This year our hummingbirds arrived on the first day of April. We had already put out our feeders in anticipation of their arrival. Many of the same birds come back each year. We know this because if the feeders are not in place, the birds will hover at the window and look in as if to say, "Where's lunch?". By the end of summer we may have as many as 20-25 birds. We will fill 4 feeders once a day during the time of greatest demand.
Hummingbirds burn a great deal of calories each day, feeding about 4 times every hour. They take in the nectar through their tubular tongues. At night their body functions, such as heart rate and breathing, slows down to about 5% of the daytime function. Some hummingbirds migrate 2,000 miles from the breeding sites to their wintering home.
Do not feed hummingbirds honey mixed with water. There bodies cannot digest honey. They will eat it but will eventually die. Homemade feeding solution can be made from 1 part white sugar to 4-5 parts warm water. (The warm water helps the sugar to completely dissolve.) Keep your feeders clean by rinsing them with vinegar and hot water. If ants are attracted to your feeders, coat the line used to hang the feeder with vegetable oil. This prevents them from climbing down to the feeder.
Male hummingbirds are very territorial. If the males begin to fight add more feeders.
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