When to put the hummingbird feeder up? This question is well debated. Some suggest that if you are willing to maintain the feeder, leave it up all year. There is a common belief that if you leave your feeder up all year, it will prevent birds from migrating. This is not true. Hummers have an internal calling to migrate, which may be related to the length of daylight. Hummingbirds not only feed on nectar but also small insects.
You can choose to put up your feeder when you start seeing hummers around your plants. According to The Texas Ornithological Society Handbook of Texas Birds, Black-chinned hummingbirds will start migrating through the end of February while Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are somewhat later, arriving the middle of March. You can check out the Ruby-throated Migration Map to see when the birds started arriving in 2016. In a few weeks the site will start a map for 2017. Whenever you plan to put up your hummingbird feeder, remember, maintaining them is the key! Information provided by Cinda Crosley, one of Travis Audubon’s Ask-a-Birder Experts.
