Hummingbirds are small tiny birds, which can be found all over America. They are easy to attract in the garden and fun to have around. They belong to the avian family and closest relatives to the fascinating swifts. Usually, the male hummingbirds have colorful gorget, and they are small, stiff, and highly reflective than the females. The smallest hummingbirds are the bee hummingbirds, which weigh only around 1.95 grams. In comparison, the calliope hummingbirds are the fourth-smallest birds with 2.5 grams weight. Hummingbirds have the tiniest eggs than the other birds. It also makes sense due to their small size. They are too small that you can place one or two eggs of the hummingbirds in a walnut shell. But, how can you attract these tiny birds in their backyard? It’s not too hard. One of the most commonly used methods is the use of hummingbird feeders. Let’s talk about all the best ways to attract hummingbirds.
Add native plants to the garden
You need to have native plants in your garden to attract a variety of hummingbirds. You can consult with a source of hummingbird’s plant information to get the perfect ideas to add native plants to your garden. These are perfect for providing natural nectar to hummingbirds throughout the year.
Some native plants grow well in planters and containers. It has additional benefits. For example, if you plant them in window boxes, it will not only attract hummingbirds but will also add curb appeal to your home.
Plan a continuous blooming schedule
Try to add a variety of plants in your garden to provide natural nectar to hummingbirds throughout the year. Choose the plants that have different blooming periods. For example, you can choose the ready-to-bloom hanging basket, fast-growing salvia species, or the late-blooming trumpet creeper. You can consult with your gardening expert to know about the different plants according to your area, soil type, climate, and environment.
Deadhead the flowers to enhance the blooming
It’s an old garden trick that helps the plants to enhance their blooming. When you remove the deadheads, the plants respond by producing the continuing flowers and seed heads. Moreover, they produce more by deadheading. But later in the season, you can allow the plant to grow to ensure the seeds for the next season.
Tie an orange ribbon
All the brighter colors are very useful to attract the hummingbird, but red and orange colors are more attractive than the other brighter colors. You can tie a foot-long bright orange ribbon with the tree to attract the hummingbirds from long distances. These foot-long pieces of brighter colors can also tie with the bushes, trees, deck railings, and anywhere near the flowers and feeders. These bright colors can lead the migrant hummingbirds to dive into your garden.
Repaint the plastic feeders
The plastic feeders usually get a dull look due to the hot climate and direct sun. So, it’s good to repaint the older feeders. You can use magenta nail polish to repaint the red parts of the feeder. But make sure the nail polish is completely dry before refilling the feeder, as this sticky material can be deadly for the hummingbirds. It’s a good way to provide visual singles to the hungry hummers.
Make snag perches for Hummingbirds
Many hummingbirds, including the bluebirds, kestrels, and flycatchers, like to use the snag perches. Hummingbirds love to use them for rest, preen, and hunt insects. All the hummingbirds, especially the male hummingbird, like to perch on the exposed branches. From there, they love to grab tasty insects to fulfill their protein needs. You can place a snag perch in the 10 to 50 feet area around the feeders, but make sure these are easily viewable from the feeders.
Replace the Feeders
Many people don’t like to use nail polish to repaint their feeders. In that case, you can replace your old feeder with a brand-new feeder. Try to buy a durable and heavy-duty plastic feeder to provide a long-lasting nectar supply to hummingbirds.
Add mister to your yard
Hummingbirds love to go through the water droplets. You can add the mister with your regular hose to provide continuous water droplets to hummingbirds. These misters need to attach with the garden hose, and when their pinhole opening, they shoo the fine spray. You can easily find the mister on hardware stores, lawn, and garden centers.
Don’t remove the spider webs
Spider webs are very helpful for hummingbirds to make their nests. They use web threats with other materials to use their nests for breeding. Hummingbirds also love to steal the insects from the hummingbird’s webs that are an important source of protein for them.
Add Multiple Feeders
Many hummingbird species are bullies and dominate the feeders. So, you need to add multiple hummingbird feeders to attract the different species. The best solution is to add three or four hummingbird feeders at certain distances. This way, a hummingbird will not be able to fight the hummingbirds on other feeders.