What type of glass feeders? I have the 32 oz. Opus feeders which are glass and they work well.

Could be that your birds are just used to the old feeders... give them some time.

Did you hang the feeders in the same place the drip feeders were?

One year I moved the feeder over three feet and the hummer kept hovering where it HAD been for awhile! Their internal GPS is amazing.

You know, the pretty new glass feeders they are selling now. Don't believe I saw any like these last year. They are a fairly new style to me anyway. Beaded glass of different shapes and colors with decorative glass flowers. Very very pretty.

Of course, the old bottle feeder type has hard plastic flowers / the glass flowers would feel different, maybe too different to their beaks.

Does anyone know which feeders I mean - the new really pretty fancy ornamental ones with glass fowers, long glass stems reaching way down into the bowl of the feeder.

I would really like to know if these actually work, since they are a new type feeder. Otherwise, why waste the sugar water - I'll just use them like ornaments.

I'm stumpted on this one - could use some suggestions! And I would like to know from folks who bought these new feeders if they have ever seen hummers drink from them.

Thanks!
Michele_1

I've had one like you describe, Michele_1, for about three years. I just finally saw a little guy drinking from it yesterday afternoon - and for quite awhile. It's in a different spot from my other feeders, which are all ornamental glass ones - all with a glass top and the tube hanging down. Their preference seems to change from week to week. I also have a decorative wine bottle (in the shape of a fish) with a stopper and tube, and they really like that one. Patience is the key, I think. They will find your new one eventually.

I never had much luck with drip feeders, but I had a rather assorted mix of the bottom reservoir type for years and switching from one to another never seemed to bother the hummers. And they really were different: Some had perches and others didn't, some had bee guards and others didn't. Sometimes I moved them a few feet or many, and that didn't seem to bother them.

Just to go out on a limb though, take a look at the new feeders to make sure the openings aren't blocked off or rough. Consider whether there are any other changes around the feeders (tall weeds, growing shrubs, increased human activity, noise, etc). Is it possible that sunlight is reflecting from the new feeders in disturbing ways? I would even clean them thoroughly, rinse them with vinegar, and rinse with distilled water a few times (just in case there is something in the reserviors).

When everything else seems right, look for odd stuff.

Hope your hummers adapt to te new feeders quickly!

N. MS zone 7

Thank you for your responses! It is odd, but my hummers do very much mind if I move my feeders, and they definitely have favorite feeders!

I do think these new glass feeders are beautiful, but impractical. The main problem is that I haven't seen any hummers drink from any of them. It's been six weeks since I put the feeders out, which should be long enough for them to give the feeders a try. The sun here heats these glass containers up far too much! The sugar water doesn't heat up in the plastic feeders nearly as much. I do have to put these new glass feeders in deep shade.

As far as cleaning them goes, I soak all my hummer feeders in a 10% clorox solution once a week for a couple of hours and rince thoroughly, and I rinse and refill feeders every other day. Sometimes daily. We've got 98 degree heat right now and I have to change the sugar water out daily.

We'll see. I'll keep you posted! Thanks!
Michele _1

Well it just figures: When I finally get around to posting a complaint about hummers not drinking from my new pretty feeders, then I see one drinking from it. I saw a hummer yesterday, drink from the new GREEN beaded glass feeder with red flowers! This morning I saw several females drinking from the GREEN beaded glass feeder with red flowers.

BUT not the new BLUE glass feeder with red flowers -- picky, picky, picky!

Thanks for your support!

I guess hummingbirds just like the feeders they are use to. I have a pretty hand blown glass feeder that the hummers ignore. They like the bottle feeders.

Richard

Hummers can get in a comfort zone to where expect their feeder to be the same kind in the same spot they are used too. Ive never bought any of the fancy flowered glass or hand blown deals. I have two glass feeders the opus 0455 and the perky pet 209 and they prefer those over the plastic feeders but they use all I have in my yard [9] Two years ago I had one window feeder plastic that had broken either by storm or hummers crashing into it. Anyway it was a day or two befor I replaced it and the hummers would land on the suction cup bracketts left for the broken feeder and look in the window at me like " wheres my feeder" Thats when I knew I better get er done.