It used to be that the best hummingbird feeders were mostly made by hand, often hastily thrown together using bits and pieces of lab equipment or unwanted household glassware.
In more recent times the hummingbird has found increasing popularity with bird watchers and the market has responded of course, and now there is a large selection of feeders for you to choose from.
Should you be lucky enough to live in an area where there are hummingbirds, then you may want to look at the best hummingbird feeders so that you can appreciate these stunning birds on a regular basis.
How to choose the best hummingbird feeder
Ideally you want to purchase a feeder that has at least some red coloring on it. Most of the different versions for sale will have red on them anyway as people have woken up to the fact that red attracts hummingbirds to your yard.
If there are large amounts of red on the feeder itself then there is no need to die the water red although some people still swear by hanging a red ribbon to the bottom of the feeder.
As far as construction material is concerned, you have two main choices ñ plastic and glass. Obivously glass is more prone to shattering if dropped but it is more easily cleaned and does not discolor with age like plastic tends to do.
There is nothing worse than aged, sun-affected plastic that has turned an awful brown-yellow color and started to perish.
Test the waters and start off small
- If you are buying your first hummingbird feeder then it is crucial to start off small. The sugar-water mix that needs to be placed in the feeder can go bad after a period of time.
- As a result, the mixture may go sour before you have even seen any birds using your feeder or before all of the bird population in your area can consume it.
- The best thing to do is to maintain a small supply of fresh sugar water, monitor how many birds use it on a daily basis and adjust the amount of solution accordingly. This way you get a better idea of how many times you should be replacing the water.
- Try to find a hummingbird feeder that has an 8-ounce reservoir to start off with. The temptation may be to go big at your first purchase but selecting smaller will reap rewards in the long run.
Place multiple feeders in multiple locations
Hummingbirds can have a tendency to try and take over one feeder and call it their own. By placing 2 or 3 feeders strategically around the yard you give every bird that visits a fair go and you can also get a better idea of the types of locations that are more conducive to attracting birds in the first place.
Furthermore and while it may seem like an obvious thing to say, place the feeders in locations that are visible to people, say from the back window or your favorite spot to sit in the garden. There is no point hanging a hummingbird feeder nestled under the lofty branches of a tree when you’d have to be standing right under it to be able to view the birds. Most birds feel nervous in confined spaces anyway and prefer to feed out in the open.
Hang the feeders where you can see them from the greatest number of vantage points otherwise you are defeating the purpose of hanging them in the first place.
Remember, you are basically bribing the birds to come into your yard with a sugar-water treat. In most cases they can survive with or without human help so it makes sense to hang your feeder in a prominent position wherever possible.