Where to Hang a Hummingbird Feeder

Hummingbirds are beautiful. They come in a range of colors and color combinations. Although these birds are only a few inches long, they flap their wings hundreds of times every minute, and this adds to their beauty. A hummer flaps its wings fast enough to create a humming sound, which is how they got their name. Here we will help you learn the best ways and where to hang a hummingbird feeder in your yard. Also, this is a great Hummingbird book and a fantastic resource!

These birds beautify your yard. If you love watching birds, hummingbirds are a great species to attract. Better yet, hummers remember a food source and will keep coming back for years if you keep feeding them. Granted, you can have your hummers – a flock of hummers that keep coming to your feeder.

Hummers will fly thousands of miles every year to breed and come back to your feeder. To attract hummers, you need to place the feeder right. Wondering where to hang a hummingbird feeder?

5 Tips For Placing Hummingbird Feeders In Your Yard

If you have fed birds in your yard before, you understand that moving a feeder even by a few inches affects its popularity. If you poorly position a feeder, it attracts more insects and pests than it can handle and the nectar might also spoil faster.

Again, a poor location might expose birds to predators or make it less convenient and less visible for hummers to visit. Below are five places to hang your hummingbird feeders:

1. Trees

Although hummingbirds can feed up to two times their weight, they spend at least 80 percent of their feeding time perching. They love resting from the hard flapping as they enjoy the view of their environment. As such, hanging the feeder on trees is a great idea. Trees are also great as they give your feathery friends a place to hide if a predator shows up. If there are brightly colored flowers near your trees, the nectar from the flowers can supplement the nectar you provide.

It is easy to hang a hummingbird feeder on a tree branch as most feeders come with a loop. Ensure the feeder is safe from insects and other small animals that feed on nectar. Again, the tree should be far from where predators such as hawks, owls, and craws hang out.

2. Pole

Poles are a great option when you do not have trees in your yard. They are also ideal when you need to drive away squirrels, especially when you need to feed other birds with birdseed. Poles are metallic and sturdy enough to last for many years. Most of them feature attractive designs to beautify your yard. You can paint them any color you love based on the colors in your yard.

With a metal pole, you have the flexibility to adjust the height as you need and to create enough perches for as many hummingbirds as may visit your feeder. You can keep other animals from reaching the feeder by planting it up to 8 feet tall.

Unlike a tree, you can move a pole to a place where it is visible by the hummers and where it gives you a clear view of your feathered friends.

If you consider a pole bird feeder, choose a design that makes it convenient for the hummers to come to your feeder. The important factor in a pole bird feeder is looking for the right position for the feeder and twisting the pole firmly to the ground.

3. Window

Near a window might not be the best place to put a bird feeder in your yard. From the window, you can see the hummingbirds as they feed. However, placing the feeder near a window increases the risk of collisions as the birds might not see the glass pane. Your feeder should be at least 5 feet away from the window and not more than fifteen feet away to make it easy for you to watch your birds from your house.

If you install the feeder so close to the window, you need to use decals and other tactics to make the window visible so the hummers do not knock on them. A tree fruit netting near the window works wonders to protect the birds from fatal collisions.

4. In Shade or Full Sunlight?

Primarily, you need to place your feeders in the shade to ensure that the nectar doesn’t go bad quickly. However, you also need to place the feeder in direct sunlight during the day so that it shines and attracts hummers. Placing the feeder in the open makes it easy for the birds to spot during the day.

If you can place the feeder in the shade and still make it visible to the birds, then that would be the best option.

Your feeder should be visible from multiple angles. If you use a shade, hang bright red flowers near the feeder, especially on the feeder pole to attract the birds. You can try fuchsias and geraniums, which offer red blooms in spring.

Does the nectar get hot enough to burn the hummers’ tongues? The liquid in the feeder can only get 10 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the surrounding. This is not nearly enough to burn the birds. Nevertheless, you can learn how to make shade for a hummingbird feeder to ensure the nectar doesn’t go bad fast. In hot weather, even when the feeder is under a shade, you might need to replace the nectar every three days. Fill the feeder with as much nectar as the hummers can drink in three days. In cold weather, the nectar can stay for as long as a week before it goes bad.

5. Deck Hangers

Deck hangers provide a great space to view your feathered friends as they enjoy their meal. Because the deck doesn’t have a hook or loop, you can use a deck hanger. Hang the feeder on the railing of the deck from where you can have a great view of the birds as they feed.

To hang the hummingbird feeder, you can choose between a railing clamp mount, a baluster, and a screw. You need to pick a unit that offers you the best bird feeder placement. You can also learn how to hang hummingbird feeders on the balcony to have the best view and keep your feathered friends comfortable.

9 Tips for Proper Maintenance & Placement Of Your Hummingbird Feeders

Below are some additional tips on where to hang a hummingbird feeder and how to take care of it!

1. Protection from other birds/predators

Hummingbirds are preyed on by cats, owls, hawks, praying mantis, and craws among others. You need to find a way to keep these birds off your property and allow the hummingbirds to feed in peace. For small animals, you need to install the bird feeder high enough, at least 8 feet up, to protect the hummers from animals that may jump.

2. Place in an area that has good sightlines (so you can see the hummingbirds), but away from high traffic areas

Although hummingbirds have keen eyesight, they may not notice a feeder hidden under a roof or hummingbird feeder umbrella. You may also not see the feeder if it is hidden from your window’s sightlines. Ensure the feeder is in an open place, but away from high traffic areas not to scare the birds away or knock the feeder and spill the nectar.

3. Protection from wind

The wind blows a hanging hummingbird feeder and might cause the nectar to spill. As such, you need to keep the hummingbird feeder in the garden protected from the wind. You also need to keep the unit protected from the rain to keep the nectar fresh at all times. If there is a water fountain for hummingbirds, ensure the water from the fountain doesn’t contaminate the nectar in the feeder.

4. Away from house cats

Cats are responsible for the death of millions of birds every year in the US. If you love bird watching and you have a cat, you should lock your cat in your house to ensure it doesn’t pounce on the hummers feeding near your window. You also need to install the feeder at least 5 feet off the ground so the cat doesn’t jump and kill a few of your feathered friends. Cats are especially dangerous to hummers during spring. If your cats won’t stay in the house and the hummers perch in the ground, you need to get your cat a bell to alert the hummers when the cat is coming.

5. How to avoid Ants and Wasps from being attracted to the feeder

You can keep ants and wasps away from the feeder through a few natural methods. Start by using red sauce feeders where hummingbirds can reach through their beaks and insects can’t. Hummingbirds are attracted to red and bees to yellow. Hang an ant moat above the feeders to keep ants off. You can also hang your feeders with a fishing line, which is too thin for the ants to climb.

You can use nectar guard tips to prevent yellow jackets at the hummingbird feeder. You can move feeders a few feet so birds can still see them, but insects lose track of them. For wasps, you can hang fake wasp nests to deter wasps from venturing in an area they think is inhabited by other wasps.

6. Best time of year for Hummingbirds to feed on your feeders

Feeding birds feels great at any time of the day. However, hummingbirds are not around all year round, they migrate. The migration of these birds is dependent on the region and climate. In some areas, the birds are non-migratory. For instance, in the Pacific Coast of the US and Southern British Columbia are year-round hummingbird spots. Other year-round spots include Rio Grande Valley, South Texas, South and Central Florida, and Southeastern Arizona.

In other areas, you can tell it is time to feed the hummingbirds if you observe:

• The flowers start to bloom
• Migrating birds arrive
• You hear of local hummingbird sightings
• Every year, you can keep records of when the birds arrive and leave your area. Check your records from the previous years, and see when the birds are supposed to arrive in your area.
• Do not wait for the first sightings of the hummingbirds, place your feeders early to ensure they find the feeders ready so they don’t move on to the next available feeder.

7. Cleaning tips for feeders

It is easy to clean your hummingbird feeders as you do it the same way you clean your utensils. Use a solution of vinegar and water. Vinegar kills germs that may be in the feeder. From there, use hot water and dish soap and rinse with hot water.

8. Best food to use

You only need to put sugar water in the feeder and hang it – mix one part sugar and four parts water. Avoid adding red dye to the syrup as the chemical in the dye can be dangerous to the hummingbirds. If you want to buy premade nectar, check out this product on Amazon:

9. Change the sugar water every 3 days to prevent it from going bad

During hot weather, which is when the hummingbirds show up, the sugar syrup will go bad in three days. You need to replace the syrup with fresh syrup after every three days. Do not refill the syrup, but remove the old syrup, clean the feeder, and refill it with fresh nectar. During cold days, the nectar might stay fresh for up to five days.

You can observe for signs of spoilage on the feeder including the development of molds and change the nectar even if the nectar has only been in the feeder for a day.

Wrap Up

Are you wondering where to hang a hummingbird feeder for the best results? You can have multiple hummingbird feeder placement areas to attract as many hummers as possible. The best location is one where the feeder is visible from all angles, safe from predators, along your sightlines, and one that is near perches and hiding areas for the hummers. Whether you use a hummingbird feeder stand or you use a tree, your feathered friends should feel comfortable and you should be able to see the birds from your house window.

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