Having trouble attracting hummers to my 3rd story window

15 years ago

Hi,

I recently bought a glass hummingbird feeder that is shaped somewhat like an upside-down cone with the feeding tube on top. I placed it outside my window, which is on the second story of my building (though closer to three stories from the ground outside, as we have a dug-out garage area immediately beneath my window(, and even though the glass is an emerald green and the feeder opening is red, I attached some colorful fake flowers to it to attract the birds. So far, I haven't seen any, which is discouraging. I bought some bright red and yellow bows (like, for gift-wrapping) and am hoping they will draw more attention.

My concern is that the feeder is too high for the hummingbirds to find it/want to go to it. There are tall trees around, but the feeder itself doesn't protrude very far from the window. I live in Berkeley, California and haven't seen many (or any) hummingbirds around, though I live at the base of the hills and it is very green around here. Is it because it's winter? What am I doing wrong? Any help would be appreciated...

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

mbuckmaster
15 years ago
I'm in NC and we have no hummers here yet. You west coast lucksters get them year-round, but there aren't as many in the winter, so that's part of the issue. The other issue is the one we all deal with at first: patience! It's tough to wait for hummers to find a new feeder. It can take a few days, or even several weeks to months. The height shouldn't be an issue, I don't think...I routinely see hummers perch 50-70' up on the tulip poplars in my back yard.

It sounds like you're doing everything right...keep changing the nectar every 2-3 days to keep it fresh and one morning you'll look out and have that rush we all felt when we got our first customer...one of the best feelings in the world! Good luck to you!
hummersteve
15 years ago
Hi in San Fran

I know that third story is not a problem , there is a member on here who lives in a highrise in s.e.Pa and she gets them way up there in the city. Sometimes it takes a while to get them coming at first even in your climate but when it gets warmer you should start seeing them. But I dont know about the kind of feeder you are using, especially if you start getting several hummers. I prefer the simple cheaper ones that are easy to change and clean with multiple feeding ports.

Also Im attaching a link to video that show what IM speaking about. We only get the rubythroat hummers here in the east, but I have been lucky to attract quite a few in my rural area. On my back porch I have two glass feeders and a plastic one, up from only one glass on the back porch the year before and you will see why. I have evening feeding scenes like this all of july and august.

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Here is a link that might be useful: evening feeding time
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miyuki6
15 years ago
I've had feeders in various places, buildings and cities. I've been able to attract hummingbirds to feeders in less than a week and up to 6 months. It's worth the labor and keeping the feeders cleaned and full of fresh nectar. Tying red ribbons, dying the nectar pink/red or having red flowers grow nearby help but does not seem to hasten the result. Hummers are exploratory and they will find your feeders eventually. I don't have to tell you that it's all worth it.
mbuckmaster
15 years ago
Dying the nectar red or pink will not really attract hummingbirds any more quickly, and might even be bad for them. They're attracted to the red feeding ports and base. The ribbons might help, but it's really just a matter of patience...that's the tough part! But miyuki is right--it's worth the wait!