When Should You Put Your Hummingbird Feeder Out in Colorado?

This week marks the official arrival of spring in Colorado, and even though there's still snow on the ground in many places, signs of the season are slowly beginning to show. Tree buds are starting to bloom, and animals like bears and snakes are waking up from a winter slumber.

Seeing birds, such as robins, hummingbirds, and chickadees, also signifies the arrival of spring. Backyard birdwatching is made easy thanks to the vast array of avian species that live in the state.

The easiest way to attract hungry birds is to set up a feeder in your yard or garden. So, when is the best time to put out your hummingbird feeder?

During the annual hummingbird migration, Colorado plays host to tons of these tiny, fluttering birds. Most of them stay here for about five months before continuing northward to their breeding grounds. Migrating hummingbirds typically arrive in late April and stay until early September.

As pollinators, hummingbirds fly by day when nectar sources such as flowers are more abundant. Having a feeder on your property will help attract them to the area. Fill the feeder up with some artificial nectar made from one cup of sugar dissolved in four cups of tap water. Do not add any red dye to the sweet mixture, as it could harm the birds. It's recommended to change the water and clean the feeder every other day to avoid any bacteria or build-up inside the feeder.

Colorado's most common native breeders are broad-tailed hummingbirds, and therefore, are the type that's most frequently seen here. Black-chinned and Calliope hummingbirds also breed in Colorado, too.

According to Hummingbird Central's migration tracker, as of mid-March, there haven't been any sightings of these birds in Colorado yet. Putting a feeder out next month is a good idea if you want to start seeing these beautiful birds in your yard.