Bring Wild Hummingbirds to Your Yard!
There’s nothing more thrilling than seeing a hummingbird zip through the garden, hover in place for a second, then dart quickly among the plants. They are natural wonders, small feisty creatures. Their jewel-like bright colours, especially those of the males, is something we in Vancouver can all enjoy. We’d like to share some helpful tips about attracting them to your garden year round, we promise the view can be very rewarding.
“I love devastating movies, documentaries and hummingbirds (yes, in that order).”
These are the key factors to consider if you want to invite these marvellous little birds into your garden:
Grow a diversity of plants (With special emphasis on the native species of British Columbia)
Avoid the use of pesticides (Even organic pesticides)
Flower nectar is a natural food source for hummingbirds
Purchase a hummingbird feeder
Hummingbirds pollinate the plants and help them create fruit and seeds. They are important pollinators for many flowering plants. Keep those hummingbirds coming from spring until fall if you garden with plants that will give these birds a natural and complete food source. When buying a feeder, keep in mind that you need one that is easy to hang, take down, take apart, clean (including those hard to reach places)
If you want to make your own, be creative and experiment. Some stores sell attachments that connect to the mouth of upside-down plastic or glass bottles. What’s important is you pick one that you think will work best for your home and fill it with a solution that you can make yourself.
DIY hummingbird food mix:
one part white sugar to four parts water. Allow the water to boil for one minute and then add sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool thoroughly. Fill your feeder and store any excess in the fridge for up to three or four weeks
WARNING: DO NOT use honey, artificial sweeteners, food colouring as this can cause tongue fungus and adds chemicals to their diet
Keep feeders clean so your visitors don’t get sick from a build up of bacteria. Clean every three days — more often if temperatures are high or if it is in the sun. Although it may not look dirty this sugary solution can go bad very quickly, so clean regularly. Cleaning doesn’t have to take long — swish a long brush inside and rinse with hot water. If you use soap, be sure to rinse the container very well.
The feeder should also be either close enough to windows (less than 30 centimetres) so that hummingbirds don’t hurt themselves, or far enough away (1.8 metres) so that they won’t crash into them. Keep feeders away from busy areas with car or people traffic. If your feeder doesn’t have a perch, you may want to put it near a tree or shrub for perching and shade.
Hummingbirds are truly fascinating creatures. Their diminutive size, high energy, great agility and vibrant colouring make them wonderful visitors to any garden. A little bit of effort in providing some good hummingbird habitat features could help welcome them to your property.
“Listen to the hummingbird whose wings you cannot see. Listen to the hummingbird, don’t listen to me
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