When we moved up onto this bare, rocky homestead cradled in forest, I found two hummingbird feeders prominently placed out for us in the mudroom. The previous Mama of the house had left them behind in the hopes that I would continue on as property manager to her fair-weather, fair-feathered friends.

“Oh, this will be fun for the kids,” I thought to myself, recalling the hummingbird feeder out the dining room window of my childhood. Often, a Ruby-Throated beauty would sip at our feeder, and sometimes even two at a time! I clearly had no idea what was heading my way from Cabo in a few short months.

They caught me by surprise that first Mayday (double meaning intended). I saw one whizz by the hook on the back porch, then another, then another after that. Scrambling, I googled how to make hummingbird nectar. I’d never done it before. Thankfully, I at least had enough foresight to have stocked some white sugar beforehand. One little pound bag that is. I quickly whipped up a batch of nectar and before I knew it, there were at least five or six hummers taking shifts at the feeder from dawn ’til dusk. Unlike the visitors of my California childhood, these Montana vacationers never let up! Our feeders are rarely ever hum-less for the summer months. That first week, the kids and I sat motionless watching them by the hour. Often, we’d see four or even five feeding in unison. We were hooked.

As is the case with any addiction, I began experimenting with how to get more of my fix. I bought a third feeder and to my delight, welcomed a new troupe of freeloaders to the clearing. I experimented with different nectar concoctions. More than once, our community of tiny friends disappeared altogether, and I had to find out what critical errors I’d made the hard way.

But in God’s mercies, nature is forgiving. Last summer, our second year in these mountains, we celebrated the tripling of our hummingbird population as we counted out a new record of fourteen hummers at a single feeder. Odd as it may sound, learning to serve a population of hummingbirds through their breeding season has been one of the most miraculous experiences of my life. I wrote this to describe it earlier in the year in my previous post 👓My 2024 BOOK-IT List📚:

Hummingbird Husbandry

Perhaps our favorite surprise in moving onto our little clearing in the mountains of Montana is that our summers are spent in the center of a hummingbird nursery. The soon-to-be parents arrive in a frantic flurry overnight and immediately build their summer homes on the penthouse limbs of the fattest pines which frame our homestead. Somehow, they know to select the thickest, most faithful of the trees to trust their clutch to, probably because they were hatched on its same limbs just as their mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers were before them. Each year, the next generation returns to begin their own frenzy of breeding and clutch raising.

The result of all of this whizzing and whirring and dueling and diving is an unquenchable thirst for energy elixir. In a blur of reflected light, sparring flocks suck our feeders dry by the hour.

When I go to town during the summer, I fill our feeders to the brim before leaving and only allow myself a half day trip. Every time I return, I find all four feeders bone dry with swarms of panicked parents divebombing my head. It’s thrilling. I simply cannot learn enough about my wild little friends. I fully intend to add a feeder to our clearing each year and gift myself the full-time job of candy girl. With luck, I hope to have a sanctuary of insanity by the time I am gray.

As it turns out, hummingbird husbandry is as addicting a nectar for us human giants as it is for our Thumbelina pixies who slurp it up.

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Hummingbird Hacks

~our compiled list to triple your traffic~

So, how did we do it? Well, as with anything in the wild world of nature, it’s often as much about what we don’t do as it is about what we do. Here’s our compiled list of both; everything hummingbird we have learned so far. We hope you will soon be mobbed by dozens of tiny miracles this summer!

First things first, here’s a few basic do’s and don’ts!

Do, yes, do!

• Make a homemade nectar using: 3 to 4 parts water to 1 part plain, white sugar (you know, the stuff that is terrible for you). Simply heat together, stirring until dissolved in a saucepan. Or you can even heat the water in the microwave until boiling, then merely stir the sugar in! Allow to cool to room temperature before filling the feeders. Keep extra nectar in covered containers in the fridge for weeks!
• Freshen the feeder each week (hummers don’t like spoiled sugar water any more than you would)!
• Clean the feeder every time you fill it. Wash thoroughly with warm, soapy water and a bottle brush, then rinse.
• Place your feeder in a nice, sunny spot that is high off the ground and well out of reach of cats or other predators.
• Put your feeders out in early spring and leave late into fall until there have been no hummer sightings for some time.
• Add a feeder every year or so to your collection if you want to continue building your hummingbird population.

Don’t do it!

• Don’t use food coloring!
• Don’t ever leave your feeders empty (hummers may not return if they cannot rely on your feeder being full)!
• Don’t bring in at night or during a storm unless you absolutely have to. Our hummers are usually at our feeders hours each morning before I get up. And I’ve had hummers clinging to the feeder through wild storms. Just don’t let glass feeders freeze, of course.
• Don’t be afraid to have close encounters with your hummingbird friends. Take their feeders out to them full and hold out to them. In time, they will sip right in front of your nose! Do wear sunglasses or safety goggles though. Seriously.

FIVE HACKS FOR MORE HUMMERS!

#1. Use well water or rainwater to make your nectar. NEVER USE SOFTENED WATER.

I learned this hack the hard, I mean soft way, this last summer when we installed a water softener and the hummingbirds ALL STOPPED DRINKING AT OUR FEEDERS. Thankfully, they returned once I figured it out.

*Fun fact: soft water also kills some seedlings such as tomatoes and peppers!

#2. Always use feeders with PERCH RINGS.

We had four feeders last summer; two with perch rings around the base and two without. There could be no debate on the subject; the feeders with rings receive about FOUR TIMES as many visitors as the no-perch feeders. I have since updated our collection of feeders (I have five ready to go for this season) each with perch rings. I can’t wait to see the results!

*Hot tip: if you have feeders without perch rings, don’t automatically get rid of them. You may easily be able to add a hoop to the base of your feeders! Small crochet or knitting hoops from the craft store may work well for this upgrade.

#3. Keep wasp and yellowjacket traps on hand.

Wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets just LOVE sugar. Unfortunately, these unwelcome guests make a habit of stalking hummingbird feeders in the heat of the summer months. Not only can this be unsettling for us, a single wasp or yellowjacket sting can kill a hummingbird, and both the bug and the bird seems to know this fact. For days we watched in disgust as the wasps and yellowjackets bullied the hummers away from the watering hole. We declared war and a few weeks later had the issue under control. But now we know to put wasp and hornet traps up BEFORE they get too big for their britches. For our favorite traps, refer to our previous post: When 🐝POLLINATOR’S PARADISE becomes a HORNET HELL🔥

#4. Gradually, add a diverse diet and habitat for your busy friends.

In addition to sugar water, hummingbirds also like locations with birdbaths, trees to perch and nest in, bugs to eat, and lots of nectar-producing flowers. Consider growing a wildflower meadow, planting more trees, and adding a water source.

#5. Don’t go to pieces if your hummer sightings decrease suddenly. You may not be doing anything wrong!

As long as you are following the list of do’s and don’ts above, all is *likely* well. In fact, A LAG IN TRAFFIC MAY BE GOOD! It may mean that your little Thumbelinas are sitting on eggs! Get excited, because you may become PACKED with itty bitty fledgling feeders very soon!

*Fun fact: hummingbirds raise 1 to 2 clutches each summer.

We’re so excited for our third summer in our hummingbird nursery! Follow below and stay tuned for how many gems we count at each feeder this year as we continue to build our sanctuary! Perhaps the sky really is the limit.

Thank you for reading, friends!

Love, ~Candace Arden