My Humming Bird Friends
When I first arrive in Colorado each year in late May, I hang a humming bird feeder on the deck outside my bedroom. It holds 32 ounces of sugar water which I mix using 25% sugar. I usually don't have to refill this feeder for about three weeks. Then either the word starts getting out or the birds are late returning from Mexico. When I have to start refilling it every day, I put out three other feeders. That is usually by the end of June.
By late July I'm averaging 30 humming birds at a time – the busiest times being early morning and dusk, with a steady stream throughout the day. The humming birds are currently drinking sugar water at the rate of 6 quarts a day. I fill all four feeders every day and use about 25 lbs of sugar in a month.
