Are your feeders ready?
ROCKPORT-FULTON –Rockport-Fulton HummerBird Celebration is gearing up for September 15-18, 2022. It’s time to get those hummingbird feeders out. Our beautiful fall visitors are oblivious to all that is going on in our world today. They are flying in and they are hungry! Prepare your feeders and help us give our feathered friends a little extra help to fuel their continued migration south.
How to Prepare Your Hummingbird Feeder:
Remember to always start with clean feeders. Any time you see or suspect mildew or mold you may clean them with a bottle brush and a mixture of one-part bleach to ten parts water, but rinse very thoroughly. To refill the feeder, use a sugar solution of one-part sugar (no sugar substitutes or honey) to four parts water. Do not vary this formula. If the sugar solution is more concentrated, there is a possibility of it being harmful to the birds by dehydrating them. Heat the water to a slight boil, remove from heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Fill feeders with the solution after it cools. Adding color is absolutely unnecessary and harmful. The red color of the feeder attracts the birds. Unused sugar water can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks (a covered container). Feeders should be cleaned and refilled with sugar water every two to three days or immediately at the first sign of mold.
To make your yard even more inviting to hummingbirds, plant some hummingbird attractant plants. Hummingbirds are little bullies. Hanging feeders in a cluster can ease some of the competition but not all. They rarely hurt each other so just enjoy the show. Let’s all commit to helping them out and send them south with a good store of energy for their journey and look for their return in spring.
HummerBird Celebration:
We will be offering three full days of activities this year. We are partnering with several of our main attractions to add new events yearly. Be sure to visit our website to find out more about these activities. Events this year will include will have Boat and Bus Birding Trips, a special dinner and breakfast, Bird bandings, Field trips, Hummer Home tours, a Hummer Mall and a variety of speaker programs. For more information on the HummerBird Celebration or to buy tickets, visit www.rockporthummingbird.com
