Greetings! My pair come at regular intervals all day long. The feeder you have, is it old? Likely your nectar may be leaking out, not evaporating. My older Perky Pet Feeders seep beacuse the dishwasher warps the fittings. Gusty winds will also cause feeders to leak...

Thanks for replying, Matt :-)
It's a new feeder, and I had it filled only to a quarter of its height because I wasn't sure if any were feeding at it or not. I know I see them visit the petunias but it doesn't seem to be at any particular time of day.
We did have some stormy moments last week and over the weekend.
I filled the feeder up completely last night to see what happens.

My downy woodpeckers will feed at the hummingbird feeders as well! I had never seen that before this year.

Some hummingbirds are very shy and won't feed if people are looking out the windows at them, even if the feeder is a decent distance away. I have several feeders. Some will feed only 2 feet from my face at my kitchen window. The shy ones will empty the feeders in a day while I am away.

It might be that your hummers can't reach the level of the food with their beaks, if you only fill 1/4 full.

I had the hummer moment of the summer yesterday morning. I was standing at the kitchen table, walking back and forth getting stuff together to leave for the day. I noticed a flutter outside the slider door. A female hummer was repeatedly flying at the window, about knee height, and actually putting her beak into the screen. I saw her do this four times. I remembered that it was time to change the feeder and I had meant to do it the night before. I had seen a bird trying all the holes earlier in the morning but not perching. When I brought it in, the level was lower than a quarter inch. And, yuck, an ant had gotten into the food and drowned.

I use the flat HummZinger feeder which is so easy to clean and fill and has a great ant trap ;-). It has a fill line. We think we have 2 different females and one male, and they visit about every 10 minutes during some times of the day. They don't like us to be too close and if it's noisy in the house they won't perch.

I am amazed that bird could tell me she had a problem with the feeder!
Kathe

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummzinger Feeders

Hi All

This is our second summer in Minoa NY just outside of Syracuse. The area is considered a flood plain. We've been blessed with an almost mosquito free backyard so far this year. As a result it has affored us the opportunity to sit nightly on the deck and watch for as long as 2 hours, (up 'til dark) in order to observe these truly magnificent birds. I had never see a RT male until this summer.

Since I'm a novice at hummer watching I don't know how many we have coming to our single feeder. As pretty in color the males can be, I find the ( I think a single) female to be more attractive. She's a little leary of us but sits so straight up on the feeder it reminds me of some sort of Royalty. You know the way some Victorian Queens are with thier backs straight and nose in the air thing. She always comes from the same direction so I think she's the lone female.

The males, that's another story. I think I have as many as 4, determined by their different antics. One is a real thorn in the side to others. Not afraid of anything and has come to within 2 feet of my face, stares me down momentarily and then goes to the feeder. He sits for the longest time then flies to an open area in a maple 10' away and perches. He sits, and sits and sits, and preens and preens and preens. He's on the lookout and anything that comes near the flowers or feeder is chased away. I've watched in amazemant 2 or 3, 30 second air battles take place in our open yard. The others that come have to get to the feeder before Mr. Toughguy comes around. Those that do don't tend to sit long and we have one that is a hide and seek sort of guy. He goes to the other side of the bottle, doesn't perch then drinks looks around the side of the bottle to see if we're still there and continues the same pattern time after time.

Any chance that I might get to see a Junior soon?

As far as being mosquito free (this year as opposed to last), I think it's somewhat attributed to taking down 11 overgrown Spruce trees and letting the sunshine (in) as in let the "Sunshine In", ( a great 70's tune, don't you agree?). The trees overwhelmed our backyard. I think it gave a more open flight area for the hummers.

I use a sugar water 4 to 1 mix and the Wegmans brand as I think Matt suggested. I change the mixture or fill every three or four days and wash the container well. I fill the container not more than about a quarter of a bottle and watch to make sure it doesn't go empty.

I find my hummers are early morning just after daybreak 'til about 08:00 and then come at night. I'm assuming they feed on insects and nectar during the day.

Jim

this year we had a mated pair of cardinals nest in our climbing rose near the hummer feeders & their young come back several times thru the day & feed on the nectar. first time i've evere witnessed this.

Here is a link that might be useful: our backyard

Well, it's confirmed! :-)
I definitely do have at least one hummingbird feeding at the feeder. He has gone through one full feeder since I last posted and we filled it up again today.
I don't know much about them, but as they visit more and I read up about them, hopefully I'll be able to learn more. I'll just keep the feeders full.
I've also had some rather colorful butterflies here. One was black with wings that looked pleated, and a light blue line following the pattern of the wing about 1/8th to 1/4 of an inch above the edge. The other was an offwhite color with burnt orange, black, and light blue "eyes" on the wing.

SORRY!

I meant to say Domino Pure Cane Sugar and not the 4 to 1 mix of Wegmans brand as I said Matt suggested. I was using Wegmans brand before it was pointed out, I think by Matt that it was made from beets.

Apology Jim

I have lots of hummers mostly due to the trumpet vine in the backyard.
The vine is two stories high and nearly the width of the entire back of the house. The hummers use the second floor clothes line as a perch. So I get lots of upclose looks at them and they of me.
It's not unusual to see three or four of them buzzing about at any given time.

I usually get four or five hummers and put up feeders in several locations since they are very territorial birds and won't let another hummer at 'their' feeder. They feed mostly in the early morning and late in the evening - getting their energy for the day and then filling up for the long night ahead. There is plenty of stuff out in the garden for them - lots of monarda, salvia, honeysuckle and especially the wild impatiens which they love. I pull it out of the flower beds but it takes over the swamp at this time of year.
I use a much heavier syrup - about equal parts of sugar and water. My feeder holds a pint and a heavier syrup doesn't spoil as fast. Must be OK because I've had hummers coming back year after year.