Our kids love hummingbirds so we have done a lot of research on ways to get them to stop in our yard during their migration. The hummingbirds that we see most often are the Red-Throated hummingbird, who are usually migrating through Virginia in April and May, depending on the weather
Interestingly enough, with Red-Throated hummingbirds, only the male hummingbird has a red throat. They use this to attract females and scare other males from their territory. Male hummingbirds are very territorial and will fly at other males in an attempt to scare them away.
As you probably already know, hummingbirds never stop beating their wings. This is because they drink nectar from flowers and flowers don’t really have a place to stand while they are eating. The best way to attract hummingbirds is planting brightly-colored tubular flowers such as daylilies, foxglove, impatiens, or petunias since hummingbirds drink the nectar from them.
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Hummingbirds can also eat from special feeders filled with sugar water. There are lots of places that sell red liquid for these feeders because hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, but the red dye is actually bad for hummingbirds. Instead, you can purchase a red feeder and fill it with clear food. It’s also nice to put multiple feeders up in your yard to allow for more feeding and less fighting among the males. While we have found these feeders at dollar stores, we have found that the heavier, thick plastic or glass, feeders are better because they don’t sway so much in the wind and appear easier to eat from.
You can make your own hummingbird food with 1/4 a cup of white sugar and 1 cup of water. You will need to clean out the feeder every other day or so because the mixture will mold in the sun. If you want to make a larger batch of food, you can store the extra food in the fridge for up to a week. You can also purchase premade food from most hardware stores or your local bird store.
Hummingbirds are a lot of fun to watch, so I hope that you will grab a feeder to hang in your yard this spring and feed your own hummingbirds! If you’re lucky enough to get a photo, be sure to post it on Facebook and tag us! #mackidfxbg
Sources:
https://journeynorth.org
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/
https://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/hummingbird-migration-map-2023/
Almanac.com
