Nectar Recipes and Water for Hummingbirds

I’ve had numerous inquiries about the best ratio to mix homemade hummingbird nectar, someone read an article stating that the birds liked a mixture of 1 part sugar and one part water as opposed to the recommended 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. I had been joking about it being “too thick to pour” or “hummingbirds wouldn’t be able to eat it because they don’t have teeth”, but the with the number of people using this extra strong mixture I thought I should take a more serious look.

I wanted to search published material from reputable sources because, as Justin Halpern’s Dad says, “Internet don’t count.” This is where I’ll see if my wife actually reads my column like she says, I spent over $200 on magazine subscriptions and memberships so I could search back issues, newsletters and journals on line. Everyone agrees, 1 sugar to 3 water in the spring when it’s cool and wet, 1 sugar to 4 water when it’s warmer and dryer. Never stronger as it could cause dehydration in warm weather, depending on the availability of fresh water for drinking.

I found plenty of reference on the right way to mix nectar, but nothing that spoke directly to the issue of the over strength nectar. So I finally gave up my solo search and contacted the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in New York, and it turns out Laura Erickson, the science editor, had recently responded to the article. She basically said in her response, the study didn’t consider hummingbird health, long or short term but simply stated hummingbirds preferred the sweeter nectar. (Well, no surprise there, most people I know are the same.)

There is plenty of research into maintaining healthy hummers in captivity but no qualified researchers have tracked individual hummingbirds long term to determine the effects of feeding the extra strong mixture.

I couldn’t find the study she was speaking of, I expect it was quickly deleted after getting chastised by Cornell.

So why not just keep with what is tried and true, the good old 1:4, it’s been used in feeders for years and has been fed long term to hummingbirds in captivity with good results. If the only reason to feed the concentrated nectar is to attract more birds than you neighbour, you should really ask yourself why you feed the birds in the first place. One of the few things I remember from school comes to mind, “First, do no harm”, I think that really applies to bird feeding. (And see Mom, school wasn’t a total waste of money.)

Without human “help” (or interference), the hummingbird’s main source of fresh water would have come from drinking natural nectar, which is about the same concentration as the 1:4 sugar mixture. If extra water is required, the hummers usually drink dew or rain drops clinging to leaves, the birds who fed on the strong mix were frequently noted drinking fresh water, even to the point of going to the ground to drink from puddles. (“I’m thirsty and I don’t know why!”)

On the subject of hummingbird drinking water...a few weeks ago I mentioned ordering a mister that attaches to my hose and sprays a fine mist, hummers are supposed to frolic through the mist bathing and drinking on the wing. If it’s placed near leafy plants the hummers can drink and bath from the leaves as well. Ahhh, bathing and drinking, drinking and bathing, it’s a hummingbird spa. It arrived and I easily attached it to the end of the hose and hung it on a hanger near the kitchen window. I went inside, got my camera, made a coffee and got ready. I waited, drank the coffee, checked e-mail, phoned my wife, went through the snail mail, made lunch and ate it over the sink, checked the directions again, gave up and went back to work.

If the birds are enjoying the drinking and the bathing they’re doing it deep within the honeysuckle bush I have it spraying on. It wasn’t a waste of money though, other species are getting plenty of enjoyment, the hostas are thriving, my son thinks it’s great, the dogs who bolt at the first sign of the hose or a squirt gun lay under it and drink from it when I hang it low. I too have found a use, on the hottest day to date, I had to spread a dump truck load of tailings, I set the mister up where I was loading the wheel barrow and got some relief while shoveling.

Maybe that’s the trouble, I probably need a second mister, one for family use and one for the hummers.

We found another benefit not mentioned on the advertising, window strikes on that side of the house are down about 99%, minerals from our water condense on the windows eliminating the reflections that cause birds to crash. I’m fine with that, my wife, not so much.