When to set up and remove your feeders for hummingbirds

Concerns regarding feeding hummingbirds have been raised. When in the springtime should I put out my hummingbird feeders? When should I take down my hummingbirds in the fall? Is it possible to leave my hummingbird feeder up all winter?  These queries are addressed in this article.

In this article:

• Feeding hummingbirds
• When to put up your hummingbird feeders
• When to take down your hummingbird feeders for winter
• Winter hummingbird feeding

Hummingbirds frequently show up earlier than expected. Depending on the average temperature that year, they arrive at various latitudes and heights. It can change. Therefore, here is some advice on when to hang your hummingbird feeders. When the first wildflowers along the river bottoms begin to bud, place hummingbird feeders out. When the early daffodils bloom, hang up your hummingbird feeders. When the ornamental flowering cherries first emerge, start feeding hummingbirds.

Feeding hummingbirds

Feeding hummingbirds sugar water is a fun activity with very little downside. To replicate natural flower nectar, keep the sugar to water ratio at 1 to 4. In this article, We will go over the hummingbird nectar recipe.

Your hummingbird feeders are safe and beneficial to our tiny feathered friends as long as you maintain them tidy.  Our advice is to just fill the feeder with what the hummingbirds consume entirely within three to four days. When replenishing, always clean the feeders first; never just fill a feeder to the top. When the nectar turns foggy if you spot any dark mold patches inside, clean it out and refill it.

Hummingbirds consume food other than nectar, whether it comes naturally from flowers or is provided by you in feeders. They also consume spiders and flying insects. This means that hummingbirds will survive just fine if you stop feeding them for any reason. 

When to put up your hummingbird feeders

Having extra hummingbird food available during the spring migration will be greatly appreciated by the hummingbirds. The majority of hummingbirds travel south for the winter. They make a very early springtime return. Even now, the nights are chilly, with a chance of snow or below-freezing temperatures. Very few flowers are in bloom and insect food is scarce. Yet here they are, engaging in their natural migrational behavior. The energy they require to continue traveling until they reach their target can be given by your feeder.

It can therefore be quite beneficial for hummingbirds in the spring to have your feeders put up and ready for the first migrants. Not all hummingbirds migrate at the same time. Their hormones are set off by the sun's angle on their wintering grounds, and finally, the drive to migrate leads to action. The weather they experience while traveling may help or hinder them. Typically, males migrate and reach their breeding sites one to two weeks before the females. Then, near food sources like flowers or even your hummingbird feeders, males establish and defend territories.

Females arrive and find the males. Following mating, the females establish distinct nesting territories and protect them from competing hummingbirds. The males take no part in nest building, incubating.  The chicks leave the nest and begin to fly after a few weeks. This is the time of year when hummingbird feeder usage really picks up. The majority of hummingbirds at your feeder in the late summer and early fall are young of the year.

A week prior to when you anticipate the first birds to arrive, hang up your hummingbird feeders in the spring. When the first migrants arrive, they will be prepared.

When to take down your hummingbird feeders for winter

Hummingbirds depart at what time? Early summer is when male hummingbirds in the West are done breeding. They leave the lowlands in early July and move up into the highlands. As they travel across the mountains to southern Mexico for the winter, they discover flowers there that are flowering at an ever-increasing height.

The young birds, however, continue to congregate at the nesting site. These will continue to visit your feeders all through the fall. As the weather shifts and hormones push them southward, migrants from further north join them. Hummingbirds will eat from your feeders in the fall as they refuel for their migration. Hummingbird migration won't be halted by your hummingbird feeders. Hormones are superior to even unpaid meals.

You might wonder, "When do I stop feeding hummingbirds?" You don't. As long as they are coming to your feeder, keep feeding them.

Hummingbird adult males typically depart in the summer, months before the females and young. As long as hummingbirds are around, keep your hummingbird feeders up. After you've seen your last hummingbird, wait two weeks before removing your hummingbird feeders for the season.

Feeding hummingbirds in winter

The Anna's Hummingbird is a permanent species on the West Coast, from Vancouver, Canada, south through Baja, and into sections of Arizona. If you reside there, there is no need to remove your hummingbird feeders over the winter. Anna's Hummingbirds do really breed from late December through February. Costa's Hummingbirds also spend the winter in the Southwest deserts of the United States.

Some hummingbirds of various species make sporadic winter visits from Texas to Florida, especially close to the shore. As long as there are hummingbirds, continue feeding throughout the winter!

Will a late hummingbird stay for the winter or is it just passing through? Through November, hummingbird migration continues. By the middle of December, if you still have some hummingbirds, they will probably stay through the winter. These wintering birds could stay there until March or April! Hurray!

Hummingbird feeders can be placed close to an incandescent porch light that gives some heat to prevent them from freezing in the cold. Bring the feeder inside your house well after dark if that isn't feasible. In the frigid winter evenings after dusk, hummingbirds thrive on food. Put the feeder out in the early morning hours.