MAINE, USA — Get your feeders ready, because hummingbirds will be back very soon here in Maine.
Hummingbird Central offers an interactive migration map on its website, and the hummingbirds can be seen in the Pine Tree state.
As the hummingbirds quickly return to Vacationland, now is the perfect time to prepare your hummingbird feeders for their arrival.
Unlike their fellow common backyard birds, such as chickadees or cardinals, hummingbirds prefer a sweet concoction to drink rather than seeds and nuts.
According to Maine Audobon, here is the perfect mixture to ensure your neighborhood hummingbirds are happy and full this summer:
"Use a mixture of four parts water to one part plain white sugar. That’s all you need. Don’t use honey or other types of sugar. Don’t use red dye or other commercial mixes. Just plain ol’ water and sugar."
Hummingbirds also favor many common native plants around you, according to Maine Audobon. Having a few of them in your yard can also create a beneficial and enriching environment for hummingbirds.
Maine Audobon lists the following native plants that keep hummingbirds happy:
- Wild columbine
- Flowering shrubs, like dogwoods and serviceberries
- Phlox
- Irises
- Oaks, birches, and poplars are favored for nest-building
- Northern bush honeysuckle
- American honeysuckle
- Wild honeysuckle
- Swamp honeysuckle
- Mountain honeysuckle
- Wild bergamot
- Orange jewelweed
- Cardinal flower
- Great blue lobelia
- Hairy beardtongue
- Obedient plant
Maine Audobon also notes on its website that hummingbirds do show a preference for flowers that are pink, orange, and red, hence why hummingbird feeders are generally red.
For more information about maintaining a hummingbird feeder throughout the season, click here.
You can find the interactive hummingbird migration map here.