For many years, homemade hummingbird nectar feeders were made by hand, often from bits and pieces of laboratory apparatus such as glass tubing, rubber stoppers, and reagent bottles or flasks. In recent years, however, interest in feeding hummingbirds has grown tremendously, and manufacturers have responded by designing and marketing many kinds of homemade hummingbird nectar feeders.
Commercially made homemade hummingbird nectar feeders come in all shapes and sizes. Since the plastic on this feeder is red, there's no reason to add food coloring to the sugar water. There is no conclusive scientific evidence red food coloring hurts hummingbirds, but since nearly every commercial feeder has at least some red on it already, the chemical additive isn't necessary. Better to attach a red ribbon to the feeder.
The best commercial homemade hummingbird nectar feeders are study, easy to clean and hang, and with a minimum number of parts that can get lost or broken. Manufacturers offer feeders in a variety of sizes with both plastic and glass reservoirs. Glass is long-lasting and can be sterilized easily, but it is heavier and can shatter when dropped; feeders with plastic reservoirs are less expensive but tend to discolor with age. Small feeders may have just one feeding port while larger ones have three or more. And many feeder types are available with or without perches on which hummingbirds can rest while feeding.
The biggest mistake made by most novice homemade hummingbird nectar enthusiasts is in buying a first feeder that is too large. It is better to start with a smaller feeder--perhaps with an 8oz (236.6ml) reservoir--rather than the one-quart (.95L) size that many people select. Filling the larger feeder and putting it out before hummingbirds arrive will usually result in the homemade hummingbird nectar souring long before the feeder can be drained by birds.
Lastly, put the homemade hummingbird nectar feeders in places where they can easily be seen by human observers for education and entertainment. After all, the homemade hummingbird nectar we provide is just a little bonus for the birds, which in nearly all cases can get along very well without us by using natural food sources.
