Feeding
Hummingbirds© LeAnn R. Ralph 2004
Early in May here in west central Wisconsin, I can count on seeing a Ruby Throated Hummingbird hovering in front of my kitchen window, flitting back and forth, as if to say, "there was a hummingbird feeder RIGHT HERE last year. Where is it?"
And then I know it is time to put out hummingbird nectar. I feed a 3-to-1 mixture of water and sugar (3 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar brought to a boil and cooled to room temperature). After hummingbirds' long trip from South America, they are thin and hungry.
The general rule-of-thumb is a 4-to-1 mixture, but to start out in early spring I always use a 3-to-1 mixture. Later on in summer, when there are more flowers available, I switch to a 4-to-1 mixture.
I know it is important to wash hummingbird feeder when I fill it to clean out any mold. I know it is also important to thoroughly rinse hummingbird feeder when I am finished cleaning it to remove any soap or other chemicals.
If feeder has visible mold, I use a bleach solution (1 teaspoon of bleach to several cups of water) to kill off mold and mildew. Then I rinse feeder thoroughly, under running water, for several minutes with hot water and for several minutes with cold water.
The best hummingbird feeder I've found is a Rubbermaid feeder. It holds two cups of nectar, and it is as sturdy now as it was when I bought it four years ago. Other hummingbird feeders cracked when I tried to wash them, either at end of first year or beginning of next.
I also set out two of those little "flower balls" for hummingbirds — little round balls that hold about a quarter cup of nectar with a large, brightly-colored plastic flower that fits down inside neck. The flower balls fit into a holder that mounts on a steel rod pushed down into ground. The hummingbirds love "flowers" that give them another source of food.
Usually, right around our yard, we have between four and six pair of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. Later on in summer, when their offspring start coming for nectar, we have many more hummingbirds flying around yard. Pine trees on east and north sides of yard provide a perch for hummingbirds while they wait their turn to get at feeder.
Not that hummingbirds are especially patient about waiting their turn at feeder. They chase each other around and chatter and scold. I am scolded, too, when I have audacity to remove feeder from its hook in front of kitchen window so that I can wash it out and fill it with fresh nectar. On more than one occasion, I have ducked to avoid a collision with a hummingbird.
