How to Attract Ruby Throated Hummingbirds to your backyard

Watching the Ruby Throated Hummingbird as it drinks nectar from flowers and feeders is such a delight. I have feed many birds at my feeders including Cardinals, Goldfinches, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers, but the hummingbird fascinates me the most because of its size and characteristics. The first Hummingbird I ever fed was the Ruby Throated Hummingbird. To tell you the truth, I was not even trying to attract hummingbirds, I was feeding the rest of the backyard birds, and I heard this buzz and it startled me because I thought it was a bee. That poor bird almost got swatted down. I inquired about the bird at a Birding store and that's where I learned what they were attracted to and what type of feeder I should buy. I will share with you some ways to attract this hummingbird and keep it coming back to your feeder year by year.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• backyard
• patio
• hummingbird feeder
• sugar
• water
• patience
• flowers

1. 
    
   Perky Pet 203CP Pinch Waist Glass Hummingbird Feeder, 8 oz capacity

   Buy a Hummingbird Feeder or plants that attract hummingbirds. Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are attracted to tubular flowers, nectar and sap. You can purchase hummingbird feeders and nectar from Walmart, Lowe's, or you can make your own nectar for the hummingbirds.

2. 
    
   Hummer Helmet Shade/Rain Guard

   Fill your feeder with nectar and hang in a shady area of your yard or patio. Because my patio received so much sun during the day, I had to change the nectar about every 2-3 days. Look and see if the nectar is getting cloudy, if it is, it is time to change the food. You may still want to change the water every 3 days just to be on the safe side. You don't want to make your hummingbird sick.

3. 
    
   Territorial Hummingbird

   If you have more than (1) hummingbird in your area, it may be a good idea to have more than one hummingbird feeder in your garden or backyard. I had a hummingbird that would not let other hummingbirds eat from the feeder. Every time one of the birds would try to eat, it would fly down real fast to block it. If you observe this behaviour, just add another hummingbird feeder a safe distance from the other feeder.

4. 
    
   Ruby Throated Hummingbird

   The flowers that Hummingbirds are attracted to are Bee balm, Butterfly weed, Cardinal flower, and Coral bells. There are many more plants and flowers that attract the Ruby Throated Hummingbird, but it will be best to either go to Lowe's or a Nursery and ask what plant would be best for your area so that you can attract the Ruby Throated Hummingbird.

5. Hummingbird feeders are not that expensive. You can find some at Walmart or Lowe's for under $20.00. Some are plastic and some may be made of glass. The more decorative and spiffy the feeders are, the more money you will pay.
   
   If you want to see the hummingbirds up close, you can buy a window feeder. Don't forget to take pictures of the birds or make a video tape so that you can watch over and over again.
   
   So what are you waiting for, get started today feeding those hummingbirds and enjoy months of feeding.

6. 
    
   Perky Pet 221 Hummingbird Oasis Feeder, 16 oz capacity

   A personal recommendation:
   I purchased several of my bird products from a store called Wild Birds Unlimited. They were very helpful at getting me started with my bird watching hobby. The sell all kinds of bird feeders, bird food and accessories. I even rented videos from them to learn all about birds. You can use this link to see if you have one of the retail stores near you. http://maps.wbu.com
   
   A hummingbird feeder I would highly recommend and have used myself is the Perky Pet 221 Hummingbird Oasis Feeder. It is a feeder that has Built-in ant moat and perches. It also has 6 feeder ports and a brass hanging hook. It is also easy to clean. You can buy it from Amazon.com. (See the resources section below)

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't see hummingbirds right away, don't lose hope. It may take up to a week before a hummingbird finds your feeder.
• In the Midwest, where I live, the Hummingbirds were seen around the month of May and left around the month of September.

Resources

• Perky Pet 221 Hummingbird Oasis Feeder, 16 oz capacity
• Hummingbirds - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife
• Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Feeding Wallpaper for your PC
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Video on Youtube
• How to Make Homemade Hummingbird Nectar
• How to Deal With Aggressive or territorial Hummingbirds

[Psalmist4M]

on 8/16/2009 We have lots of birds & really enjoy them. I'm getting one of these for my back porch. Thanks for sharing this great article on How to Attract Ruby Throated Hummingbirds to your backyard. 5*s

[chrisanimelo444]

on 8/15/2009 Wow, I'd love to try out some of these ideas! I've never seen a hummingbird in real life before. Great tips!

[boatst]

on 7/16/2009 Good article on hummingbirds. You should come to South Alabama and go birdwatching. We're on their migration route. Twice a year all the migatory birds in the east of the Mississippi pass through this area. One afternoon I had 35 different birds at my feeders. Thanks for article.

[bfreethree]

on 7/5/2009 Thanks Vitoria, my mother loved these birds, 5* to you.

[lighthouse1958]

on 7/3/2009 About 2 months ago my husband got me a bird feeded and he put it in the tree in our back yard. The birds are everywhere. They are just beautiful. A very well written article on how to attract them. 5* and rec.