Prepare for these aerial acrobats

No backyard feeding station is complete without feeders to attract those tiny flying jewels, hummingbirds. 

Male Ruby-Throat

Ruby-throats are one of the smallest of North American hummingbirds, the most widely distributed and the only hummer species commonly found east of the Mississippi. Their breeding range is the East Coast inland to Texas and North Dakota, including southern Canada. Weighing about as much as a penny, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds generally are a metallic bronze-green above and grayish white or brownish gray underneath. The throat, or gorget, of males often appears a brilliant metallic red that takes on gold or green hues as the light changes.

Female Ruby-Throat

Males arrive in the Lehigh Valley by mid-April, a week or so ahead of females. They establish territories based on adequate food supplies and diligently defend their territories from all competitors. The female chooses the nest site, builds the nest in about a week and takes sole responsibility for all parental duties. 

The nest is about the size of a walnut, made of plant fibers, especially thistle and dandelion down, held together by spider silk. The outside is covered with lichens. She typically lays two white, bean-sized eggs in a three-day period and incubates them for about two weeks. The nestlings fledge 18 to 22 days later.

In the wild, hummingbirds have two sources of food: flower nectar and insects such as gnats and spiders. A good way to attract hummingbirds is to offer nectar feeders along with a selection of nectar-rich flowers. Use a 4:1 mixture of water to sugar, and change it every few days, especially in warm weather. Do not add any red color to the nectar. When first trying to attract hummers, fill the feeder only partially and store leftovers in the refrigerator.

It’s better to hang hummingbird feeders apart from each other and away from seed feeders. Birds can be territorial about their food, and hummers are particularly feisty when it comes to sharing their nectar. This can limit the visitors to your feeder. To attract more, add more feeders. Place them out of view of each other, or so close to each other that no individual hummingbird can defend them all. Another feeding trick is to hang a banana peel near the hummer feeder. Fruit flies will gather. The birds will enjoy these tasty protein-rich morsels. 

You will have the best results if you get your feeders out first thing in the spring. But don’t hesitate to put them out later, even in mid-summer. As the weather gets cooler, continue to feed through the fall until the hummingbirds no longer visit. That’s the indication that the local population has gone south and the migrant birds also have passed through your area.

You will be doing lots of filling and cleaning, so make sure you easily can take apart the hummingbird feeder to reach all parts for thorough scrubbing. Hummers do not find dirty feeders appealing, and old nectar can be dangerous to their health.

There really is no limit on where you can locate a hummingbird feeder, even on an apartment balcony or outside an office window. Putting it up does not guarantee its use, however, because hummingbirds may not be in your area. It may just be a matter of time to establish your feeding station among resident birds.