Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archives • PAUL ROEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

17164402397 6c1723d25d o - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **Orioles will soon be returning to our area. Placing a feeder out now will help attract them to your yard upon their arrival.**

In my last post, Good Birding Report: London, Ontario April 17-24, 2020, I mentioned the migration floodgates are about to open. Here in London, I typically see my first oriole and hummingbird by May 5 each year. Now is the perfect time to get your feeders up in anticipation of these birds returning. Having your feeder out when these species arrive will ensure they have nourishment to replace spent energy after their long migration north.

IMG 1258 Edit 2 Edit - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **Ruby-throated Hummingbird approaching a feeder.**

One of the easiest ways to provide nourishment and attract orioles and hummingbirds to your yard is with a nectar feeder. For both birds, a simple mixture of sugar and water is all you need to make food that will fill their hungry little bellies. In a pot on your stove mix four parts water to one part sugar (1 cup of water to 1/4 cup sugar) and bring it to a boil. Boiling helps dissolve the sugar while removing chlorine and other impurities from our tap water. Once the mixture has cooled simply fill your feeder. A larger batch can be made and stored in the fridge for 7 to 10 days if your feeders are quite busy.

IMG 1271 Edit 2 Edit - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **Red food colouring is potentially harmful to hummingbirds. Please note the glass on this feeder is red not the mixture of water and sugar inside.**

There are conflicting reports about whether red food colouring is harmful to birds. I do not use or recommend using red food colouring as anything potentially harmful to birds does not go in my feeders. The red color on the feeder itself is all that is required to attract plenty of hummingbirds. Orioles are typically attracted to the orange colour on the oriole feeders. That being said, both birds regularly visit feeders designed for the other species demonstrating that color isn’t that important so why bother with food colouring?

48527453946 547aa61e83 o - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **A cedar tree provides not only a windbreak at my feeder but also a place for the hummingbirds to perch en route.**

Properly placing your feeder will help ensure greater success. I like to position mine out of the wind and close to a nearby perch. A tree in the proximity of the feeder works great as orioles and hummingbirds will often land here first before moving on to the feeder. For hummingbirds, a small leafless or dead branch is best to accommodate their tiny bodies.

17680631798 563b8eb36b o - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **The vibrant orange plumage of the male Baltimore Oriole is a welcome sight in any yard.**

A shepherd’s hood works perfectly for hanging either an oriole or hummingbird feeder. Certainly with a sweet mixture of sugar and water you are also going to attract insects. Ants will readily climb the shepherd’s hook to get to the feeder and the nectar in it. Do not spray your hook with AntOut or Raid to kill the ants as orioles will gobble them up off the pole. Some feeders now feature a built-in ant moat or commercial ant moats are also available to hang over both oriole and hummingbird feeders. These moats are essentially reservoirs filled with water causing the ants to fall in and drown before reaching the feeder and are a much safer option than insecticides that will inadvertently harm the birds and beneficial insects.

IMG 1686 Edit Edit - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **A rather wet oriole after an early May downpour.**

Oranges are another great option for attracting orioles to your yard. These can either be cut in half or slices and skewered onto tree branches, shepherd’s hooks, or placed on deck railings. Like the sugar water, oranges too will attract insects so be mindful of where you place them. In my experience, squirrels also love oranges and the fresh fruit often disappears shortly after placing it outside.

IMG 1491 Edit Edit - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **Orioles readily eat insects and will naturally control pests in your yard. Insecticides are never a good idea as inadvertently poisoning birds and beneficial insects is a real possibility.**

Grape jelly is also popular with many homeowners for attracting orioles. Unfortunately, most of the grape jelly made for human consumption is sweetened with fructose or corn syrup and provides no nutritional value for birds. If you are going to offer jelly, make sure it contains no artificial sweeteners, colors, or flavours. BirdBerry Jelly is by far the best option; however, it is pricier. Given the challenges with getting groceries these days, sugar and water is the cheapest and easiest option for feeding orioles and hummingbirds.

44301291684 6e26f87081 o - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **Having areas near your feeder to perch will attract more hummingbirds to your yard.**

Tracking the migration of orioles and hummingbirds is easy thanks to the Journey North maps. Recent sightings for both species can be viewed on the maps while watching their progress each day.

17249796209 19919c4f71 o - Orioles And Hummingbirds Are On Their Way — **Orioles are on their way, be ready for their arrival by placing your feeders out now.**

If you haven’t already, get your oriole and hummingbird feeders out in anticipation of their arrival. Having them out when these birds return will provide nourishment to replace energy burned after their long migration north. With warm temperatures and south winds in the forecast, there is a good chance we could see orioles and hummingbirds by the end of the week, will you be ready?

Good birding,
Paul

* Please note this post contains Amazon affiliate links. You can help support my website by using the above links when you purchase products on Amazon (they send me a few bucks when you do at no additional cost to you). I only provide links to products I have purchased and am satisfied with based on my own experience. Thanks for your support!*

Subscribe To My Blog

9774833281 e80a94154f b - How To Attract The Beautiful Ruby-Throated Hummingbird To Your Backyard — Ruby-throated Hummingbirds return in early May to our area. Attracting these beautiful little birds to your backyard is easier than you may think.

Another beautiful migrant that makes its return to our area in early May is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Be on the lookout for this erratic, fast-flying, tiny bird as sightings have already been reported.

Hummingbirds can be found almost anywhere throughout the city from forest edges, open fields, stream sides, city parks, and backyards. They feed on nectar from flowers and also consume insects. Attracting these birds to your backyard is quite easy with the addition of the right flowers and a hummingbird feeder. It is said that hummingbirds prefer red and orange tubular flowers, but many common backyard garden plants will attract them. These consist of begonias, butterfly bush, clematis, lilac, and fuchsia to name a few. If you are looking to add native species to your garden to attract these tiny birds than Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), also know as Monarda or Bee Balm, are great choices. Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is an excellent addition to your garden. Not only is it a native flower that attracts Hummingbirds, but it is also one of the milkweeds that Monarch Butterfly caterpillars feed on. Adding this colourful orange flower will attract beautiful hummingbirds to your yard, and you’ll be helping save the Monarch Butterfly, a species of special concern in Ontario. For more on helping the Monarch Butterfly see my previous blog post here.

IMG 2504 1 - How To Attract The Beautiful Ruby-Throated Hummingbird To Your Backyard — Hummingbird feeders come in all shapes and sizes. They can be purchased inexpensively from your local independent bird feed retailer.

Hummingbirds feeders come in all shapes and sizes, and are made from different materials including glass and plastic. These along with commercial hummingbird food are available at your local neighborhood bird food retailer. These feeders are easily hung from trees, hooks on fences, or by adding a shepherd’s hook to your garden. Remember that these birds are small, so you are going to want to place the feeder within close sight where it can be easily viewed.

A cheaper alternative to buying commercial hummingbird food is to make your own using ordinary white sugar. Simply mix 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water in a pot on your stove. Bring to a boil while stirring the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and cover while it cools. Once the mixture has cooled, fill your feeder and place it outside. Many people add red food colouring to their hummingbird food to help attract the birds. Some food colouring has been known to be toxic to these small birds, so it it advised that you don’t add any colour or dye to the mixture. The bright colours on the feeder itself are all that is required to attract hummingbirds. Hummingbird food should be replaced frequently and the feeder washed to prevent mold and bacteria from growing that is harmful to the birds. Place the feeder out of the sun to keep the food fresh for longer.

With the late arrival of spring this year many flowers are behind when it comes to blooming, leaving very little nectar for hummingbirds to feed on. Adding a hummingbird feeder to your yard now will help these birds find food that is otherwise scarce.

Good birding,
Paul