If you’re wanting to attract hummingbirds this spring, now is the time to get your feeders ready.  Hummingbirds are the most anticipated spring arrival of all wild birds, as they’re just remarkable beings of nature.  So tiny, yet so brave, they’ll buzz closely when you hang your feeder.  With amazing flight abilities, they’ll hover, fly forward and backwards, and even upside down!

It’s fairly easy to attract hummingbirds, even for beginners, with these easy tips:

Be sure to hang your feeders early. Hummingbirds first arriving in spring are hungry from their long migration out of Central and South America and Mexico.  Natural food sources (insects and nectar from flowers) are in short supply at this time of year, making stops at your hummingbird feeder more favorable. Early April is best for southern states, while early May is best for the northern states.

Keep Nectar Fresh. Many hummingbird mixes are available for convenience, but it’s pretty easy to make your own too. Using 4 parts water to 1 part white table sugar-you can boil the water to dissolve sugar quickly and completely.  Don’t ever use dyes, or any other ingredient, as it will likely be fatal.  Hang feeders in the shade if possible, but still in easy view, and change the solution at 4 day intervals-minimum.  Don’t let the sugar water sit too long as it spoils quickly in warmer weather.

Plant Hummer-Friendly Flowers. Red is always best, but hummingbirds know where the nectar can be found.  Impatients are always a good choice, as are petunias, salvia, and geraniums.  Trumpet vine and honeysuckle are adored by hummers too, but will not bloom until later in the season.

Add Moving Water to your garden. With the addition of  a dripper in your bird bath, or a leaf mister set in the yard, you’ll be surprised just how much hummingbird activity will be seen.  To bathe, drink, and play in the water is a much loved activity of the tiny jewel!

Please hang feeders high enough so that ground predators (cats) will not have an easy target.