Attract hummingbirds and orioles with nectars, jellies and fruits.
Striking orange and black orioles and jeweled hummingbirds are colorful additions to any backyard bird display. Cater to their sweet-tooth and they can become a regular addition to yours. Try these tips:
To attract orioles:
- Cut oranges in half. Place them on platform feeders, railings, a spiked feeder or set them in a dish feeder.
- Spoon jelly into a dish or saucer, or into special ports in an oriole feeder. Grape jelly is a particular favorite with some.
- Place mealworms in a dish feeder. They tend to switch to an insect diet soon after returning from winter migration.
- Fill orange colored oriole feeders with sugar water.
To attract hummingbirds:
- Plant a variety of trumpet-shaped flowers and bold-colored blooms.
- Red-colored concentrates and mixes contain safe colorings, but don’t add food coloring to hummingbird nectar. it can be harmful.
- Hang feeders in a shady spot, about 4 feet from the ground, out of the reach of predators.
- Space a few feeders around the yard. Hummingbirds can be territorial.
- Keep nectar fresh. Change it every 4-5 days. Every 2-3 days in hot weather.
- Clean the feeder at least once a month. Use a cleaner made for hummingbird feeders, or a solution of 1 part bleach with 9 parts water. Rinse well.
- Concentrated or powdered nectar dissolves easily in water right in the feeder. Look for a variety that prevents lumping.
- If you make your own nectar, use pure white cane sugar only. Dissolve 1 part sugar in 4 parts boiling water. Refrigerate up to two weeks. Don’t add food coloring, honey, brown sugar, unrefined sugar or synthetic sugar. They can harm hummingbirds.
- Choose a feeder with an ant cup or moat on the top of the feeder. Ants are reluctant to cross the water to get to the nectar.
Source: tips.acehardware.com