FAQs

This page is still in the development stage. I will be trying to answer most of the questions that I've been asked as time permits.

If you have questions or comments, please e-mail them to me at: backes1@verizon.net

Q: What should I put in my hummingbird feeders?

8 oz. feeder - Level of solution in my feeders

May need more if in sun

A: A simple 20% solution of sugar and water (4 parts water to 1 part sugar) .

I dissolve one cup of sugar in four cups of water to make enough solution to last at least a week during the winter months. I boil the water to aid in the dissolving of the sugar. The boiling of the solution may extend the shelf life of the solution in the refrigerator but should not affect the time in the feeder.

I fill my feeders with a minimal amount of solution. Enough to allow me to see the level in the feeder for a couple of days and so that I can monitor the quality of it as well. Note the solution level in the picture on the right. The remainder of the solution is stored in the refrigerator for up to a couple of weeks. If I dump out the feeders within 3-4 days before the solution gets cloudy, all I have to do to clean them is to run them under hot tap water.

Most of my solution is dumped out either by me or the sun and wind. The hummingbirds drink comparatively very little of it. Cost can be kept down by not filling the feeders any more than is necessary.

I do not recommend the store bought feeder solutions as they are a greater expense with little benefit. The main benefit is that they dissolve more easily or are already dissolved but at a cost. Compare the cost of 5 cups of store bought solution to the cost of a cup of sugar. Additives like color and additional nutrients are not needed and are another unnecessary cost. The color is not needed as the feeders already have plenty of color since in most cases, the flowers that attract hummingbirds are small specks of red in a sea of green. A big red feeder filled with red solution is overkill. Hummingbirds get all the "additional nutrients" they need from the insects they eat.

Q: How can I keep ants off my feeders?

A: I recommend using water filled ant moats.

There are a numbers of varieties that can be purchased or you can make your own like the one in the picture above. I made that using the icing cup that came in some cinnamon rolls. I drilled a hole using a 5/32 drill bit and then forced the feeder wire through it. The fit was tight enough that no sealer was needed. It's been recommended to me to use something like aquarium adhesive in case of leaks.

A successful moat needs to be deep enough to keep from drying out too rapidly as well as wide enough to keep the larger ants from creating a ladder to cross it. An added advantage to these moats is that other birds will drink from them.

Q: When Should I Expect to See Hummingbirds in Florida?

A: Hummingbirds may be seen year round depending on your location. They are most likely to be seen during either migration (Spring = March - May, Fall = July- October) in any part of the state. It is also possible to see them in any part of the state in winter but they are locally common.

It is not yet known why they seem to prefer one area over another. It may be just a matter of luck in that a suitable area was discovered by a hummer and it attracted others passing by. My belief is that if the proper habitat is developed with plenty of natural food sources, water, insects, territories, and perches for security as well as territorial observation, hummingbirds will eventually find it and the hummingbird numbers will eventually grow. Add to this some well maintained feeders to supplement the food sources and more hummingbirds will be able to survive increased competition and weather events like freezes.

Although breeding does occur throughout the state, it becomes less common the farther south you go.

To attract hummingbirds, create the best habitat possible and provide clean feeders with fresh sugar solution year round. Try to maintain at least one feeder in an area that is regularly observed and increase the number of feeders as more hummingbirds are observed. I also believe that attracting other birds increases the likelihood of attracting hummingbirds. The sounds of the other birds indicates a "safe" zone.

Q: What Should I Plant to Attract Hummingbirds?

A: This is a letter I posted to a listserv in January of 2005. It lists some of the better hummer plants in my yard.

All,

Since my post on the hummer banding results in my yard, a number of you have e-mailed me asking me to post a list of "preferred" plants. Since one of the lists I'm posting this to is not a bird feeding/attracting list, consider this a post on the habitat to look for hummingbirds in when planning a bird count (Big Day, CBC, etc.)

Recap of my yard hummers:

On Tuesday January 18th, we trapped and banded 7 hummers: 3 Black-chinneds, 3 Ruby-throats, and one Rufous (already banded from the yard last year). Three hummers avoided the traps (2 Ruby-throats and one Black-chinned) and since then I've seen two new hummers (2 Black-chinneds) not marked. In the past two weeks, I've seen 12 different hummers in my Valrico (east of Tampa) yard. Since the first of the year, I've also seen a first year male Selasphorous and a second female Selasphorous.

I had a visitor to my yard recently discussing the practice (in western hummer spots) of accepting donations for sugar. The good(?) side of Florida hummers is that you won't need to spend much on sugar. Even with 10 feeders up for the past few weeks, I haven't used more than a cup or two of sugar per week.

The real cost of hummer attracting here is maintaining the habitat and you can see from my yard photos that I've been short on the time and energy for that. Although, most of my plants could be maintained in hedges and groupings that would be acceptable in many communities and still be attractive to hummers. I'm sure it's best for the yard to be more on the wild side but I also understand the requirements of communities. In my case, it also doesn't hurt that an adjacent yard is similar to mine.

Link to photos of my yard:

http://rowdy13.tripod.com/hummeryard.html

A quick list of my "preferred" plants would be:

TREES and SHRUBS
*Bottle Brush (My experience is with the non-weeping variety)
*Powder Puff
Various Citrus
Loquat
*Flowering Maple (Abutilon pictum)

PERENNIALS (larger)
*Pink Porterweed
*Red Pagoda Flower
*Fire Spike
Orange Justicia
Cape Honeysuckle
*Coral Honeysuckle
*Firebush
Turks Cap
*Chinese Hat
*Pentas

PERENNIALS (smaller)
*Various salvias (sages)
*Various Shrimp Plants
*Russelias - equistiformis (Firecracker Flower) and sarmentosa
lantana
*Cigar Flower (and other Cupheas)
Pink Cestrum
Heliconias
Skullcaps

* Regularly used over the years and blooms in the winter.

I began collecting hummer plants by reading all books and articles on attracting hummers and then trying to get one of every plant mentioned. I also checked the tags on plants in nurseries and bought everything that was called a hummingbird plant. The plants I've listed above are the ones that survived and have proven themselves over time.

My home is pretty much surrounded with flowering plants instead of typical "hedge" plants. These are less likely to "survive" a freeze but they will grow back from the roots. I've done the same with bordering the property: hedging one side with hibiscus, one side with vines, and the back with fruit trees. The bird feeding area of my backyard started out as a small island in the middle of the yard but the plants surrounding it wound up leaving just a path between groupings of flowering plants. This center grouping is highlighted by a clump consisting of a Powderpuff with a Red Pagoda Flower (Clerodendrum speciosissimum) growing into it and a couple of orange trees. If the Clerodendrum is not already listed as an invasive, it probably should be, but it has been a preferred flower over the past couple of years. In the front, I've got a "hedge" of Pink Porterweed, a cassia (now called a Senna), a Lion's Ear, and a Cigar Flower. These have been preferred areas for a number of birds.

It's hard to say what the "best" plant is, as through the years different plants are preferred by different birds. The Pentas used to be the most used plant in my yard and this year they go almost untouched. It could be that things have grown up around them and they are not as easily accessed or just that this year's birds like something else.

My recommendation for if you are trying to attract hummers is to try different plants and group them. Give the hummers places to sit and view a territory as well as giving them places to hide. Also, try to provide hidden feeding areas that will allow for more than one territory in the yard. If you're looking for a probable area for finding wintering hummers, look for groupings of these plants and trees and shrubs of varying heights. Clean feeders might also be a worthwhile clue.

Hope this helps,

Steve Backes
Valrico, FL
backes1@verizon.net
Florida Hummingbirds Home Page:

http://members.tripod.com/~Rowdy13/floridahummers/home.html