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Where are the hummers?

By Rod Schoener 5 min read

A few weeks back, I mentioned that it was time to put out your hummingbird feeders. That was about the end of April as May 1 is the date many associate with the annual arrival of the ruby-throated hummingbird.

I had placed one of my feeders out a day earlier in anticipation of the hummers’ arrival, but I still have not seen a single hummingbird.

On or about the first of May, I stopped to see and old friend, Ed Mayfield of Fairchance.

As we sat and talked, hummingbirds were flitting around a feeder he had placed next to his porch.

He told me that he had been seeing them for a couple of days.

When I saw him last week, I asked him if they were still around, since we had endured some very unseasonable cold weather since I was up at his place.

I was not totally shocked when he told me that he had not seen another hummingbird since the day we sat on his porch.

That has been the pattern the past few years. The hummingbirds arrive on or about May 1 and are greeted by seasonal temperatures. Within a short time the temperature plunges and the hummingbirds depart for warmer climes.

Unfortunately, for me at least, once they leave they do not return.

The past couple years I maintained a feeder or two all summer only to see hummers again when it was time for the fall migration.

Maybe that brief departure allowed them to find better feeding areas.

My wife and I have been trying to plant flowers and shrubs that are favorable to hummingbirds and butterflies.

In past years, we had quite a few hummingbirds all summer long.

We also had a Rose of Sharon bush on our property and the neighbors had several more. Apparently Rose of Sharon if one of the hummingbird’s favorite sources of nectar.

The Rose of Sharon are now all gone. Maybe that has something to do with it. Plus, one neighbor who lived next to the woods always had several feeders to bring the hummers in once they arrived.

Honeysuckle vines flourished on the edge of the woods, providing the hummers with another of their favorite nectar sources.

Hummingbirds always seem to prefer red and orange flowers. Some other favorites are fuchsias, hibiscus and morning glories, impatiens petunias, geraniums and begonias.

The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird to breed east of the Mississippi River.

The little rockets feed by licking nectar at a high rate of speed. They do not suck nectar from flowers or feeders, as many believe.

Many styles of commercial feeders are available, and just about any one on the market will serve the purpose.

Most individuals who feed hummingbirds on a regular basis prefer making their own nectar to the pre-mixed nectars available commercially.

Commercial nectars contain red food coloring, which is not really necessary since most hummingbird feeders are already red.

Nectar can be made at home by using four parts water and one part of granulated sugar. Bring the sugar water mixture for a boil, and boil about two minutes. Then allow it to cool and store it in a closed container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for quite some time.

Stick to the recipe for more concentrated amounts of sugar can be harmful to the hummers’ vital organs.

Never use artificial sweeteners in a feeder for they have no food value, and never use honey for it ferments easily and can cause sores in the hummingbird’s mouth.

Change the nectar in feeders at least once a week, more often if mold begins to appear in the feeder. Since the nectar does ferment and become rancid, do not overfill feeders. It is better to add fresh nectar than have the hummers leave because they cannot consume what is in your feeder.

Rinse feeders each time you change nectar, and after several refills, wash them with dishwashing detergent, cleaning the nooks and crannies with a bottlebrush.

Ants are the biggest problem when it comes to hummingbird feeders.

They are everywhere and easily invade the feeders.

For years I have coated the cord holding the feeders with Vaseline, which seems to deter the ants. I learned that trick from my Father in the 60’s when we were battling hoards of tent caterpillars.

To keep them from devouring our fruit trees, we wrapped the trunks with aluminum foil and coated the foil with axle grease. Nothing crossed the line.

I have one feeder my daughter bought for me that has a little cup or moat on the hanging rod. When full of water, ants stay out, but once the water evaporates, they invade the feeder.

It never dawned on me to fill that little moat with something other than water. This year I think I’m going to fill it with Vaseline or maybe just cooking oil, which is also said to work as a coating for the hanging cord.

One web site I visited suggested making your own moat out of the plastic cap from a spray can by punching a hole in it, sliding it over the hanging cord or wire and coating with oil or grease.

Hummingbirds also eat small insects and spiders, but nectar is their primary food.

In addition to honeysuckle, flowering shrubs such as azaleas, flowering quince and weigela also produce flowers, which attract hummingbirds, as do trees such as flowering crab, tulip poplar and locust.

Other flowering vines that are also favorites of hummingbirds are, trumpet creeper and trumpet honeysuckle.

The hummingbirds are overdue!

With the cold, rain and frosty nights departing and sunny days in the 80s and 90s by Monday, get your feeders out or re-fill the ones already out there with some fresh nectar and get ready to watch the hummers zoom about.

Rod Schoener is the Herald-Standard outdoors editor.

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