Like many backyard birds, teeny jeweled hummingbirds (which weigh a little more than a penny) head south to their overwintering sites. If you’re wondering if it’s too late to put up a hummingbird feeder in your garden, you may be in luck.
Migration times vary, so not all hummingbirds have reached their destinations yet. “Late summer and early fall are when many hummingbirds are on the move,” says Chad Witko, specialist, avian biology with the National Audubon Society. “For the familiar ruby-throated hummingbird, a species found across the eastern United States and southern Canada, late September and early October are prime times for migration through the central and southern parts of its breeding range on their way to Mexico and Central America.”
That means there’s still time to put up feeders. “It can absolutely be worth your while to put up a hummingbird feeder late in migration,” says Sarah Belles, Gulf Coast avian ecologist at American Bird Conservancy. “Stragglers will continue moving through the northern and central U.S. through October, and the southern regions may see hummers sticking around through the winter.”
Plus, a feeder can be useful to any birds that are still enroute. “Putting out a feeder can provide migrating birds with a reliable energy source along the way, especially as natural nectar sources become more limited,” says Witko.
Why you should still hang a hummingbird feeder in fall
Hummingbirds need to build up energy reserves before and during migration, and they do this primarily by feeding on nectar and small insects. “A feeder provides a predictable, easily accessible energy source,” says Witko. “However, feeders are supplemental: They don’t replace natural food sources, including flowers that provide nectar and insects that provide essential sugar, protein and other nutrients.”
Providing a habitat with native plants—especially those with late-season bloom times—also offers hummingbirds with natural nectar, while also supporting the insects they need, says Witko.
Hummingbirds are experts at spotting feeders, so don’t worry about them finding yours. “While you may not get huge numbers of birds visiting your feeder this year, you may be making a huge difference for those few late travelers,” says Belles. “If you put the feeder in the same location next year, you may even get return visitors that remember stopping by. Hummingbirds recall the precise locations of flowers and feeders that they stop at year after year.”
You also want to keep nectar fresh by cleaning feeders and refilling with fresh food every few days. You don’t need to buy nectar. Simply dissolve one part white sugar in four parts hot water, then let it cool before filling your feeder. Make sure to use only regular sugar, not honey or any other sugar alternative. And do not add red dye to the mixture; it’s not only unnecessary, but it’s also dangerous to the birds, says Belles.
How long should I keep my hummingbird feeder up?
A general rule for how long to keep a hummingbird feeder set up is to wait two weeks after your last hummingbird sighting before taking it down, says Belles.
However, leaving your feeder up longer could help stragglers. “Hummingbirds are migrating throughout fall, so having feeders out can help offer an extra boost of energy to exhausted migrants flying through your area,” says Holly Grant, project assistant for NestWatch at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Leaving them up or taking them in will also not affect the migration of hummingbirds in your area. Like most songbirds, they mostly use the changes in daylight hours to signal when it’s time to migrate.”
It's actually perfectly fine to leave feeders up until winter because hummingbirds are often observed much later than you suspect. “This gives late-migrating birds, vagrant hummingbirds, or individuals wandering outside their typical range a chance to find a food source,” says Witko. “Each year, hummingbirds are observed at nectar feeders well into winter, including in parts of the Midwest and Northeast.” A late-comer was even photographed in New Hampshire in December last year while it was snowing.
In some parts of the country, you can even leave feeders up year-round. Several hummingbird species regularly spend the winter in the southern U.S., particularly along the Gulf Coast, in the Southwest and in parts of coastal California. In the West, species such as Anna’s Hummingbird can be present year-round in parts of their range. In the Southeast, some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds also remain into winter, and other species can occur as winter visitors, says Witko.
Depending on where you live, you can enjoy these little visitors much longer than you might think.
Arricca Elin SanSone is a writer, editor, and content creator who specializes in lifestyle and gardening. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things. She trials new plants in her expansive garden, and her houseplant collection consists of 60+ varieties. Arricca has written thousands of articles for publications such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, VERANDA, Southern Living, and more. She’s happiest when digging in the dirt, baking, or spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
