One person wonders about when to take down a hummingbird feeder while another wonders when to put one up. Plus, Hayward backyard feeder has a new visitor residents hadn’t seen before.
We have a hummingbird feeder in my backyard. When should I take it down?You can take the feeder down any time you want, but that doesn’t mean you have to do that.
Leaving a hummingbird feeder up during the winter doesn’t stop migrating birds from migrating, and it can provide an important supplemental source of food for the permanent residents who might have trouble finding blooming flowers and insects in the cold weather. I took down the feeder, still full, and replaced it with a fresh feeder, which is still full after several days. This has happened occasionally over the years. Any idea why they do this?Hummingbirds are a fickle lot, like pretty much all living beings. Most likely, they have found other sources of food and just aren’t interested in your feeder — for now, anyway.
There might also have been threats in your yard that were unnoticed by you, but enough to temporarily drive the hummers away, such as a visiting cat or a nearby hawk. Or perhaps the pair that normally dine in your yard are among the hummers that migrate south.