Hummingbird Food Recipe

It is amazing to wake up early, grab my cup of coffee and sit outside to admire my hummingbirds! I had noticed one checking out our butterfly bush one day last week and made sure my feeder was out and filled with fresh nectar by the next day! But, of course, did I remember the ins and outs of making hummingbird nectar? Nope, yet again I was searching the web looking for that recipe! LOL! I found a great site! http://www.wildbirdshop.com/Birding/humfeed.html

This site explains the best types of feeders...stay away from the drip tube feeders, they will bring bees to your feeder which will fight with your hummingbirds. Always keep your feeder clean and filled with fresh nectar!

Recipe: (from the site mentioned above! Thank you www.wildbirdshop.com)
In nature, hummingbirds eat flower nectar for energy and bugs for protein. Flower nectar is 21% to 23% sucrose - regular table sugar - so it is very easy and inexpensive to make. Here is the recipe for making hummingbird nectar:

1. Mix 4 parts water to 1 part table sugar in a pan. For example, use 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water. Do not use honey, Jell-O or brown sugar. Especially do not use artificial sweeteners. Putting hummingbirds on a diet will kill them. They burn prodigious amounts of energy for their size and need real sugar. Do not use red food coloring. It is unnecessary and can harm the little hummers even in low concentrations because they eat so much nectar. If your feeder isn't red, tie a red ribbon on it as described in the Feeders section, above. Do not add anything else that you might think of. Just sugar and water, that's all.
2. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat. Stir it while it is heating until all of the sugar is dissolved. Don't boil it for long because that will change the ratio as water is boiled off. The reason for boiling is not to make syrup, but to drive out the chlorine in the water and to kill mold and yeast spores that might be in the sugar. This will help make the nectar last longer both in the feeder and in your refrigerator.
3. Cover and allow to cool before using or pouring into the storage bottle. We recommend making a large batch of nectar and storing it in the refrigerator in a 2 liter soda bottle (washed thoroughly first.) This makes refilling the feeder so easy that you won't mind doing it every few days.

Also they have a guide to go by when changing your nectar vs the temperature outside as not to get your hummingbirds sick! I have never seen this on a site before and am grateful for it! I am following their guidelines and now have 2 hummingbirds that visit us very frequently! They even make it difficult for me to try to change the food! LOL! I have to sneak their feeder away and fill it very quickly! LOL! I love it and so does my 5 year old!

High temperatures		Change nectar after
71-75		6 days
76-80		5 days
81-84		4 days
85-88		3 days
89-92		2 days
93+		change daily

Make sure to check out the site for more information about hummingbirds! (I had to pause to smile at my hummingbird! LOL!) Remember these are guidelines to follow, always check your nectar to make sure it looks ok as well!

Enjoy your hummingbirds! And Make it Your Life!

Live the life of your dreams and take the time to watch your hummingbirds! What amazing creatures!!!!!!!