Hummingbird Feeder

Hummingbirds are a delightful visitor to any flower bed or garden patio. These small creatures are always busy looking for nectar and they love to travel around. When a hummingbird finds a reliable place where there will be a treat waiting for them, they will return again and again-even the next spring and summer!   

These cute birds are always a pleasure to watch, and with your own homemade hummingbird feeder you can delight in their presence daily. 

 
What you will need:

*Small red or red colored bottles. 
Crafting wire 
Water 
Sugar 


*Note: The color red is what attracts the hummingbirds to feeders. Many of the hummingbird feeders that you see in retail stores come with “nectar” which is red in color. With this craft the red color of the bottles is going to attract your hummingbirds. You can make your own homemade nectar and save bundles! 

 
To get started: 

Choose the bottle(s) you want to use as your feeder. Be sure that the bottle(s) you choose has a large enough opening at the top for the hummingbird to get his beak into. Most any home decor or crafting store stocks these small decorative glass bottles. 

1) Cut a long enough piece of crafting wire to securely hang the bottle. You will want to be sure the wire is also long enough the hang the feeder in your designated hummingbird feeding area. Wrap the wire securely around the lip of the bottle. You make want to secure the wire with a small dab of hot glue or superglue depending on the weight of the bottle. 

2) Once you have securely connected the wire to the bottle, mix up the nectar. Combine 4 parts water and 1 part sugar. These birds love sweet nectar. 

3) Pour your nectar mix into the bottle and hang in a visible area, preferably at eye level. That’s it! You can make a large quantity of nectar and store in a bottle, periodically filling the feeder back to the top. I would recommend emptying the feeder, rinsing it with water and refilling it approximately 2 to 3 times a month. And be on the lookout for ants! If you find that ants are hanging around you may want to move the location of your feeder. 

Note: Hummingbirds are very timid. It may take a few weeks or more for these little creatures to discover your feeder, so don’t fret. If you won pets you may want to hang the feeder in an area where you pets will not be. The presence of animals paired with noise will prevent the birds from visiting.

  
Hummingbird Nectar Mix:
(You can make changes according to the size of your bottle.)

1 cup of water
1/4 cup of sugar
Mix Well.

It’s that simple! 

  
Additional Tips for your Hummingbird Feeder:

Make a collection of hummingbird feeders and hang in a cluster from a tree. You can hang the bottles at varying heights from the tree limbs and the sun shining through the colored glass is beautiful.

Use a “shepard’s hook”, which can be purchased at your local home and garden store, to hang your feeder from.

Hang the feeder from a hook on your patio in front of a window. You will be able to watch the hummingbirds even closer!