How can I attract hummingbirds to come enjoy my newly bought feeders?

Bee Balm aka Monarda can attract hummingbirds (and bees).

Here’s a photo of mine, there’s a bee in there if you look closely

We had hummingbirds, too, but I never caught them on camera.

They will discover the feeders in time. Keep the solution fresh, if it’s over 80 degrees change it every few days if it has not been drunk. Otherwise it will get moldy. Also, you do not need to buy the red colored mix, just make your own, 1 part sugar to 3 parts warm water. The red design on the feeders will attract them and the dye in the commercial feeding mix is not good for them or necessary.

Hummingbirds are drawn to flowering plants for their appearance and stick around if they produce nectar. Your best bet is to check with a local nursery or bird-watcher group to find out the ideal types that will flourish in your region.

Hummingbird feeders are a nice addition that can allure them for a closer view. The key is change the sugar water regularly. The recipe is one part sugar to four parts water. The feeder also needs to be thoroughly cleaned at least once a month, as they tend to grow mildew.

On a side note, they are entertaining to watch. They are territorial, so when one stakes claim to the backyard in summer months, they often go into attack mode when another enters the garden. They are also quite curious. If you sit outside often, you may be able to get a really close look at one as they grow accustomed to you. There have even been several success stories in having hummingbirds feed out of your hand.

They also remember a source of food, so during the migration process, they often return to the same spot. Choosing nectar-producing flowers that bloom or last through early fall will increase the number of hummingbirds to your garden and their return.

Are hummingbirds native to your area? I know that sounds like a silly question and I am not trying to insult your intelligence, but sometimes people know birds are in the broader local area and hope to attract them but unless they actually frequent your particular location, you won’t have much success. I know I would love to have more finches in my garden. My sister’s garden not half a kilometre away has lots of them. Never see them here at all and we have the same sorts of plants.

@Bellatrix Yes :) I’ve seen plenty of hummingbirds in my 23 years of living in San Diego. As a kid I used to see this type alot

I moved over a town 4 miles to the west and I saw this the other day except it had some red surrounding it’s body

My mother in law cut down the birds of paradise in the Fall and I wonder if the humming bird was looking for that plant. I wish I could speak humming bird and tell them there’s some good nectar mix right in my back yard!

They are very beautiful and I hope they come and find your feeders. It will be relaxing for your wife to watch when the baby comes. I have birds of paradise in my garden. No hummingbirds though. Will you plant some more? Mine have taken a while to flower. They have been in for about four years and I have only seen flowers in the last couple of years.

This site suggests a list of plants they love and that they travel on specific feeding routes and will investigate new sources of food.

I used to have a feeder like that. What I did was I pretty much put it relatively out in the open in my backyard, and I would have a lot of hummingbirds visit it. So, it doesn’t seem to be that hard actually, at least in my case. One thing is that you often have to wait awhile in order for the birds to find the feeder, but after that they will keep coming back.

It might help to first hang the feeders a good distance away from any house or place where people are just to get them interested and accustomed to them in the area. Then after they expect them to be near start to move them closer to the porch in increments until they are right in front of the window.

Here are photos of all the hummingbirds you might see in S. California and the plants they love. http://www.laspilitas.com/garden/hummingbird.html

In the NE we get only the ruby-throated hummer but they are easy to attract and lure. I have several different kinds of bee balm, columbines, cosmos, lupines, and even geraniums that they love.

Even though I enjoyed having them come to a feeder, I found that the sugar syrup attracted too many ants, who then wandered indoors.

Make your own sugar water. The red dye in the solutions that you can buy, is very harmful to hummingbirds. They love the color Red. Since your feeder has red in it, there is no need to have red sugar water.