Hummingbirds are fun to attract and watch.

Every year in the middle of April, hummingbirds start to arrive here in south central Pennsylvania. We believe the same hummingbirds return to our feeder year after year. One day this spring, my wife and I were outside and noticed a hummingbird hovering at the spot where the hummingbird feeder usually hangs during the feeding season. Needless to say, our humming bird feeder was found, cleaned, filled with nectar and hung outside the very next day.

During the summer, we have several hummingbirds that visit our property. We plant lots of red blooming flowers that help attract hummingbirds. We also have a trumpet vine that climbs up the side of our deck. When it’s in full bloom, usually in July and August, the vine has hundreds of red/orange trumpet looking flowers that the hummingbirds really like. They sure enjoy going inside the red trumpets to retrieve the nectar. Our hummingbird feeder hangs in the flower garden surrounded by bright red, orange, yellow and other color blooms that help attract the little birds to our birding sanctuary. Hummingbirds can be quite entertaining to watch.

The most important thing to know about humming bird feeders is to keep them very clean. If the nectar container has black spots forming on the sides or the nectar looks cloudy, it’s probably no good and the hummingbirds will shy away from the feeder. When temperatures surpass the mid 80s, it only takes a few days for the nectar to spoil. If the hummingbird feeder is in full sun, the nectar can spoil in a day. Put your hummingbird feeder in the dishwasher (if allowed) to clean.
We wash ours by hand and use special little hummingbird feeder brushes to get into and clean the small spaces. In the Spring, we only fill the nectar container about 1/4 full. When we notice an increase in feeding activity, then we steadily add more fresh nectar to the container.

Keep your humming bird feeders clean and fresh and just sit back and watch. Before you know it, you will have hummingbirds visiting your yard. I know these little birds gives my family many hours of entertainment.

Talk to your neighbors and suggest they also add hummingbird feeders to their flower gardens. This will help attract more hummingbirds to your area.

For more information on Hummingbird Feeders, visit: www.birdbathhouse.com/bird_Feeders