Hummingbird Feeders
Hummingbirds are one of the most entertaining birds to watch. They zip back and forth and have amazing colors that seem to shine in the sunlight. If you’d like to attract these wonderful creatures to your yard, then think about investing in a hummingbird feeder or two.
Because attracting hummingbirds (also called hummers) has become an increasingly popular activity, there are a wide variety of hummingbird feeders available, in a range of materials and designs. You can find decorative humming bird feeders, or simple ones, glass hummingbird feeders (including the blown glass hummingbird feeder or the blue glass hummingbird feeder); hummingbird feeders can also be made of plastic or ceramics. A glass hummingbird feeder will be more elegant, heavier and easier to be sterilized than a plastic feeder, but it is much more delicate and expensive. Parasol hummingbird feeders are excellent examples of blown-glass hummingbird feeders. If you’d rather save money, you can hop online and learn how to make a hummingbird feeder on your own.
Since the wide variety of humming bird feeder designs and materials are all capable of attracting hummers, as long as there’s fresh syrup, experts agree that one of the most important considerations when looking for humming bird feeders is how easy they are to disassemble and clean; Dr. JB’s hummingbird feeder is recommended by a wide variety of sites as easy to clean and maintain, though other experts disagree. Since it is recommended to clean a hummingbird feeder at least every 3-4 days (with hot tap water and a bottle brush, but no soap), it is to your advantage to find a model that will make maintenance easier for you. For this purpose, many hummingbird feeder experts recommend basin-style feeders over inverted-bottle style hummingbird feeders.
Another consideration is to hang a feeder with perches so as to give your birds a resting place while feeding; hovering is very tiring. Regarding placing your feeder, consider planting some hummingbird plants over which to hang your feeder, to make visits more likely. Choose a spot from where you can easily view visiting hummers; consider choosing one of the many types of window hummingbird feeders to ensure viewing access. There is some concern that hummingbirds may slam into windows, thinking that they are empty spaces; to avoid this, you could always place decorative cut-outs on the outside of the window.
It’s best to make your own plain sugar water to fill the feeder, using one part plain white cane sugar to four parts water. Commercial mixes boasting vitamins, proteins, or other dietary supplements are unnecessary as hummers are quite capable of living healthily off the natural flower nectar and insects that make up the majority of their diet; the sugar water we provide them is merely an extra boost of energy. Do not under any circumstances use honey in the feeder, as this can be fatal for hummers. Finally, take precautions to avoid visits by ants, bees and wasps.
