know about our commitment to homekeeping that is responsible and responsive to the natural world. We have advocated for bats, bees, palm trees and public green spaces from city parks to winter gardens. We have hung bat houses, learned about Colony Collapse Disorder and contributed to efforts to address it, quit using hearts of palm in our cooking. We have made decisions regarding environmentally responsible cleaning products. We have even engaged in conservancy for our own bodies.

Every turn of the wheel, from yearly to seasonal to daily, is an opportunity to learn and apply the lessons of outdoor living. Our yard is an urban oasis of velvety grass, stalwart boxwood, ebullient bromeliads, trickster garlic, and a playful baby palm tree. Overseeing the greenery is a majestic California laurel whose leaves perfume the air along with the tangerine and lemon trees and gardenia bower alongside the building. One way we care for these is with responsible gardening practices. One of our first purchases was a composting bucket, which we use to turn food scraps into nutrition for the herbaceous citizens of our yard.

In turn, those plants produce everything from fruit to shade to simple, soothing beauty. They also produce flowers – which is why I refer to garlic as a trickster, because anyone burying their nose in garlic blossoms expecting a whiff of pleasant florals will be in for a rude surprise. But garlic flowers are pretty if not fragrant in the way we expect flowers to be, and if pollinating insects don’t mind the odor, neither do other species that feed on nectar – notably hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds are small, colorful birds with iridescent feathers and specialized long tapered bills that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of all birds, ranging in size from five to thirteen centimeters. Because they are tiny, they are dazzling aerialists, capable of flying in any direction or orientation including right, left, up, down, backwards and upside down. Their name comes from their flight, for these tiny dynamos flap their wings so fast (average 80 times per second) that it produces a distinctive humming sound. Upon sight, the wings are a blur, moving so fast that only high speed cameras can capture a still shot of a humingbird’s beating wings.

And boy, can hummingbirds eat. Hummingbirds expend a lot of energy being tiny and fast, and accordingly they have very high metabolisms and very big appetites. In motion, which is most of the time as they rarely rest, a hummingbird’s breathing rate, heartbeat and body temperature are among the fastest and highest by ratio in the animal kingdom. And they have another trick, for they lower their metabolism while sleeping.

Hummingbirds require a lot of food. They will consume insects, sap and pollen, but the core nutrient of the hummingbird diet is flower nectar. The hummingbird’s specialized bill works in cooperation with a long tongue which the bird uses to gulp food at a rate of up to thirteen flicks per second. This is where advocates come in, for as responsible conservators, one thing we can do is mount hummingbird feeders in our yards to supplement the supply of nectar that is available for feeding.

It is simple to make nectar available for hummingbirds in your yard, but there are two things to know: hummingbirds are territorial, and to provide food for them is a commitment.

You might not guess it from their diminutive size and fancy coloration, but hummingbirds are territorial around food sources and can be aggressive in defending them. Once your food source is established, it is likely that one or two hummingbirds will claim the source as their own and will spend a good deal of energy defending it from intruders. It will interpret intruder to include other hummingbirds, other birds and even you. Hummingbirds are not particularly social animals and outside of a male providing for a female who has a clutch of eggs, when defending they will not differentiate between intruders of either sex within their own species.

As do most birds, hummingbirds communicate via a combination of visual display and vocal warning. Common visual territorial displays include hovering above intruders, dive-bombing intruders, and chasing intruders away. They will stop short of physically attacking intruders outside of their species, but it is not out of the question for hummingbirds to attack other hummingbirds with their beaks. They will not be intimidated by size when chasing an intruder away, and can effectively do so not only with each other but with other birds up to the size of raptors. Common vocal territorial displays include a distinctive clicking or chittering language that functions as a warning to intruders and, when it involves another hummingbird, becomes an actual argument.

Hummingbird territoriality is noisy and visually striking, but overall it is not harmful. Territoriality in general and how hummingbirds behave territorially in specific are both expressions of the same wisdom by which the birds evolved their metabolism, their speed, and their specialized feeding apparatus and needs. They have survived via territoriality. The system works, and it is not our place to challenge it.

Feeding hummingbirds is still helpful to the species, and it enriches our yards when these noisy, vibrant extroverts are in residence. While we shouldn’t interfere with natural processes, there is a harmless trick you can employ to maximize the number of birds who can partake of the feeder: as detailed below, hang not just one feeder but two, ideally out of sight of each other. Hummingbirds do not typically try to defend more than one food source at once, and if they do, they often exhaust themselves to the point that they will abandon the battle – at least momentarily – and just feed together.

Feeding hummingbirds is a specialized form of the human practice of homestead conservation by which your winter cardinal has figured out to scout your windowsill for seed and that cluster of seagulls knows to congregate around your picnic blanket. It is a responsibility and a commitment to hang a hummingbird feeder. You commit to keep the feeder clean and to change the nectar as warranted, which will depend on how humid your environment is and how fast the nectar is consumed. As a rule, when the hummingbirds quit coming around, that means the nectar has turned and is no longer fit for their consumption. Typically you will have to change out the nectar once a week.

Finally, some hummingbirds migrate, and some don't. To determine if you live in an area where hummingbirds overwinter, contact your local county extension or chapter of the Audobon Society. They can also advise when, how and if to make changes to your feeding schedule during the migratory season, which typically occurs between mid-autumn and mid-spring. They will also be invaluable if you happen upon the rare, but heartbreaking, occurrence of a sick or wounded bird.

Feeding hummingbirds really isn’t that much effort, and in return for this simple act of consideration, Mother Nature Herself rewards you not just with the dazzling personality of the hummingbird, but with the unspoken – and mutual – gratitude that makes flowers bloom, gardens produce, wings take flight. The soaring spirit brings breathtaking beauty as reward.

Hanging a Hummingbird Feeder and Making Hummingbird Nectar
All of these supplies are easily acquired at a hardware store.

Supplies
1 double stack hummingbird feeder
2 lengths of lightweight weatherproof chain in the length determined by following the steps below
2 key rings
Paper towels

Twine

Scissors

Key
 

Nectar

2 cups cold filtered water
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Determine the location for the feeder

The best place to hang the feeder is from a sturdy tree branch, but feeders can be hung off of a support beam.

If possible, it is highly recommended that you hang two feeders. If hanging two, place the feeders within sight of each other but far enough apart to establish separate territories – typically the width of a patio or porch is fine.

For each feeder, have someone position the scissors at eye level to simulate the placement of the feeder. Have them hold the scissors in place while you use the twine to measure from the scissors, over the branch/beam, and back down to the scissors. Cut the twine at that length. Those lengths of twine are the lengths of chain you need to ask for the hardware store.

 

Choose the feeder

Choose a round plastic hummingbird feeder with easy human access to the opening of the chamber that contains the nectar, but that stays secure when closed. The feeder should offer a feeding platform with drilled slits for the birds to access the nectar, with an easy to use hook on the top. At Urban Home Blog, we recommend a simple feeder with a separating double platform and chambers, which allows you to distribute two feeders around your feeding zone. Double stack hummingbird feeders are widely available; one we recommend is First Nature's Double Stack Hummingbird Feeder.
Note: it is okay if the feeding platform is decorated with plastic florals, but only if they don’t get in the way of feeding. That said, it is a false claim that decorative florals attract hummingbirds - the important consideration is a good number of good-sized feeding slits. If you choose a decorative feeder, make sure that none of the decorations get in the way of that vital consideration.

Note: though glass or metal feeders can be enticing from a design point of view, they pose potential risk to the birds. So do feeders that provide nectar through a funnel or feeding lip as the ball bearing inside can break loose and choke the bird or any animal that tries to consume it.

Assemble the feeder

The feeder will be packaged with instructions; follow those.

The feeder recommended above will be packaged with two chambers and two feeding platforms. The platform easily attaches to the chamber; turn to click into place.

Once you have learned how the feeder you are using fits together, clean and fill following the steps below.
 

Clean the feeder

Clean each component in hot water and place the components on paper towels to dry. Do not use soap as no matter how well you rinse the components of the feeder, soap residue can remain which can potentially harm the hummingbirds. Allow all of the pieces to dry thoroughly before filling and hanging the feeder.

Note: as you clean the feeder periodically, use a disinfecting wipe to remove any build up around the chamber, at the feeding slits, or along the feeding platform.
 

Prepare the nectar

Most feeders hold 1-1/2 -2 cups nectar. The ratio for hummingbird nectar is 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. The recipe below will fill both chambers of the feeder recommended above. This recipe can be halved for single- or smaller- chamber feeders, but there is no benefit in doubling it. If you need more than this amount of nectar, prepare a second batch.
Measure 1/2 cup granulated white sugar into a clean metal saucepan. Measure 2 cups clean water into the pan.

Place the pan containing the sugar and water on the stovetop. Turn the burner to medium and heat the mixture, using a clean wire whisk to stir constantly. Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved.

Turn off the burner, remove the whisk, cover the pan, and set the mixture aside until the nectar cools.

Chill the nectar either by placing the covered pan in the refrigerator until the pan is cool to the touch or leaving the covered pan on the stovetop until the pan is cool to the touch.

Note: prepackaged hummingbird nectar mixes do exist, but there is no guarantee of their quality and often they contain ingredients that are actively harmful. It is best and simplest to make your own nectar using sugar and water. If you use a prepackaged mix, it is essential that it contain nothing other than sucrose, with no additional additives. Whether you follow the recommended step of making your own nectar or use a prepackaged mix, it is vital that your nectar contain no dye whatsoever. 
 

Fill the feeder

The feeder will be packaged with directions for filling the chamber; follow those.

To fill the feeder recommended above, turn the chamber upside down on a length of paper towels so that the opening is facing upwards. Gently pour half of the cooled nectar into the chamber.

The platform easily attaches to the chamber; turn to click into place.

Quickly turn the feeder right-side up. Use a clean paper towel to mop up spillage if any from the platform.
 

Hang the feeder/s

Loop the chain over the branch/beam as determined in the measuring step. Adjust the chain so that the cut ends hang evenly.

Use a key to open the key ring. Slide the two ends of chain into the key ring until the ring and the chain are mutually secured.

Have someone carefully position and steady the feeder at eye level. There will be a hook on the top of the feeder. Click the hook onto the key chain.

Gently let go of the feeder once it is secure.

Use a paper towel to mop up spillage if any from the platform.
 

Replenish the nectar

You will need to watch to see how active your hummingbird population is in consuming the nectar. As a rule of thumb, be prepared to replenish the nectar 1 – 2 times a week.
Note: As you observe the hummingbirds feed, you will get a sense whether it is necessary to fill the chamber fully at each changing of the nectar; typically it isn’t.
Note: Always clean both the chamber and the feeding platform following the steps above as part of changing the nectar.
Note: as the seasons change, contact your local County Extension or chapter of the Audubon Society to determine if you should keep the feeders available or retire or reduce them seasonally.