When do the hummingbirds start returning to the SA area? (house, garden)

[Paka]

All you birdwatchers out there, when should I get my hummingbird feeders ready??? I always seem to be a little late.

Know it is early, but now that I am retired, want to try and get ahead of the powercurve and get them out for the 1st arrivals! Thanks for your help!!

[TiredandRetired]

I get Humming birds but I think it is late spring. Right now I have a flock of Cardinals and they look fantastic. Both male and female. Four or five couples. I have a Chinese Pistache tree that produces little berries by the hundreds. The Cardinals love them. They show up every year about now and every time they show up they bring friends.

[Paka]

Originally Posted by TiredandRetired

I get Humming birds but I think it is late spring. Right now I have a flock of Cardinals and they look fantastic. Both male and female. Four or five couples. I have a Chinese Pistache tree that produces little berries by the hundreds. The Cardinals love them. They show up every year about now and every time they show up they bring friends.

I have a lot of them in our yard as well, but then we have the bird feeders out. Hummer feeders have been much more difficult for me since you REALLY need to change out their "food" every 48 hours in this crazy Texas heat....don't want to make them sick for sure. With all that sugar, they are a petrie dish for slime/mold growth...now that I CAN devote the time, want to make it REAL for these little ones!

[lovinSA]

long time no posting but thought to drop by

We usually start putting a small amount in feeder early March. Last year we had an empty red glass feeder and could see them looking for the open sign. Either way we have found being early will usually mean lots of hungry hummers.

[TiredandRetired]

Originally Posted by lovinSA

long time no posting but thought to drop by

We usually start putting a small amount in feeder early March. Last year we had an empty red glass feeder and could see them looking for the open sign. Either way we have found being early will usually mean lots of hungry hummers.

I guess time just runs away and I can't keep up with it. I try humming bird feeders but the Yellow Jackets take over. The Mud Daubers are even worse. I have tried bird house gourds but they get taken over by nasty bugs. I have found it best to just let nature take its course and I help out when I can.

[flashfearless]

Rather than put out feeders that you have to maintain have you thought about planting items that attract them?

Such as the items on this list?
Plants for Attracting Hummingbirds to Your South/Central Texas Garden | Urban Program Bexar County

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by flashfearless

Rather than put out feeders that you have to maintain have you thought about planting items that attract them?

Such as the items on this list?
Plants for Attracting Hummingbirds to Your South/Central Texas Garden | Urban Program Bexar County

That's a great idea, as long as you don't have deer that come to your yard. I'm fenced in, so thanks for the link.

[Lee W.]

The hummingbirds are usually here by mid-March. I've had plants and feeders for years, so I'm on their route!

[CyVaquero]

Last year I filled the hummingbird feeder once and came home is it was a ball of honeybees. Since then, I just keep the native flowering plants watered and blooming that the hummingbirds seem to visit a couple times a day.

[SA Vicki]

I think March is about right to begin seeing the hummingbirds. I kept having problems with ants getting into the sugar water of my feeder via the plastic coated wire it hangs from. Saw a great tip to put a stop to it - put Vaseline all up and down the wire or string and the ants cannot get through. For the most part it really works.