If you are among those who enjoy feeding hummingbirds but think the time for that has past, you need to know that the little guys are around again, and would appreciate some nourishment as they prepare for their southern migration.  Each hummingbird stays until it has enough fat reserves to continue its migration south. Depending on the resources here and how much it needed to add to its weight, that could take from just a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Once the weight is reached they wait for favorable migrating conditions, which usually means a dry day with north or north-east wind. That is why we often see a very marked drop in hummingbird numbers right after a front.

You might expect to see some hummingbirds in our area until November, but there are a very few hummingbirds that spend the winter here in our area. Local birder, Petra Hockey, leaves her feeders up all through the winter and usually has one to three birds visiting them regularly. Throughout the years she has had many interesting and unusual species visit her yard in the winter months. “There is just something about a hummingbird to cheer up a winter yard,” Petra says.

Perfect Hummer Food Recipe:

One part sugar to four parts water – stir until sugar is dissolved

Measure examples:
One cup of sugar to four cups of water
3/4 cup sugar to 3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups of water.

Bring solution to a boil to kill bacteria and slow spoilage –

Allow to cool.

Fill feeders just enough for a day or two of use. Extra solution may be refrigerated if used within one week.

Do not use: raw sugar, agave syrup, brown sugar, molasses, artificial sweeteners, or anything other than white sugar; these cause various problems for hummers. Adding red food-dye coloring is unnecessary and might be harmful. The red on a feeder is enough to attract hummers. DO NOT USE HONEY as this can kill hummingbirds.
-Audubon.org