Guess you've all figured out by now that I'm new at this. My questions is.... when do humming birds visit, what can I do to get them to visit me, and do they visit in Florida. When I was growing up in GA I saw lots of humming birds, but since moving back to Florida I've not seen any. All advice is welcomed. Thank you. Dorothy
Humming Birds
Hi Dorothy,
I'm new to this too!
Go to Lowe's, buy their 2.97 feeder, fill them with 1 part sugar to 4 parts water ( I use 1/4 c sugar to a cup of water), hang it near a tree where they can rest, and enjoy!
Then you can plant plants for next year that they love, like the ones listed at these helpful sites:
http://www.humming-birds.com/humgard.html
http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/kernriver/hummer_garden.htm
http://www.mschloe.com/hummer/hummers.htm
Just type hummingbird garden into google.com, and bring snacks and drinks!
Hope this helps!
~Sunny
Sunny, Thanks for the links. Attempting to establish myself a garden paradise in backyard. Want to attract butterflies, hummers, have large leaf plants. As soon as I get a chance to take photos, gonna post what I've started so far. Again thank you for the links.
Dorothy
Sunny, Just wanted to let you know that I checked out the sites you recommended. Really good stuff. The humming-birds site is exceptional. Found books, which I ordered from my local book store, Hummingbird Garden and Butterfly Garden, both by Marcus Schneck. Those feeders are really cool also. Thank you for the links. With a little help from my friends, my backyard paradise is not too far away. Dorothy
I had hummngbirds in FL in the winter time, though they get sparser in the hotter parts of the year.
Here in TN it is starting to get a bit chilly at night and I notice fewer are visiting the feeders, which need to be filled less frequently. Earlier this year I had to refill daily and it was not uncommon to see 15-20 squabbling over 2 feeders. So they must be going south!
justfurkids carol
Hi Dorothy,
I'm glad I was able to help a little. It's exciting to watch the little guys flit and hover around the yard. They really help me unwind from hard days at work, along with the butterflies. I'll miss them over the winter (I don't think they overwinter here), but we will be ready for them next year!
Let me know if you need any hummer specific plant seeds - lots of DG'ers here helped me get a start on my garden for next year, and I'm sure I'll have a few left over that I can send to you to help you on your way!
~Sunny
I'm in Tallahassee (transplant from N. Alabama where we have 10 or 15 fighting over them all summer long) and I was so disappointed when I loyaly put out and kept clean my feeder all summer long but I finally got one around the end of August.
He's a very shy guy and I'm sorry to say no pic but keep it out and you will get a few. I have lots of flowers they like and more will be planted next year so maybe he'll bring friends or a girlfriend.
Some of my personal favorite flowers from experience are Plumeria (that's where I first saw my guy) black and blue sage (and many of the other varieties of sage and salvia) vytex and butterfly bush and phlox ... they also will drink from any tubular flower.
As far as the feeder goes you have to maintain it...since it is sugar water it will go bad...so you have to clean it regularly (I clean mine twice a week) I got slack one time and some went bad, all the birds left (I guess someone got sick so they left the buffet....but they did come back next year) In the really hot months I may change and clean it more often than that. Some really hot water and a little clorax does the trick even in those impossible to get to places and then rinse really well.... also no red dye in the food, it's bad for them and they don't need it, they know a feeder when they see one.