Have you been offering orange halves, grape jelly, and colored nectar for your backyard oriole or hummingbird? If so, you know the joy of having these fascinating colorful birds in your backyard or patio. If not, don’t miss another day! Start attracting these colorful birds today with quick tips from our experts.

Orioles

In the Midwest the Baltimore Orioles, the bird, not the baseball team, have seen a decline over the past few years. Good news! This year, according to reports, Orioles are on the rise. And bird lovers everywhere are fluttering with excitement to see these beautiful creatures and hear their whistling song. You too can get in on the fun and attract these birds to your yard.

Simple Steps To Attract Baltimore Orioles:

• Attract orioles with cut orange halves attached to a special orange colored feeder. If you get orioles to come your way for a sliced orange, you should really offer grape jelly or orange colored nectar to get the best reaction of migrating or resident orioles.
• Place your feeder out in the open so it can be seen by the birds. Use a feeder hook if an open branch is not available.
• Ants have a way of discovering nectar feeders too, unfortunately. Special ant traps are available to hang just above your feeder to prevent them from getting into the nectar.
• All birds need water for drinking and for keeping their feathers clean-this aides in insulation. Orioles are attracted to the sight and sound of moving water. A birdbath with fresh water, and a water wiggler are a must.

Hummingbirds

• The hummingbird is a fascinating creature to watch and will come amazingly close to you for a quick sip of nectar. Position your feeder outside a window or close to your deck so you can enjoy the view!
• Provide lots of nectar! Hummingbirds flap their wings 60 times per second and that takes a LOT of energy. They need this sugar solution to fuel their high energy lifestyle
• Hummingbirds are also attracted to many colorful flowers that can be planted in baskets, containers or in the ground around your home. Some of their favorite are Salvia, Columbine, Fuchsia, Petunia, Zinnia, Coral bells, Lupine, Beebalm, Honeysuckle and Trumpet vine.
• When choosing plants to attract a hummingbird, be sure to use a variety of plants with staggered bloom times throughout the season so they will visit you all summer. Annual flowers like Petunias and Zinnias will bloom for a long time once they get started but it’s always a good idea to have some perennials like Coral bells and Salvia in your landscape as well. The more spots of color you have the better.