[rotarhead1]

I have two HB feeder's at my house. One in the backyard and the other in the front. Last year they were very active, this year I have seen NOTHING! I don't believe that I have done anything different, except for a different food. I have two foods.

1) First Nature Hummingbird Nectar (Liquid Sugar Concentrate)
2) Perky-Pet Original Instant Nectar (Pre-measured packets)

I started off with the first food and changed to the second when nothing happened. I don't really understand. Anything you guys can think of, or any advice would be appreciated. It's my second year feeding these little darts, they pleased my whole family the first year with their buzzing around and fighting over the feeders. Now nothing.

[lvn600]

Try 1/4 cup of sugar and 3/4 cups of hot water mixed.(let it cool after). Try a new location for the feeder away from other bird feeders. Tie a red ribbon around the feeder. Change the mixture twice a week and clean the feeder each time.

[KCFoggin]

The recommended mixture is 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Right now, I've got quite a few but I can go a few days w/o seeing a one. Of course I now have my neighbors on both sides of me feeding them as well.

[FeistyRdHd]

Originally Posted by rotarhead1

I have two HB feeder's at my house. One in the backyard and the other in the front. Last year they were very active, this year I have seen NOTHING! I don't believe that I have done anything different, except for a different food. I have two foods.

1) First Nature Hummingbird Nectar (Liquid Sugar Concentrate)
2) Perky-Pet Original Instant Nectar (Pre-measured packets)

I started off with the first food and changed to the second when nothing happened. I don't really understand. Anything you guys can think of, or any advice would be appreciated. It's my second year feeding these little darts, they pleased my whole family the first year with their buzzing around and fighting over the feeders. Now nothing.

Until this week, we only had a pair, and then a few days ago they just starting showing up in droves! Now we have so many that they have gone through 4 cups of food in less than 24 hours. I just feed them 4 parts water to 1 part sugar with no food coloring.

I read an article last week that speculated several reasons why some of us in the mid-Atlantic region are seeing far fewer hummingbirds this year. If I can find the link, I will post it here.

Anyhow, if you are patient, they may just show up in droves, like they have here this week. It also may help that I put the petunias in the flower boxes on the deck and that the mimosa tree has begun to bloom...who knows.

I hope you see them soon!

Lydia

[rotarhead1]

Thanks guys. I do not have any other bird feeders (just for hummers) so I know that can't be the problem. I'll try repositioning the feeders though and will try your food recipe's. Regular sugar? What does the red ribbon do? I do have a flower garden that stretches the whole lenght of the front of my house. It has pansies as well as some ground covering plants. I threw some Gaura's (whirling butterflies) plants out there last year. They attract butterflies and hummingbirds and this year have come up better than last year. I was hoping those would help a bit. The feeder in the fron yard got more attention last year than the one in the back. Another question, what kind of feeders do you have? I have two plastic feeders because I was afraid a strong storm would make the glass one's fall and shatter. What ones are the best to use?

[FeistyRdHd]

Rotarhead,

Here is the link I mentioned in my previous post.
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek050522.html

Lydia

[rotarhead1]

Thank you.

[Tz'unun]

rotarhead1, don't give up. With youngsters now coming off the nest and migration soon to begin, this is the best and most important time to have feeders out. Hummingbirds will drink out of almost anything with fresh sugar water in it, so there's really not a single most attractive feeder from the birds' standpoint (though they tend to be conservative and suspicious little monsters that gravitate toward familiar feeders and flowers). The feeders I like best are the saucer styles that hold between 6 and 12 ounces, especially the HummZingers. They're a breeze to clean and refill, don't leak unless broken (hard to do!), and are resistant to bees if the liquid level is properly managed and the exterior is kept free of solution. Some models have built-in ant moats that you refill with plain water each time you rehang the feeder.

If you invest in a completely new style, you can encourage the birds to switch over to it by hanging a new one in place of one of the old ones; hanging the old one nearby filled with plain water will give them even more incentive to try the new one.

[rotarhead1]

Originally Posted by Tz'unun

rotarhead1, don't give up. With youngsters now coming off the nest and migration soon to begin, this is the best and most important time to have feeders out. Hummingbirds will drink out of almost anything with fresh sugar water in it, so there's really not a single most attractive feeder from the birds' standpoint (though they tend to be conservative and suspicious little monsters that gravitate toward familiar feeders and flowers). The feeders I like best are the saucer styles that hold between 6 and 12 ounces, especially the HummZingers. They're a breeze to clean and refill, don't leak unless broken (hard to do!), and are resistant to bees if the liquid level is properly managed and the exterior is kept free of solution. Some models have built-in ant moats that you refill with plain water each time you rehang the feeder.

If you invest in a completely new style, you can encourage the birds to switch over to it by hanging a new one in place of one of the old ones; hanging the old one nearby filled with plain water will give them even more incentive to try the new one.

Thanks guys. I bought some new feeder's today and will put them up. Let's see if anything happens.

[rotarhead1]

Well, I set a new feeder out front last night at about 7:00 or so with a 1:3 ratio of sugar to water. I went outside just now to get the newspaper and on the way back to the house encountered the little fellow at the feeder. Not but five feet away from me, he just looked at me and kept eating. Well, I'm happy now. Thanks guys. Hopefully I'll see more. There is a chance this little one was coming to the feeder out before and I just didn't see it, but I doubt that to be a fact. Thanks again!

[FeistyRdHd]

YIPPEE, Rotarhead!! Did you get anymore since the 4th?

Keep us posted:)

Lydia

[rotarhead1]

As far as I can tell there are only one or two but they are eating from the feeders so all is good. Last year I had probably five or so, this year I'll just have to be happy with what I have. I'm unsure on how to tell if they are male or female but am confident enough to say that they are ruby throats.

[crickieheather]

Male: http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/users/42977...vjw0CBZiRxRuIQ
Female: http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/users/42977...wjw0CBx_ClTJjs

[rotarhead1]

Links don't work for me.

[humminbird]

Don't work for me either but any field guide to the birds is going to give you some decent photos of the two genders. Generally with hummingbirds, as with most birds, the males have more color. In the case of hummingbirds, some of that color is much more noticeable in the throat (gorget) area.

Mark
Bastrop, TX

[snowyowl]

Originally Posted by rotarhead1

Well, I set a new feeder out front last night at about 7:00 or so with a 1:3 ratio of sugar to water. I went outside just now to get the newspaper and on the way back to the house encountered the little fellow at the feeder. Not but five feet away from me, he just looked at me and kept eating. Well, I'm happy now. Thanks guys. Hopefully I'll see more. There is a chance this little one was coming to the feeder out before and I just didn't see it, but I doubt that to be a fact. Thanks again!

The usual mix is 4:1. 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. I'm not sure what your 3:1 mix will do but I would advise against using it, just in case. Don't add any colouring to the mix.

[rotarhead1]

It's not much of a three to one ratio really, but it is probably a bit over the four to one ratio. Oh well, I'll change it. I doubt this ratio will do anything but give the little bird a sugar rush. Might be kind of cool to look outside and see them doing summersalts and cartwheels in mid air for no reason. J/K

[Tz'unun]

Dan, natural nectar varies widely in sugar concentration, which is why for years I've recommended a ratio of somewhere between 3:1 and 5:1. Based on new work that shows that many popular hummingbird-pollinated garden flowers produce nectar much sweeter than the time-honored 4:1 feeder solution, former 4:1 hardliners are now beginning to use and recommend 3:1 solutions, especially during migration and winter. For more, see this article:

Sugar Content of Hummingbird Plants in Louisiana Gardens