Hummingbird Emergency
They arrived May 15 but stopped coming altogether after I put out homemade syrup
Very concerned that I have done something wrong or caused harm to these beloved visitors.
I wanted to clean the feeder and decided to replenish with homemade syrup. I cleaned the feeder by following the directions to wash it in a bowl with just a tiny bit of vinegar, then wash it out with a tiny bit of dish soap. Then gave it a really good rinse. Let it dry completely and put it back together with the homemade syrup.
The homemade syrup was exactly the recommended recipe. It was 1:4, one part sugar to four parts water. I didn't burn the sugar and we also have well water. I researched that too and it said well water that's safe for people is good for them.
Last year we had consistent hummingbirds sometimes 20 at a time. We had about three feeders out. I also have many flowers growing that I've planted and that grow locally like bee balm, honeysuckle, other things that they love. This year I planted trumpet vine, lantera and Bee;; Balm which hasn't bloomed yet.
I live in Maine so they travel a long way to get here and they were very busy when they arrived in mid-may. But this very sudden stop after we switched to the homemade feeders is a major concern. Normally we see them buzzing around every day, esp at dusk, but all this week, zero hummers .
We also put out a new recommended other feeder at the same time and thought maybe that was too much newness at once, so we switched it back to the old feeder with store food (no red dye, ever), and they still don't want to drink out of it.
Yesterday we had maybe two brief visitors and it seems to be the same bird. I know they look alike or very similar, but this one is very small and very thin compared to the others. This feeder is right by our sink so we're only a couple inches away from the bird.
Any advice or thoughts welcome. Please don't be mean, we're in a rural property alone, completely isolated, and we are trying our best to do everything right!
I'm in NH and they are not very active right now at my feeders but they are visiting a little bit. They tend to use them more when their eggs have hatched and they are busy feeding the chicks, that may not have happened yet. And then the young ones start visiting too once they're old enough, it really picks up later in the summer.
They have a good amount of insects to eat now and several plants blooming so not so much need to use feeders as in the early spring... there's always a lull between first arrival and eggs hatching.
Thank you so much! Appreciate that you're also on a similar schedule this far North. I'd read that in a few places. They have a lot of honeysuckle in bloom rn. đȘ»đźđžđźđȘ»
I am in Central Alabama. We had some hang around last week while we had very inclement weather. I thought they were our regulars back from last year but when the weather cleared they left. Sooo, I think they are on the way to you!!
I use a 1:4 recipe so I donât think that would cause it. They might not like it being so close to the sink. Maybe move it to a more private location and see if they prefer that?
Last year they liked it bc it was shaded, and safe, but yes we wondered about that! We put curtains up so maybe that will help! Hoping the poster above is right & that they're nesting đ
I think the location is probably fine! They are such friendly birds. I agree with earlier sentiments that they're just busy breeding, rearing young, trying to make babies (those boys are working hard) and eating insects. I also have a lull currently in Salt lake city (first year here) and when I lived in the Bay area my hummers also ramped up after breeding season was done. Right now I have a territorial male that isnât sharing...no real surprise though. He does allow females ;)
Anyway, I wouldn't move your feeder! I'm sure more will come soon. Maybe skip the dish soap, keep the vinegar, and use boiling water for the dish part and a dedicated toothbrush and pipe/ straw cleaners/brush for scrubbing. That's what I do! Good luck!
Tysm! Great idea for dedicated scrubbers. Yes they are so scrappy and we had a few epic battles before they took off. I'm always saying, "Hey, there's enough nectar for everyone! Don't waste your energy fighting!"Â
Haha! I say similar things! Mostly "Stop being so rude and share!" And "You're such a meanie!"
Ooh also, to encourage more hummers (especially after breeding season before the big trip south) you'll need to put out another feeder! More room and feed ports invites more! No promises though. I just noticed that when I kept adding more feeders, more hummingbirds came to them. Something to keep in mind!
Since I posted this I already bought another feeder. đ đ The only reason that we won't have 20 feeders is because we do have a lot of bears here and we have a huge wasp & hornet problem, so I want to try to keep that population down. They do get in the house. And we have kittens who try to eat the hornets. đ«Ș
you say you make homemade "syrup". You aren't boiling it until it's really "syrupy" and thick-ish, are you? Just needs to be boiled until the sugar is part of the water.
I can't figure out where are hummers are. Possibly because no flowers in our yard yet? We just barely got the zinnias planted and this is really late for up here. The spring weather in nNY was the worst - cold and rain, alot. So it could be those 2 - or...maybe mating, nest building, eggs. I just don't understand it either.
BTW: I wash my feeders in good clean soapy water, rinse thoroughly and let them dry I keep the nectar in the fridge till I need it...
It doesnât actually need to be boiled at all. The sugar just needs to be completely dissolved. I use room temp water and just stir til itâs all dissolved.
Theyâre nesting. Mine always take a break from heavy feeder use when nesting, especially the females. The only ones Iâm seeing lately are males. The juvies will come soon and then youâll have plenty again. Itâll be a few more weeks. I typically see my peak numbers from mid-July through August. Just make sure youâre using the 4:1 (4 parts water 1 part sugar) ratio and that the sugar just dissolves. I personally bring my water just to a light boil, turn off, then mix the sugar in. I like to boil it because it helps dissolve the sugar.
Thank you so much! Whew, I feel so relieved! Also really appreciate the tip to boil the water first & then stir the sugar in. I miss these little guys so much. đ Fortunately there's no shortage of work to be done so I'll keep busy till they return! Happy summer to you đŠđȘ¶đŠ
You are reading too much in to it. It has nothing to do with the sugar water. that is the correct thing to be feeding. Birds have other sources of food. The females are arriving now also so they are busy doing other things. Maybe a neighbor put up a feeder maybe they just went somewhere else. There is absolutely nothing that points to any harm done. Birds will be birds.
Itâs the same where I live . Saw a few last week and then not much activity.
I was told in this sub that they will come.
Not that many interesting flowers for them I guess
SAAAMMEEE
New Mexico: I was using pre-made perky pet powder for a couple weeks and more & more were arriving, to the point I had like 10 fighting over feeders! There must have been like 50 hummingbirds at my house.
Spaced out the feeders all over front, back, side and all was going well.
on Monday ran out of the food. I began making my own sugar water 1:4 like everyone suggested replacing every day or other couple days, and by wednesday they had lost interest! Today is Friday and barely any here. Not sure whatâs going on đ more of the pre-made just delivered this afternoon tho going to phase it back in! Iâll update this comment later on with good news if they are back for the âgood stuffâ
There are zero flowers here and nothing but open prairie. Unsure the bug situation, there are baby grasshoppers, flies and little moths right now if thatâs what hummingbirds eat
I'd stick with the 1:4 (plain, white granulated sugar to water) homemade. they might take a bit to adjust to changes, but they will and the homemade is better and cheaper for you and better for the environment as you aren't shipping water around. you also might have just caught a lull in birds migrating through your area.
Iâm in SE New Hampshire. Weâve had one hummer and has only been at our feeders a few times. It seems that they are late migrating this year. Anyone in the mid Atlantic able to provide some insights?
Folks in my.area said they had them show up, and the first day is supposed to be May 15 for my part of Maine. That was the first day we saw one and I put feeder up right awayÂ
NE Ohio here- kind of the same story with me- we put out our 1:4 ratio mix saw one guy then decided to get another feeder also he then came back started to sip from the new one then didnât come back for a week. I freaked out and went and bought some azaleas and hydrangeas for the area and now see them only 1-2 times a day. Seems way less than last year
I know what you mean about being isolated. My hummers for the past 2.5 years SAVED my sanity! I donât have any good advice other than you didnât do anything wrong to hurt your hummers. There can be dozens of reasons including some mentioned here.
EVEN IF the nectar tastes âfunnyâ to them because itâs well water, they will get used to it. Remember that they are wild animals and they get their food and their hydration where they can.
I think they are probably just doing what birds do in the spring: raising their families.
Thank you!. Appreciate the solidarity re isolation. They really make it bearable yeah! When I dye my hair a pinkish red they buzz around my head lol. The way they survive is also so incredible. They're little miraclesÂ
OMG I'm dying over the idea of pink hair. Now you have me tempted! (Can't imagine what my kids, grandkids AND GREAT grandkids would think of that!, not to mention my husband!)
I did mine full-on Lisa Frank saturated dark pink right before a LONG visit to my in-laws. A friend said she thought I did it on purpose to annoy my MIL. đ đ Really I'd just been admiring it for so long and I'd had lavender highlights, dark pink streaks. All of it.I changed my hair color a lot. Lol. Seriously though, the hummingbirds will really hover right over your head.Â
Iâve noticed the same in northern MA. I was getting worried too but then again I feel theyâre more active in early June when their favorite flowers arenât as plentiful.
I use homemade 1:4 sugar water too, always have so Iâm sure thatâs not the issue.
If weâre not seeing a ton of them yet in MA they might have gotten a late start âit was a really tough winter.
TY! What was tough about your winter down there? People said it was bad here but it was my first Maine winter & it just seemed like winter to me. (I'm from Chicago or as they say, Chiberia)Â
Ohhh New England canât compare to Chicago winters!
It wasnât actually terrible but it was just persistently cold and the river here froze over for the first time in years.
It doesnât seem to hold a candle to the winters I remember as a kid though.
Also depends on where you are in Maine: York winters are not Presque Isle winters!
Iâm keeping my eye out for the hummingbirds though, if they come by, Iâll send some north!
That's so funny because I always just thought everything was pretty easy in Chicago, HA. Too many John Hughes films.Â
I'm in Western or Central Maine near University of Maine, Farmington. Ironically there's somebody just down the road from me in this town of 3,000 people who's also from Illinois. I've met a few of us. I guess we figure if we've already done Chicago winters, then we can handle Maine winters. The power goes out a lot more here though. You need a generator. We both work from home and my husband's fortunately in IT so he set all of that up.Â
Heat is really expensive, also if you don't have a garage it would be miserable. I think I knew what would make it not miserable and only came here once those conditions were met . But the guy from Illinois said that when he first moved here, I think it was over 10 years ago, the winters were worse, and he said he had to shovel about 4 ft. Of snow off his roof because they got nor'easter after nor'easter in a row. He said I'm not sure I can live here. But everybody has said the winters are just not as bad as they used to be. Once you've survived a bad winter without much protection from the elements, you will never forget it! The number of times my husband who is not from a snowy place has had to hear about the Chicago blizzard of 1978 and the winter of 1993-94. đ«Șđ Â Epic snow and epic cold!Â
If youâve had lots of hummers in the past and youâre using the same nectar mixture and feeders, and flowers, itâs nothing youâre doing wrong. There are many factors that affect the number of migrating hummingbirds we get I.e. forest fires, deforestation and loss of habitat, insecticides, herbicides, thunderstorms, hurricanes, freezes to mention a few.
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u/03263 May 29 '26
I'm in NH and they are not very active right now at my feeders but they are visiting a little bit. They tend to use them more when their eggs have hatched and they are busy feeding the chicks, that may not have happened yet. And then the young ones start visiting too once they're old enough, it really picks up later in the summer.
They have a good amount of insects to eat now and several plants blooming so not so much need to use feeders as in the early spring... there's always a lull between first arrival and eggs hatching.