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Hummingbird Feeder Recipe

Puja Lalwani
The hummingbird feeder recipe is easy to prepare, and is a much healthier option than the instant mixes available in stores. Here's how you can go about the process and attract these humming beauties into your garden.
Birdwatching enthusiasts love the beauty that hummingbirds bring into the garden. It is to enjoy this beauty on a regular basis that a lot of people put up hummingbird feeders in their gardens. The nectar that hummingbirds enjoy is found in flowers.
However, if you wish to attract more of these wonderful birds to your garden, then you may prepare a hummingbird nectar recipe and invite these birds to your garden. The method is very quick and simple, and just by keeping a few tips in mind, you can easily give hummingbirds a delicious treat yourself.

Recipe for Hummingbird Nectar

A lot of instant hummingbird food mixtures are available in pet stores. However, not all of these are healthy for hummingbirds, particularly if they contain a red dye.
Hummingbirds are known to be attracted to the color red more than others, which is why these mixtures contain the dye; but this dye can be very harmful for these birds as it is toxic when consumed in large amounts. This is why it is safest to prepare a hummingbird feeder at home rather than buying it outside.
The process is so simple that you will never consider buying the mix from outside. It is also known to taste like the nectar that is found in flowers that hummingbirds enjoy. Take a look at what needs to be done to prepare it.
  • Keep 4 parts water and 1 part sugar at hand. For instance, you could take 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar.
  • Mix the two in a saucepan and bring the solution to a boil.
  • Allow it to cool. Once cool, pour it in the hummingbird feeder. It can now be enjoyed by the hummingbirds.
Now it may be very easy to prepare this nectar, but there are a lot of important things you should keep in mind when feeding hummingbirds.
Only Tap Water: The water you use to prepare the nectar should be tap water. Do not use distilled water as a lot of important nutrients are lost out in the process; nutrients that are essential to keep the birds healthy.
Clean Sugar and Only Sugar: Ensure that the sugar you use is also clean. Sugar is what keeps the birds so active and humming, which is why it is important that it is clean. Do not overdo the sugar and follow the aforementioned ratio when making the aforementioned recipe. A lot of people tend to substitute the sugar for honey or molasses.
However, that is not such a great idea, and white table sugar is perfect to create the solution. Honey is known to ferment easily and can spoil the nectar quicker than necessary, which can prove harmful to the birds.
Amount of Nectar: It is also important to remember the amount you put in the feeder. The amount of the nectar should be no more than enough to last for two days. Else the nectar can start developing mold and prove harmful for the birds.
Feeder Cleanliness: Apart from ensuring that the hummingbird nectar is not contaminated, it is also important to ensure that the feeder you put it in is clean. An unclean feeder is as dangerous as contaminated nectar. Clean the feeder every time you change the nectar.
If the nectar appears cloudy do not allow the birds to drink it, no matter how recently you have prepared it. Clean the feeders with hot water and a minimal amount of vinegar to clean out any mold and keep the feeder fresh. Make sure that the smell of vinegar does not linger when you pour in the nectar.
Feeder Color: Place the nectar in red feeders to attract more hummingbirds. If you want more of these birds to grace your garden, place multiple feeders at different levels out there, as some birds prefer to find their food lower while others prefer to find it higher.
Preparing hummingbird nectar is indeed very easy, as is maintaining the feeders to keep the birds coming. Keep this recipe at hand and you will find that your garden is graced with the bounty of numerous, gorgeous hummingbirds.