Shade, sun? It doesn't matter, shade works just fine here. But I would separate it some from the other bird feeders. Ten feet should be ok. The finches here tend to scare my hummers away when they are close to the hummer feeders. I would place at least one in a conspicous spot that they can see from all over your yard. And then locate some as close as you can to where you can sit relax and enjoy them. Good luck with your hummer season.

Interesting Steve! I don't feed the regular birds, but I do have a bath not far from the hummingbird feeders and it is quite popular, plus I have a lot of birds looking for food in the grass. I wonder if they are scaring away the hummers.

Ken

Your baths are fine. I have one large bath centerized [is that a word] in my main flower garden maybe only 5 or 6 ft from my window feeders and another bath not that far from it.

Great info. and thanks for the responses. I think the hummers might need a bit of space becuase I actually get birds as big as doves in my feeder. I will figure out a better spot for the pretty hummbers. I am glad they won't mind the shade.
I have never had a birdbath. Are they hard to keep up? Do they end up with lots of poopy on them? Maybe I will try one of those too.

Please please please put your hummingbird feeders in the SHADE! Would you want to drink sugar water that was hanging in the sun for a few days? It spoils so fast in the sun, I will never understand why people don't think about this?! My Feeders are within 20 feet of the bird feeders and birdbath, never a problem. GOOD LUCK and please pass the word around to keep feeders in the shade.

Yesterday I was staring out my window while on the phone with a friend and I saw a hummer!! I had an old feeder that I packed up when I moved and hadn't unpacked. Within 2 hours I had the hot soapy water washed and well rinsed feeder out and filled with about 1/2 cup of freshly boiled and cooled sugar water.

The hummer zipped to a spent pink coreopsis. There were other fresh flowers all around but she (I think it was a she as it was dull colored) didn't seem to notice the rest. They ranged from bachelor's buttons to hostas, hydrangeas, lavender, marshmallow and something that looks like a morning glory but it blooms on a tall stem with multiple blooms. There are plenty of purple bee balms at the other end of my patio too.

Why would she go to the spent flower and not the others? Will she come back or was that the one opportunity I had that she was checking out the garden and found it lacking?

and of course I forgot the reason I was posting a reply here!! I was posting my question here because of course I set up the feeder near the flower area she was checking out. It gets morning shade, afternoon sun and then it's in the shade again from about 4:30pm on. I plan to change out the water every other day regardless of whether or not it looks clear and clean. Better safe than sorry I say!

Should I have placed the feeder somewhere else since maybe she didn't like this spot?

The flowers you listed may not provide the nectar she was looking for and that may be why she ignored them. I have never seen a hummer go to hydrangeas or bachelor buttons but they will occasionally use hostas and some lavenders but they aren't there favorite plants.

It is actually best to hang a feeder in shade than in sun. When I first moved into our current house, my back and front yard were both heavily shaded by red maple trees. I hung the feeders beneath those trees.

Penny

I have two feeders, one in back and one in the front yard. The one in the front yard (a HummZinger)is in a crabapple tree, in shade, about 3 feet away from a mixed seed feeder and a peanut feeder at the present time. The feeders are where they are so I can watch the birds through the kitchen window while I do dishes. The hummers use the front feeder regularly regardless if there are birds using the seed/peanut feeders. However, what they really love is the 2 oz. mini tube feeder that hangs in the back (the kind that is supposed to go in a potted plant), in afternoon sun, out in the open, off of my deck. That one gets constant action and keeps me busy filling it. I am considering buying another HummZinger for the back yard just so I don't have to fill the little one multiple times a day! Perhaps the reason they like it so much is because the nectar is always fresh! Don't know how the fact that it hangs by itself, away from other feeders, influences the birds' decision to use it so much. I may just have to do an experiment and switch the two feeders, and see if that makes a difference as to how much "action" each one gets, but I kind of hate to mess with success!
Lois

The two feeders that get used the most here are on my back porch and they get shade up untill about 3pm , but the odd thing is the heaviest feeding action on those feeders is when its in the sun, dont figure. I think those two feeders get better action because it is more secluded and higher up. Up untill now my window feeders have gotten only minimal action, but I suppose that wont matter once migration gets into full swing. I know that some of my adult males have already left on their journey south.

Steve, you're in a Zone 6 like I am. Possibly this one was migrating and just stopped here for those precious few seconds that I saw it? Oh I hope not. I would feel horribly guilty that I had nothing for it.

I do hope others along the way will make up for my lacking garden.

Will have to keep putting out sustenance for others traveling south already.

I saw 1st one today on my Honey Suckle. :) going to hang a feeder now.

dawn-french, this is a perfect time to put up a feeder. You will likely get customers within a few days.