Do you have few hummingbirds visiting your feeders and wonder why aren’t hummingbirds coming to my feeder? Let’s find out.
During the hummingbird season, feeders are put out in gardens so we can watch and enjoy these fascinating birds visit our garden.
It may sound pretty easy to hang your hummingbird feeders and simply expect them to come by. However, there are some things you need to do right for these birds to come to visit your feeders and get the best results.
Let’s take a look at some common reasons why hummingbirds aren’t coming to your feeder and give you the right solution to this issue.
Why Won’t Hummingbirds Come To My Feeder?
There is this joy that comes to the heart watching these radiating birds feed and hover around your yard. But when they refuse to come to visit your yard especially when you’ve positioned your feeders out, then it calls for concern.
Below are some of the reasons why hummingbirds aren’t coming to visit your yard:
1. Time of the Year
If hummingbirds are not coming to the feeder, it may be the wrong time of the year you’ve put out your feeder. Different hummingbird species have their migration pattern. Usually, the males may be the first to arrive, followed by the female hummers.
If the weather pattern does not favor them, they might delay their arrival. Also, if there are fewer blooming flowers and tree buds to supply nectar, they might delay their visiting period.
Ensure you crosscheck the previous hummingbird season and align them with the estimated dates for the current year for your area. But generally, hummingbirds show up during spring.
Also, have some little patience and you should see these scintillating soon in your yard.
2. The Right Location
Positioning your hummingbird feeders in the right location matters a lot. This is so hummingbirds can find them easily. You can make your garden more enticing and noticeable for these birds to come to visit by planting flowers. Then position your feeders close to the flowering plants.
Also, you can move the feeders close to an area you’ve previously seen these hummers activities. You can also cut and hang some flowers along your entrance or porch close to your feeder.
3. Nesting & Feeder Destination Priority
If hummingbirds aren’t coming to your feeder, one reason maybe because they are nesting. So be patient.
Another reason may be because they already found plenty of nectar to feed on and yours may not be the top nectar on their list. All you need do is to be patient as they will come around as time goes by.
4. Make Your Garden Favorable for Territorial Male Hummers
Male hummingbirds are early comers. They arrive about a week or two weeks earlier than females. When they do this, they establish a territory and remain in that site where the flowers begin to bloom and till they dry up.
Therefore, if you want these territorial hummers to establish their feeding site in your garden, ensure you put out your feeders early. Also, make your garden and feeder site favorable for male territorial hummingbirds.
Once these adult males establish their feeding site, they hardly go to other places to make a new site. They will remain on this site until the flower dries up. This means if your garden is not favorable for their feeding site, you may not get to see them visit your feeder or garden.
5. The Right Feeder Recipe
Hummingbirds may prefer natural nectar from flowers. However, the appropriate blend of sugar and water is a great substitute. But you need to ensure you have the right recipe in the right quantity.
I scoop of white refined table sugar should be dissolved into 4 scoops of tap water to fill up your feeder. Then boil and stir the mixture for about two minutes to dissolve totally. Allow the mixture to cool down and it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can stay fresh in the refrigerator for about two weeks.
Never use honey, artificial, sweetener, or any other type of sugar. This is because they may be harmful to hummingbirds or may go sour or ferment.
Replace or change the nectar every 3 to 4 days. However, when the hot summer days come, the feeders may require changing more frequently. Maintain a clean feeder by washing them with warm water every time you change the solution. Avoid using harsh chemicals like bleach to wash your feeder.
You can as well purchase hummingbird food online or from stores.
6. Handle Territorial Bullies
As we said, some male hummers are quite territorial. They may decide to choose your feeder and chase off other hummingbirds. Therefore, you should handle this bullying in a more safe way so you can have plenty of other birds come by your garden.
To handle the bullying situation, simply position multiple hummingbird feeders out of sight to each other. This way, other hummingbirds won’t see or feel threatened by the male hummingbirds.
How To Attract Hummingbirds To Feeder
So, there are other things you can put in place to attract these sweet birds to your garden. They include:
- Incorporate a touch of red: even though hummingbirds can visit and feed on flowers from all types of colors, a touch of red on your feeder will attract them more. So, you can use a feeder that has a bit of red.
- Make your garden attractive: your garden where your feeders are positioned should be made more attractive to hummingbirds as it’s a good way to keep them coming. Any dry, dead, or water-less yard won’t be so charming for these birds to visit. Your yard may require a total makeover. Like we said before, a touch of red can do the trick. Use a touch of red to decorate any tree around your yard. You can simply tie a red ribbon or a piece of cloth to the trees surrounding your feeders so hummingbirds can spot them.
- Plant flowers: flowers will surely attract hummingbirds. So ensure you plant productive flowers that will blossom well close to your feeders.
Final Thoughts
The reasons why hummingbirds aren’t coming to your feeders mostly depend on the factors we have listed above. So, we do hope you’ve learned some great tips on how to attract hummingbirds to your yard so you can enjoy watching these sweet birds.
Read more about Best Placement For Hummingbird Feeder.