Suppose you are a hummingbird enthusiast who eagerly waits for the entire year to watch this great migrator. In that case, it becomes necessary for you to arrange hummingbird nectar source in your yard to attract these birds to your destination. But the primary challenge remains in determining when to put out hummingbird feeders. The reason is that hummingbird season differs throughout the country and is affected by multiple aspects, such as climatic factors, weather patterns, and environmental conditions.
Here are distinct effective methods that you can use to evaluate the appropriate time of putting out homemade hummingbird feeders.
Hummingbird Season: Factors Affecting It
Any hummingbird watcher knows and can answer the question when do hummingbirds migrate south. Hummingbirds start their migration during the time of winter. But, predicting the arrival of hummingbirds is not an easy task, and it can vary every year depending upon certain circumstances. The average temperatures and latitudes of a place can make for either an early arrival or delay it by a few days. Based on such situations, you have to decide between putting out feeders. In addition to the hummingbirds’ seasonal habits, it is also essential for you to consider the, climate conditions, temperature of your location and birds’ migration patterns. Following are the factors affecting when the hummingbird season starts:
Geographic Location of the Region
Hungry hummingbirds roam for the entire year in different areas of South America and also in a few regions of southern and coastal areas in the United States and Mexico. For the remaining parts, you have to understand a couple of things before placing your best hummingbird feeder in the garden. The accurate time of their arrival can be known by obtaining information about their local population and movements in different conditions.
Temperature and Climatic Conditions
Both climate and temperature play an equal role in affecting the period of hummingbird season. Hummingbirds usually reach late to places that experience low temperatures and late spring. It is better to take out the feeder only when the weather begins to warm up.
On the other hand, warmer regions with mild climates are fit for hummingbirds, and they move to these areas in early spring. Therefore, in such regions, it is better to put out the feeder with the onset of spring. This is so that they can always have an incredible source of nectar while visiting this place.
Hummingbird Patterns of Migration
You can determine when to put out the feeders for hummingbirds by understanding their migration pattern. Sunlight affects hummingbird migration and helps gain essential information about their movements. Hummingbirds tend to increase their weight by up to 40 percent with seasonal changes in the sunlight. This excessive weight gain prepares them for long journeys and enables them to reach a location suitable for their living.
Sometimes they also require food between their trips and search for nectar sources to recharge their energy levels. If you provide them with fresh and clean feeders, they are likely to visit your yard. Also, it will make their migration successful as, in a few circumstances, the nectar isn’t available from flowers.
When to Put Out Hummingbird Feeders?
Hummingbirds move towards southern regions during winter and make a return trip in the earlier phases of spring. Even though the daytime temperature increases a little bit, nights remain cold, and often they have to face freezing conditions. This results in a lack of Hummingbird food as flowers are not blooming, and insect food is also scarce. Therefore, making the feeder available at that time can surely attract hummingbirds.
Setting up feeders earlier in spring can be the best time to put out hummingbird feeders. It is generally found that all hummingbirds don’t move at a similar time and depend mainly on the sun angle at their residing place. Another interesting fact is that male hummingbird, after migration, returns to their breeding spots a week before the female hummingbirds. Males must protect their territories located around different sources of food till the arrival of females. When females arrive at the spot, they search for males for the mating process. Within a few weeks, the young ones comes out of the hummingbird nest and joins their flying group.
At this particular time, the number of migrants suddenly increases, and you must also prepare homemade hummingbird food for them. They occupy a significant portion of the entire group and continue their trip till late summer and autumn. In normal circumstances, hummingbirds migrate to the Southern United States in early February and in late May to Canada.
Hence, it is advised that you should hang your hummingbird feeder with the best hummingbird food formula at least two weeks before you expect their entry to your place. You can also check hummingbird migration maps to keep track of their progress. It will give you enough time to prepare your feeder for the first group of migrants.
When to Take Down Hummingbird Feeders?
After gaining complete information about where to hang hummingbird feeders and when, it is also essential to know the timing of taking them down. There is no specific time for this purpose, as you can keep the feeder as long as hummingbirds continue to come towards it. The young ones keep making their presence known through the fall and are joined by northern migrants. So, you can keep your feeder up until no more hummingbirds reach your place. However, after two weeks of watching the last hummingbird, you can take your feeders down till the next hummingbird season.
Conclusion
A simple one-word answer to when to put out hummingbird feeders is as early as possible when the season begins. Waiting to see the first hummingbird and then setting up the feeder is an entirely wrong decision. The one way in attracting hummingbirds early is to put out the feeder way before their arriving time. The memory-retaining power of hummingbirds is impressive, and if you serve them once, they will continue to come upon your feeder every year. Lastly, it is crucial to replace spoiled nectar before their arrival by cleaning hummingbird feeders and present them with fresh homemade hummingbird nectar.