Feeding Hummingbirds in Fall and Winter (Bay Area Edition)

We keep lots of hummingbird feeders out around our home, and I mean lots. They stay up all year long.

I'll be honest: years ago, I never really gave hummingbirds much thought. But the more time I've spent in the garden and with our bees, the more I've grown into a nature mindset, and I started noticing all the little lives happening right outside our door. The hummingbirds became a big part of that. Now they're some of our favorite neighbors, and keeping their feeders full is part of our everyday routine.

People are often surprised that we keep feeding them through fall and winter. In much of the country, hummingbirds head south and feeders get packed away. Here in the Bay Area, it's a different story. Our hummingbirds are still here, still zipping around the garden, and still counting on us. Here's how we keep them fed once summer is over.

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Who's Still Visiting This Time of Year

• Anna's hummingbirds. These are the ones you're most likely seeing right now. Thanks to our mild climate, most Anna's hummingbirds stay in the Bay Area year-round. The males have that flashy rose-pink head and throat that catches the light.
• Allen's hummingbirds. Smaller, with orange-red throats and coppery tails. Some live here all year, and they're famously bossy at feeders.
• The occasional Rufous. Most Rufous hummingbirds pass through on migration, but a few linger later into the season than you'd expect.

And if you're worried that leaving your feeder up will keep a migrating bird from leaving on time, you can relax. Food isn't what triggers migration. Birds that are meant to go will go, and the ones that stay will be grateful.

Our Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

It's simple, and it's the same all year:

• 1 part plain white table sugar to 4 parts water (for example, 1/4 cup sugar in 1 cup water)
• Warm the water so the sugar dissolves completely, then let it cool before filling the feeder.
• Extra nectar keeps in a covered jar in the fridge for about a week.

You don't need to make it stronger in winter. The 1:4 ratio is close to the sugar content of the flower nectar hummingbirds naturally drink.

What Not to Use

• No honey. Yes, this is a honey company telling you not to use honey. Honey ferments quickly in sugar water and can grow mold and fungus that's dangerous to hummingbirds. Save it for your tea.
• No red dye. The red on the feeder itself is all the advertising they need.
• No brown, raw, or organic sugar, and no sugar substitutes. Plain white sugar is the safest choice.

Keeping Feeders Fresh in Cooler Weather

The good news about fall: nectar stays fresh longer when it's cool out.

• On cool days (below about 70°F), change the nectar about once a week.
• On warm spells (and we still get those in October), change it every 2 to 3 days.
• After a rain, check your feeder. If water got in, it can dilute and spoil the nectar faster.
• Clean it every time you refill. Hot water and a feeder cleaning brush set work for most feeders. For a deeper clean, soak it in a mix of 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts water, then rinse well.
• Cloudy nectar or black specks mean mold. Dump it, scrub the feeder, and start fresh.

A small hummingbird feeder that you fill halfway is often better this time of year. Fewer birds visit in winter than in summer, so less nectar sits around going bad.

If We Get a Cold Snap

Freezing nights are rare here, but they do happen. Because 1:4 nectar freezes at a lower temperature than plain water, it usually holds up fine. If a hard frost is in the forecast, bring the feeder inside at night and hang it back out first thing in the morning. Hummingbirds feed early, especially after a cold night.

Where to Hang It

• Somewhere you can see it. Half the joy is watching them!
• Near shrubs or trees, so they have a safe place to perch and rest between visits.
• Either very close to a window (within about 3 feet) or farther than 10 feet away. That helps prevent window strikes.
• Out of easy reach of cats. Hang it high and away from spots where a cat could lie in wait.
• More than one feeder, out of sight of each other, if you have a bully. One territorial Anna's can guard a feeder all day.
• With an ant moat above it if ants find your nectar. It's a little cup of water that ants can't cross.

Fall and Winter Flowers Hummingbirds Love

Feeders are a nice extra, but flowers are their real food. If you're planting this fall, these are great for Bay Area gardens:

• Salvias of all kinds, many of which bloom well into fall
• California fuchsia, a bright orange-red late-season bloomer
• Manzanita, one of the first winter bloomers
• Chaparral currant and fuchsia-flowered gooseberry for winter nectar
• Grevillea, a non-native that hummingbirds adore in winter

Many of these feed our bees, too. (Here's more on what we're planting this month.) And please skip the pesticides. Hummingbirds eat tiny insects as well as nectar, especially when they're raising chicks.

A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

A clean feeder, fresh nectar, and a few winter-blooming plants are all it takes to keep hummingbirds coming back to your yard all season long. We wouldn't trade those morning visits for anything.

Keep the sugar water for the hummingbirds and the honey for yourself. Our Raw Unfiltered Local Honey comes straight from the same hives that share the garden with our hummingbirds.