Why Hummingbirds Avoid Your Feeder

Are you wondering why a nearby hummingbird isn’t visiting your feeder? This checklist will look into why they are avoiding your garden or may choose a neighbor instead. Understanding what they need allows you to make changes that encourage them to stop by.

If you’re not sure if they’ve arrived yet, check out our Spring Hummingbird Migration Map.

What a hummingbird needs

You know that hummingbirds will spend the summer in your neighborhood, but if they ignore your feeders, you are not alone. Sometimes the simplest ones are enough to stop them.

But don’t feel defeated. A few changes could potentially turn things around.

It helps you think like a bird.

Most behavioral decisions involve these fundamentals: safety, food, mating, and shelter.

To stay in one area during nesting season, hummingbirds must feel (relatively) safe from predators and have a variety of available food sources (carbohydrates and proteins), nests and perch locations.

They are here for young breeding and raising not for leisure time. There are few spares and they have to constantly eat to survive.

Feeders offer lovely supplements, but their main nutrition comes from nectar-rich flowers and protein-packing bugs. This includes the nectar of flowering plants and various invertebrates such as insects, spiders and larvae. And for efficiency, all this should be near nesting sites for trees and shrubs.

If other birds are already enjoying your garden, it’s a good sign too. Their food, safety and shelter needs are roughly the same.

This checklist (below) is compiled from a variety of sources, including birdwatching forums, research, books, experts and my own experiences. Compare each item with your situation and see what you can fine-tune.

Some things can be quickly and easily modified, such as the style and location of the feeder, while others, such as providing the right habitat, can take years to improve.

Please hold on again. When I first started feeding hummingbirds, I had been feeding other birds for years, but it took a few months for one brave hummingbird to finally enjoy the sugar. The words then moved faster.

Why Hummingbirds don’t leave

Nectar and feeder problems

Poor feeder design.
The excellent feeder is attractive for hummingbirds, breaks down and cleans up, contains perches (as they can be rested while drinking), and has a sugar reservoir that bees cannot access and hangs firmly.

This is the feeder I recommend along with the ant moat. There is no perfect feeder, but this checks most boxes. I like to have some so I can have some in the garden anytime, but others are indoors for cleaning and refilling.

The wrong recipe.
Stick to a simple mix. Using this recipe, fix the white grains in 4 parts of clean water, one of them in white grain sugar. This is the closest to the sugar-to-water ratio found in your favorite nectar plants.

Do not use honey, brown sugar, molasses, artificial sweeteners, juice blends, or red dyes. These can harm the birds or simply taste “off”.

The honey is spoiled.
Sugar gets worse quickly, especially in the heat. The mixture becomes obscure, or the feeder will become moldy and the hummingbirds will start to avoid it.

The warmer the weather, the more you need to clean the feeder and refill it with fresh sugar water. This happens every three days in moderate summer heat, but in heat waves, you can simply take a few times a day or take it down until the weather is a little cooler.

The feeder is dirty.
In addition to making sure the sugar water is always fresh, clean the feeder completely with every refill. Such a small brush (made for cleaning straws) is suitable for getting into all the small gaps. Sometimes other animals access the feeder, leaving behind fragrances and residues that the bird can avoid. If this happens, clean everything completely and start fresh.

The nectar is contaminated.
Any residue from ants, hornets, honeybees and cleaning products can all taint nectar. If the hummingbirds don’t like the feeder, they may boycott them indefinitely.

Always use ant moats and follow these tips to stop hornets and bees.

Wash thoroughly and dry before refilling.

It also helps to remove “bad” feeders for a week or two before providing a clean feeder.

Placement and safety issues

The wrong feeder location.
Hummingbirds must be able to find feeders in their vision and see them as they fly.

A good place is usually about 5 feet away from the ground, not within shelters (trees and shrubs) and not in partial shade.

Finding ways to hang your feeder is always a challenge. This will make other animals (such as squirrels, flippers, raccoons, other birds) find it difficult to access. And if there are bears there, of course (of course) there is no feeder at all.

Only one feeder is out.
Hummingbirds, especially men, are not mean animals, but can be very territorial, rather than basic survival. It makes sense that they are very owned about food sources, as they have to eat continuously their active time to survive. Find out more in our Hummingbird quiz.

If you have space, distribute some feeders throughout the garden. And keep them away from other bird feeding boxes and nesting boxes.

There is too much human activity.
Frequent noise, pedestrians, or garden chores near feeders can help maintain distance.

Something as simple as a closed porch door or a creaking whirl gig might be enough to scare the birds.

Ultimately, you may discover that hummingbirds like your garden, but not when you’re active in it!

An automated feeder camera will help you check this while taking great photos.

Use of pesticides or herbicides.
Whenever we spray, so many plants and animals are codependent, it can destroy the food chain either directly or indirectly. And you cannot keep birds and butterflies that do not have larvae or caterpillars.

Timing and natural conditions

The feeder is new.
Birds may need time to find and trust new feeders. It can take days or weeks for them to begin their visit. If you’re sure it’s a great feeder in a safe and visible location, it’s definitely worth keeping it there consistently so you can get used to it over time. Even if you haven’t fed it yet, keep cleaning and refilling sugar water.

The neighbors are winning.
If your neighbor’s garden looks very similar to yours, the bird may visit it quite frequently from habit. Follow all the tips here (as much as possible) and give them time. You need a curious bird to discover your new favorite hangout.

There is no habitat in your area.
If your neighborhood lacks trees, flowers or natural shelters, it may be less attractive hummingbirds as it is territory and needs to spread.

There is a lot of emphasis on certain nectar plants and grows like the plants listed here, but there is no suitable place to nest, rest, hide, or find insects.

bad weather.
Storms, cold snaps, heat waves and droughts can really disrupt life in your garden. It may take days or weeks for “normal” bird activities to resume after extreme weather.

The wrong time.
The hummingbird is in your garden, but is active when not. Try bird watching at different times, such as dawn or dusk. I like to settle in a patio chair with my phone camera and birdwatch.

They are nesting.
During breeding season, birds often stay close to nests and natural food sources. It appears that feeder visits will be picked up again after the chick’s wings.

Nature offers a lot.
If there is a wealth of flowers, insects and berries, especially in summer and autumn, Hummingbirds may not need much feeder. This could also be the peak of summer when sugar water quickly rots in the heat. Like most animals, they do the easiest thing to avoid wasting energy.

They moved.
If you were heading into autumn, the hummingbird might have moved on. This is part of the fall hummingbird’s movement as birds head towards warmer climates for winter. However, the feeder can be maintained until frost is predicted. It does not delay their journey, and sugar water gives them extra fuel for the big journey ahead.

We hope you have found enough tips to make your garden a hummingbird hub!

summary

To attract hummingbirds to your garden:

Make sure a spring travel has arrived in your area. Choose the right style feeder and provide some if you have space. Use Alimuto and keep the feeder clean with fresh sugar water. If it is not possible to maintain it properly, remove the feeder. It grows a diverse selection of native and well-adapted flower nectar plants, trees, shrubs and grapes, not only for hummingbirds but also for local wildlife. This will provide food and shelter. Avoid herbicides and pesticides. Keep your pet away from the feeding area. Outdoor pet cats kill millions of birds each year. Be patient: Give your garden time if you have the right setup.

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Details of Hummingbird

~Melissa Empress of the Defiled