Bats are possible (you almost definitely have them on a lake!), but the more likely culprits are raccoons. Try to hang the feeder in a way they can't get to it, such as hanging from shepherd's hook or dangling far down from a tree limb. Even then, it may take some experimentation before you find the right cure to the issue. If all else fails, you can try just filling the feeders in the morning...a pain to do every day, but your hummers won't be able to complain about the freshness!

I have the same issue but attribute it to late evening and early morning hummers that are drinking the feeders dry. I don't have any sugarwater on the ground, which would indicate a racoon tipping one over to drink it. Years ago the neighbors labrador retriever was standing on his hind legs and yanking it down. There again, it was found lying on the ground and when I moved it higher he would sit under it and bark at it. :0)

If you are getting up fairly early to ck those feeders and they are dry then, I also have to blame the bats. Luckily I have no bats or have not seen them and have never had the feeders drained on early morn. I have heard of people in arizona have bat problems to the extent they just take their feeders inside at night and back out in early morn. You do what you have to do.

We've been having the same problem with empty feeders and we are sure that it's not because we have an over abundance of hummers. Several times both feeders have been emptied by morning, the feeders have been knocked down several times, and once the bottom of one was even unscrewed (not broken). Because the feeders were never broken, we ruled out a bear. When the feeders were emptied there was no sign of any feed on the ground. We've come to the conclusion that the bats are enjoying a feast of sugar water or the neighborhood kids are out roaming in the we hours of the morning.

We have two feeders on planters hooks and once in a while, a squirrel will swing the feeders back and forth and let the sugar water fall on the ground and then run down and drink it.

My vote is raccoons, as this has happened to one of my feeders that hung on a lamp post. The other feeders were not "climbable" and were never touched. Bats could have easily drank from them, but the level of sugar water never changed overnight on them.
The muddy marks on the black post, and the yellow flowers the ground at times, led me to think raccoons liked sugar water also.

Do you have a hand held video camera? I'd set it up on a tripod night mode and let it run as long as possible. Well, as long as it wasn't supposed to rain, LOL. I have loads of raccoons, and never had a problem with my hummer feeders [knocking wood]...

Bats! I've seen them on the feeders at night and then the next morning I find a dry feeder. I started bringing in the feeders at sunset and hanging them at sunrise.

I'm wondering why everyone considers bats at their feeders to be a problem. Many species of bats are endangered and they are a huge benefit to the environment. If they are drinking from your feeder as well, I would consider it a plus. The risks from bats would be less then the other animals stated. With the heat I have to refill my feeders very often anyway, might as well let the bats get it then dump it out.

Granted, bats are my passion (see my username) but for good reason as far as I'm concerned. :)

Just thought I would add a couple links

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/150134 (this one points out there is no risk to the hummingbirds)

This one has cool pictures:
http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2006/10/11/tucsons-hummingbird-feeder-bats/

Here is a link that might be useful: the first one

batty,
I'm glad to see another bat fan. Each year I get at least one or two in the house due to no AC & leaving the door to the basement open to let in the cool air. This year I had a first-a bat decided to roost in the dining room! There was a small tear where the wallpaper meets near the ceiling & there he/she hung apparently quite comfortable. That eve I closed the door to basement, turned out all lights inside & opened the front door. Turned on the porch light & within 20 minutes of nightfall he/she was gone. I have one of those bat houses on the back of the house (2 story) but have had no takers. Obviously they live somewhere close but over the years I see fewer and fewer. I have not noticed them using my hummer feeders but they are welcome to do so. I don't begrudge any wildlife although I try to bring suet in at night or the raccoons take the holders as well. I have a mental picture of raccoon dens decorated with green & black suet cages as I've had at least 8 or 9 go missing over the years. I don't know much about bats but believe what I have are small brown bats. I live in East Tennessee.
Susan

Anytime I have found feeders on the ground it was racoons. I am not familiar with bats eating sugar water, my bats eat insects. Is this southern thing?

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure bats drink from & pollinate some night blooming flowers-especially in the tropics. I saw it on Discovery Channel or some such. Here in East Tennessee it is so dry I see chickadees & titmice (mouses?) drink from the ant moat on my hummerfeeders. I tried one of those stone look alike dripper types from Duncraft but the raccoons wouldn't leave it alone so I gave up the dripper/hose connection & just fill it.
Susan

Raccoons will pick up a hummingbird feeder (or an oriole feeder) and drink out of it like a cup. Though they usually won't put it back on the hook. Usually they drop it on the ground and sometimes they break 'em.

My mother has to bring all of her feeders in each night or the raccoons break them. I'd much rather have bats emptying them, because at least they aren't breaking them.

We love our bats, they really keep our skeeter population in check. Though the bats in our area havent' discovered our hummer feeders yet...thankfully.

We have a downy woodpecker that comes to the feeder just outside our window. I think it is only one individual but I have never seen this before, has anyone else? He will stay there for quite a while and enjoy himself.

We also had a downy woodpecker last year. he started as a juvenile and stayed all summer. My sister in law who is an avid birder never heard of such a thing, but we have pictures to prove it.

I have a racoon problem here. I use an electric fence sometimes and a live trap other times. One ripped open a sealed deer repellant and carried it a ways before dropping it. Flying squirrels would drain my feeders when I lived on the lake.

Same problem, empty feeders in the morning. We live on a reservoir in Indianapolis and do have bats. I thought it might be raccoons or squirrels, but the one feeder is on a very high hook and neither could reach that. We have never had this problem. The little stick in tubelike feeders last about 3 days, I have seen an increase in Hummingbirds though. If somebody could take a night time motion video we could all see what we have.

Hi all, was just looking @ the posts here for info on bats/hummer feeders. I'm a fellow bat lover & have them here in MN starting late May-late Oct. when they go south to migrate. They hang in a space outside our screen porch, but we can see them as there is a small section of screen on opposite side looking in. We have racoon troubles also but recently have had just one particular hummer feeder cleanly emptied each nite. I have 7 feeders but this hummzinger is the only one emptied with no mess each nite. I welcome my bat friends & hummer friends! Don't care for the racoons as much, as they are very messy & have destroyed suet cages, feeders of all sorts& tore screens.

Here at the shoreline of Connecticut we have both bats and flying squirrels. Our hummer feeder gets emptied every night with no spills on the ground and no damage to the feeder. Our bats are the Little Brown Bats. They are very small. The three bat houses we have spotted around the property have never been used by anything except wasps.
We too have seen a downy woodpecker drinking the syrup as has a friend down street 1/2 mile away. They must have a sweet beak!

I have been finding my feeders in parts on the ground and some on my deck. How far can a raccoon reach? Some of mine are at least 2 feet from the deck.

Bats sure do a job on skeeties but as far as I know I havent seen any bats here and I sit out after dark a lot. Although we do have a large community pond near. Also I have not found my feeders dry in the morn. I do wish I did have bats to help keep the insect population down.