I just hung my first two feeders, and any advice you all could give on what to expect would be greatly appreciated. My daughter just can't wait to see them!

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Laurie

Laurie, if you feed them they will come! I've had them all summer and they are such a joy to watch! They can get rather friendly and don't seem to be intimidated when you're around! One day I was out there and I had a baby Hummer no bigger than a bumblebee, what a "cutie"! It's was awesome! I just bought three more feeders yesterday because they had them marked down half-price! I couldn't pass it up a deal like that and would have brought more but that's all they had.

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"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"

Here is an article about hummers in ohio ohio hummers
You have mostly ruby throated hummingbirds but may see an occasional rufous. The rule of thumb is put out your feeders by mothers day in the spring and leave them up until at least columbus day in october. Since you are in the north a nectar feeder would freeze solid in the winter.
Any flowers you have nearby will help attract them in. Be sure to hang it within 10 feet or so of some sort of cover, ie bush or tree, so they have a safe place in case a predator shows up.
It is very important to keep your feeder clean. Change the nectar every 3 days in hot weather. In cooler weather every 5 days is ok. ONLY use 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water to make your nectar, or a commercially made mix. Never use artificial sweeteners or honey. That will kill them. There is no need for red dye in the food.

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Summer Camp '07, July 14th weekend, won't you join us?
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Hello Wrennie and All!!!

I am so glad to hear that the same hummingbirds will visit again and again!!! That is sooo cool!!!

Also, was wondering if my book is correct in saying that some hummingbirds (Anna's...as I mentioned in other post...) will NOT migrate South???

I had always heard before to take the feeder indoors in Winter...but recently, I read an article that said some hummingbirds die of starvation as "late" migrators or they do not migrate at all??? Just want to make sure I am not doing anything that could be potentially harmful by leaving the feeders up...but hate to think of them starving in Winter...we don't often have too much freeze, so the feeder would be an asset for them here? Do you know???

Just Wondering???
HOLLYHOCKGIRL

It is always best to leave your feeders out all year. A FEW individual birds do not migrate; something like two or three BIRDS per eastern state per Winter stay behind. The cold does NOT bother them but lack of nectar will kill them in a day or two. In 18 years of birding I have seen ONE Hummingbird in Winter. It was a male Rufous Hummingbird. Rufous and Annas Hummingbirds are the two Western Species that are MOST likely to winter over in the Eastern States. The only Hummer that occurs in the Eastern U.S. is the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, and they have NOT been known to Winter over. So if you're interested, leave at least one hummer feeder out all winter. The chances are you will NOT get ANY hummers, BUT YOU COULD!

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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.

Patty I'm in zone 5 and cant leave a hummer feeder out in winter. It doesnt take very long for nectar to freeze when its 5 below out.
I leave mine out till the beginning of November.
When I wrote that rule of thumb up there (mothers day to columbus day) that applies to the northeast. Like thorn said if youre where its warmer in winter a straggler could come through.

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Summer Camp '07, July 14th weekend, won't you join us?
summer camp thread 1, 2, 3,4