If you enjoy inviting feathered friends to your yard, now is the time to get your feeder cleaned up and outside!

Helping Our Local Pollinators

Last year, I got my first hummingbird feeder, and I've loved getting to fill it with sugar water and watching for my little feathered friends to stop by. There's just something so cool about seeing these tiny creatures up close. As a bonus, hummingbirds are pollinators, so anything I can do to help pollinators, I am here for it! And if you want to help out local hummingbirds and invite them to your yard, now is the time to get your feeder cleaned up and back outside!

Photo by Sydney Herron on Unsplash

The Hummingbird Migration

According to Hummingbird Central, which tracks the migration of these small birds every year, many hummingbirds spend the winter months in Central America or Mexico, then migrate north for the warmer months. They typically track the migration from January through May every year, and it's really neat to watch the map fill with hummingbirds.

Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash

I decided to check the map today (April 14th) to see if it was time to put my feeder out, and it looks like I'm a little behind this year because hummingbirds are already in Southern Indiana! According to the map from Hummingbird Central, hummingbirds have already been spotted in the Evansville, Indiana area and as far north as Indianapolis. Northern Kentucky has also seen its fair share of hummingbird sightings this year!

If you want to keep an eye on hummingbird migration, you can check the map out here. You can put out a feeder at any time in the season, but you may catch a glimpse of more hummingbirds when you put your feeder out early.

Photo by Lewis Meyers on Unsplash

Use ONLY Water and White Sugar To Feed Hummingbirds

If you decide you want to put out a hummingbird feeder this year, that's great! There are a few things you need to know, though. It can be tempting to grab the red-dyed nectar you see at the store and dump it in your feeder, but that isn't good for the birds.

Get our free mobile app

According to HummingbirdSociety.org, the only things you should put in a hummingbird feeder are white cane sugar and water. That's it. No red dyes are needed, no organic sugar, no brown sugar. ONLY plain white cane sugar and water.

Canva

The appropriate mixture is

1 cup of white cane sugar
4 cups of spring water

Just heat it up until the sugar is fully dissolved. It is recommended that you change the mixture every 4-5 days or more if it's really hot outside and also when you notice the feeder becoming cloudy. It is also recommended to wash the feeder every time you change out the mixture. This can help keep hummingbirds healthy.

LOOK: Food and drink items that are highly restricted or banned in the U.S.

Stacker explores snacks and other food items banned in the U.S. From tasty cheeses to the famed Scottish dish haggis, these 30 foods aren't welcome in most of the United States.

Gallery Credit: Stacker