Feeding Hummingbirds

Feeding hummingbirds can be a great way to attract the beautiful birds to your garden while also providing them with the essential nutrients they require to support their active metabolisms.

Many people enjoy feeding hummingbirds in their gardens and yards. Hummingbirds are wonderful to watch and hummingbird feeding is a rewarding activity for the young and old alike. Hummingbirds naturally feed on nectar and this is easy to replicate, home-made nectar is perfect for attracting these little birds. In order to be successful, however, it is important that the nectar is placed in a well designed feeder.

Feeding Hummingbirds at Home

The best way to feed hummingbirds at home is to use a specially designed humming bird feeder. The feeder has multiple functions.

• A feeder provides a means for the hummingbirds to access and freely feed on the nectar. The feeder is designed so that the humming birds can easily access the nectar.
• The feeder also attracts the humming bird into the garden. Feeders are often red, the color that most attracts hummingbirds. When feeding hummingbirds it is important to note that while many people opt for a red feeder, the nectar itself should never be artificially colored.
• A well designed feeder will also protect the nectar from insects that would otherwise consume the nectar or contaminate it. There are many ways of protecting the nectar. Some systems have small 'moats' which stop crawling insects.
• Some feeders have perches and this allows the hummingbirds to perch while feeding. This helps them to preserve the energy that they would otherwise use hovering while they feed.

Buying Hummingbird Feeders

Hummingbird feeders are readily available in many designs and styles. They can be purchased from garden and pet supply stores as well as from online stores. Large websites such as Amazon offer a wide range of different types of hummingbird feeder. There are certain advantages to buying hummingbird feeders online and this often represents a good way to save money. Buying a hummingbird feeder locally, however, is often a good idea for beginners as a local supplier will be selling feeders that are best suited to local conditions. A local supplier is also likely to have an invaluable insight into the feeding of hummingbirds in your area as well as tips for success.

Tips for Feeding Hummingbirds

If you are feeding hummingbirds and attracting them into your garden then there are a few tips that it is useful to keep in mind. These include:

• If you are using a feeder to attract hummingbirds then it is important to consider carefully where this is to be positioned. It is important that the feeding hummingbirds are not at risk from predators. There are many different styles of hummingbird feeder available, including ones that can be mounted from a window, hung from trees or attached to a post. This means that feeders are available for most situations.
• People who are new to hummingbird feeding may want to consider buying sachets of humming bird nectar to fill their hummingbird feeders. However, nectar is very easy to make at home using just sugar and water. There are many easy to follow hummingbird recipes available such as this one from the National Zoo website.
• Keeping a hummingbird watching diary is a good way to monitor the success of humming bird feeding. This can be as simple as just noting down when the feeder is refilled, how many birds are seen and other useful information. However more sophisticated records can be kept and many people take photographs to add to their diary.

The feeding of hummingbirds can be rewarding and interesting. It is surprisingly easy to do and could be the start of a new interesting hobby.