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Dear BirdGal, When should I put out my hummingbird feeder? PD
Dear PD, Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the only species found east of the
Mississippi, usually return to the Cincinnati Tri-State area the last week of
April or the first week of May. Check out the hummingbird migration website if
you want to track their movement north. BG
Dear BirdGal, What is the "recipe" for hummingbird nectar? MP
Dear MP, Mix 4 parts water with 1 part table sugar. Boil the water to retard
fermentation and please do not add food coloring! The red color of the feeder
will attract the hummers and the food dye may be harmful. Store extra nectar in
your refrigerator. Change the nectar every few days. It will ferment quickly in
warm weather. BG
Dear BirdGal, When should I take down the hummingbird feeder?
Dear Readers, This is a question we hear very often at this time of year. The
simple answer is that you don�t take it down until the hummingbirds have all
migrated! Many of you have been told in the past that if you don�t take the
feeder down, the hummingbirds won�t leave. Believe me, that is an old wives�
tale! Hummingbirds, like all migratory birds, instinctively know when to return
to their wintering grounds. No amount of hummingbird feeders is going to prevent
their migration. Now, there have been documented cases where a hummingbird will
get stranded. I read one account about a ruby-throat that was harbored in a
lady�s sunroom all winter after getting �lost� during its migratory trip south.
But these are rare occurrences indeed! Your feeders are stop-over spots for the
birds migrating from further north. During migration, hummingbirds are building
up fat reserves to help them make that last push across the Gulf of Mexico. It�s
about a 500-600 mile flight and the little guys do it non-stop. It takes them
about 20 hours!My suggestion is that you leave your hummer feeders up until 1-2
weeks have gone by during which time you have seen no hummingbirds. This could
be as late as mid-October here in the Cincinnati Tri-State area. It would not
hurt to leave the feeder out until November 1st. This will ensure that all the
ruby-throats migrating from North America have the energy required to get to
their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America. We want them healthy so
they can turn around and return to our feeders next Spring! BG
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