My husband and I moved from New England to Tennessee thirteen years ago and right away began to notice hummingbird feeders in some of our neighbors’ yards so we thought we’d try putting some up too. I believe we began with just two feeders, but as we began to experiment and learn more about the hummingbirds and what they like, we had to keep adding more and more feeders to the property simply so that we wouldn’t have to fill them more than once a day, for our hummingbirds can empty one feeder in a matter of hours! We currently have 10 large feeders and go through 10 pounds of sugar a week! Here’s how we did it!
1.) It’s important to purchase a feeder that has a perch to it. We have found that just like us, the hummingbirds like to sit and relax while dinning.
2.) Most importantly, it’s the recipe or “The Sauce” as my husband, John calls it, and because feeders come in different sizes I’m going to give the ingredients in percentages.
Hummingbird Sauce
* Start with 30% Pure Cane Sugar.
* Add 60% hot tap water. (Some boil the sugar & water and allow to cool, but we simply shake or stir until the sugar is melted.)
*Finish with (10%) Ready to Use Hummingbird Nectar.
3.) Place the feeders in small trees or areas where they can perch and you can enjoy them. They are not very timid at all as you can tell by the video. They will get use to you very quickly. They have even tried to perch and eat while we were trying to hook the feeder back on the hook!
We also have a Baltimore Oriole and a Red Headed Woodpecker that drink from the feeders as well, but they are a lot harder to photograph.
4.) You should change “the sauce” routinely. Don’t leave it up there all season, for they will loose interest after awhile.
If you do decide to follow our advice, we hope you’ll come back and let us know how it all works in the comments!
Enjoy!
