8 Prove Methods to Lure Hummingbirds to Your Balcony

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Hummingbirds are some of the most fascinating birds on the planet. Many people have fallen in love with observing hummingbirds in their yards.

If you’ve ever stepped out on your balcony and seen hummingbirds checking out the flowers, then you know how cool that can be. For a bird lover, it’s going to be worthwhile to try to attract hummingbirds to the balcony area so that you can see them more often.

You might not be completely clear on how to go about doing that, though. What can you do to make your balcony more interesting to the hummingbirds?

Read on to learn how to attract hummingbirds to your balcony. It’ll help you to see these unique birds as often as possible.

1 – Install Bird Feeders

Installing bird feeders is probably the most obvious way that you can attract hummingbirds to the balcony. If you place bird feeders properly, then the hummingbirds will come by regularly so that they can enjoy the nectar.

It’s pretty easy to make your own nectar so that you can keep filling the feeders. You’ll just want to check back regularly to see if the feeders need to be topped up.

You should also know that keeping the feeders clean will be of the utmost importance. Hummingbirds will stop coming around if you allow the feeders to get too dirty.

When bird feeders get dirty, it’s possible that the nectar inside will become contaminated. This will make it so that the hummingbirds won’t be interested in the feeders.

To keep things clean and safe, you should be sure to change the nectar out every five days or so to keep it from going bad. If you go longer than that, then the nectar could go bad and that’s not going to help the cause.

You should also position the feeders so that they won’t be in direct sunlight if possible. Higher temperatures will cause the nectar to ferment faster.

If the feeders ever get really dirty, then you might start noticing mold on them. You should clean the feeders thoroughly using hot water and vinegar if this occurs.

You don’t want to use chemical cleaners or detergents to clean the feeders. These can be harmful to the birds and that’ll keep you from getting the results that you’re hoping for.

2 – Install More Than One Feeder

If you only install one bird feeder on your balcony, then there’s a chance that you’ll see the birds fighting over it. Male hummingbirds are known to become aggressive sometimes, and they will fight other birds over food.

When you only have one feeder, the nectar is going to be seen as scarce. If two hummingbirds arrive at the feeder around the same time, then they might start trying to stab each other in a fight over the feeder.

This is definitely not what you want to have happen. If you wish to avoid problems such as this, then you should consider installing multiple bird feeders.

Hopefully, it’ll be possible to install at least two bird feeders on the balcony. This should keep the hummingbirds from feeling the need to fight each other.

You could also try placing feeders elsewhere so that the birds have a number of different feeders to choose from. The only issue is that you’ll need to put in more work because all of the feeders that you install have to be maintained properly.

3 – Install a Bird Bath on the Balcony

Installing a bird bath on the balcony will make it much more likely that you’ll see hummingbirds. These birds love playing in the water and having a bird bath will truly make a huge difference.

There are many options to consider when installing a bird bath. You could build a custom bird bath if you have the time to do so, but it’s also very easy to just go buy one from a store.

It’ll probably be easiest to simply buy a bird bath, but you’ll want to find a way to keep the water moving. Otherwise, the water in the bird bath might freeze if it gets too cold.

You could solve this problem by installing some type of water feature in the bird bath. Many people have simply placed a ball in the bird bath that will keep the water in motion.

Using something such as a fountain pump would be a cost-effective choice, too. So long as you have a bird bath on your balcony, it’s going to be possible to see many hummingbirds come to visit.

4 – Grow Flowers That Hummingbirds Like on the Balcony

Of course, it’s going to be a good idea to grow flowers that hummingbirds like on the balcony. There are many types of flowers that are appealing to hummingbirds that you can consider.

Hummingbirds are known to love red cardinal flowers, and it’s also nice that they’re so beautiful. You can add some aesthetic appeal to your balcony area while also making things more appealing to the local hummingbird population.

There are lots of flowers that hummingbirds are known to love. You could plant bee balm, sage, or even trumpet honeysuckle.

However, it’s worth noting that local hummingbirds are generally going to prefer local plants. You should look up plants that are native to your area that will appeal to hummingbirds.

Try to plant several plants that the birds will enjoy that can be found in your area. If your planters are full of flowers that hummingbirds love, then you’re probably going to see them coming to gather nectar on a daily basis.

5 – Try to Ensure That You Always Have Flowers Blooming

Now that you know that you should plant flowers on the balcony, it’s also going to be important to consider when those flowers bloom. You see, some flowers are going to stop blooming during certain times of the year.

If you plant flowers and they stop blooming at some point during the summer, then the hummingbirds won’t be able to get nectar from those flowers any longer. This is a problem, but it can be solved by having many different flowers.

The goal should be for you to have some flowers that will be in bloom at all times. Try to diversify the types of flowers that you’re planting on your balcony.

Have flowers that stay in bloom during the spring and some that will bloom throughout the summer months. If you plant flowers that will bloom during seasons when food is scarce for hummingbirds, then they’re really going to love your balcony.

You could look into local plants that bloom during certain seasons. This will allow you to stick to using native plants while still having flowers that bloom in various seasons so that you’ll be able to always have what the hummingbirds need.

6 – Consider Deadheading the Flowers

Deadheading flowers is a good way to enhance blooming. Essentially, you’re going to need to go around and remove wilted flowers and seed heads from the plants.

You’ll wind up helping the flowers to stay healthier and they should be able to bloom many times each year. Taking the time to deadhead the flowers will make them even better for the local hummingbirds.

It makes the flowers more vibrant so that the hummingbirds will pay attention to them. Eventually, flowers start to lose their vibrancy as they age, but you’ll be cutting the wilted flowers off so that new colorful blooms will grow.

Yes, this will involve a bit more work on your part to keep things blooming. It’s really worth it when your goal is to make the balcony a great space for hummingbird viewing.

You’ll also likely enjoy the fact that your flowers will look a lot nicer. If you take the time to deadhead the flowers, then you should have one of the most attractive balcony areas in your neighborhood.

7 – Place Perches on the Balcony

Placing perches on the balcony can also be helpful when your goal is to attract more hummingbirds. These birds expend a lot of energy while they’re flying, and this means that they need to rest sometimes.

If you can give them a convenient place to rest on your balcony, then the birds are really going to appreciate that. Installing perches at various points around the balcony will be a good idea.

Making perches for the birds won’t be all that difficult either. You can use simple sticks or pieces of wood that will easily be able to support the hummingbirds.

Some people place dry branches into the ground in a vertical position. You could do this around the balcony area, but you could also put perches directly on the balcony near your feeders or your planters.

It is notable that hummingbirds appear to like dry branch perches more than ones that are made out of plastic or metal. The fact that it’s natural is probably what makes them feel more comfortable with perches such as that.

8 – Remember That Hummingbirds Enjoy the Color Red

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that hummingbirds enjoy the color red. You’ll find that hummingbirds are particularly attracted to red, and this means that red flowers will garner the most attention.

When you’re picking out native flowers to plant in your planters, it’s going to be good to go for red flowers first. Of course, you’ll need to do a bit of research to ensure that the flowers appeal to hummingbirds first.

The fact that hummingbirds like the color red can help in other ways, too. For instance, you could make the feeders red so that they will stand out to the local birds.

If you use the color red as a way to attract more birds to the balcony, then it should make a difference. You don’t have to only use red flowers and feeders, but they do a good job of attracting hummingbirds.

You can plant yellow flowers as well since those do a good job of getting noticed by hummingbirds as well. Just try to avoid blue flowers since the birds can’t see those quite as well.

Final Thoughts

There are so many different things that you can do to try to attract hummingbirds to the area. When you want more hummingbirds to appear on your balcony, it’s just going to take a bit of effort to give them what they want.

You should install bird feeders on the balcony so that the hummingbirds will get used to dropping by to get food. If you ensure that the bird feeder stays stocked, then the hummingbirds will see it as a reliable source of nectar and will continue to stop by.

It’s necessary to keep the feeder clean and to change the nectar out at least every five days. Nectar doesn’t stay good forever, and you don’t want to allow the feeder to become contaminated.

Of course, planting flowers that hummingbirds like in your planters will be an effective way to attract them to the area. There are all sorts of flowers that hummingbirds like, but you’ll get the best results if you choose to plant native flowers.

Remember that hummingbirds are especially attracted to red flowers. Yellow flowers will also do a good job since they notice those really well, too.

Deadheading the flowers will help you to keep fresh blooms growing. It also makes the flowers more vibrant overall so that the birds will notice them.

You should consider diversifying the types of flowers that you grow, too. If you can grow flowers that bloom during different times of the year, then the hummingbirds will be able to count on your balcony area as a source of nectar no matter what season it is.

Installing a bird bath on the balcony is smart when you want to keep the hummingbirds coming back. They like to play in water and will truly appreciate the effort that you’ve gone to.

If you install a few perches where they can rest, then your balcony will be a haven for the local hummingbirds. It might be a lot of work to do all of this, but it’s worth it if you’re passionate about watching birds.

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