Hummingbirds in the natural consume nectar in the sun, and your hummingbird feeder should do the same. However, handmade nectar can quickly spoil in the sun, so it is your responsibility to keep it fresh.
Sunlight is fine for hummingbird feeders while temperatures are mild, but shade is essential during droughts, in states with particularly hot climates, and during extremely hot summers. Since nectar spoils if exposed to high temperatures, a cloudy day calls for a cold feeder.
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It’s difficult to conceive of a hummingbird feeder that isn’t placed outside in a sunny spot, and as long as daytime temperatures are moderate and nighttime lows are chilly, the sun shouldn’t pose too many problems.
When that isn’t the case, the feeders can overheat, causing the nectar to degrade in the bottle. Cloudy nectar is a telltale sign of subpar nectar.
Because of this, it’s important to provide shade for hummingbird feeders to keep the nectar fresh.
Keep the feeder in the shadow for the better part of the day, and only expose it to the sun in the early morning or late evening, close to sunset, when the sun’s rays are weakest.
What you need is shade, so put the feeders in a shady area, such as under a porch, beside a tree, or along a fence.
Any lower than four feet from the ground is considered dangerous for hummingbird feeders. If you need to suspend the feeder during the day and the light is reflecting off of it, you can do so by lowering it with a longer chain.
Nectar within a hummingbird feeder can be kept fresh for a few days if it is kept in the shade.
Since the sun’s rays are most intense in the afternoon, it’s best to replenish the nectar then.
Hummingbird feeders can be in sun
When the sun’s heat isn’t too intense, many people can relax and enjoy the warmer months of the year.
Hummingbird feeders, with fresh nectar added daily, are ideal for the comfortable weather. The only time a hummingbird feeder shouldn’t be kept out in the sun is during extremely hot summers or dry periods.
Hummingbirds prefer feeding in the open, in the light, as this is how they do it naturally in the wild. If you put out feeders in a bright area, the hummers will be able to see them more easily.
You can put your hummingbird feeder anywhere, but it’s best to do so in full sun.
Food for hummingbird feeders should never be allowed to become hotter than room temperature; nectar, which is a sugar and water mixture, will go bad if it gets too hot, as evidenced by clouding on the inside of the bottle.
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A hummingbird feeder can be placed in direct sunlight, but the nectar within will degrade fast if the temperature is too high.
If the nectar doesn’t last more than a day, you must move to a shadier location; but, if hummingbirds are particularly active, you may enjoy a sunny site.
Hummers like to feed in sun
Since hummingbirds enjoy basking in the sun, a feeder for them is best placed in bright sunlight rather than under the shade of trees or other vegetation.
However, your local hummers may not be accustomed to the fact that the feeder is not hung in direct sunlight.
If the yard is large enough, you may be able to place the hummingbird feeder in the shade for the majority of the day while still providing a clear view of the sky.
Sunlight is essential for hummingbirds because their nectar comes from flowers in the wild.
Flowering plants that provide nectar can be placed in a cooler, shadier area on a hummingbird feeder.
Hummingbird feeders should be hung where they will receive the least amount of direct sunlight early in the day and then moved into the shadow as the sun goes higher in the sky.
Shade is still priority
Hummingbird feeders can be placed in the sunlight all day without worrying about any damage to the feeder itself.
The homemade sugar water mixture is the most important part of a hummingbird feeder.
Even in mild summers, the nectar can degrade from heat exposure within a day or two. In warmer summers, nectar might go bad the same day you put it out, so you’ll need to replace it once or twice a day to stop bacteria from growing.
Humidity, not heat or cold, is the enemy of nectar; the plastic or glass bottle it is stored in facilitates the growth of bacteria, and therefore the nectar quickly spoils.
Hummingbird feeders should be hung in the shade as much of the time as possible.
The shady side of the house or other building in the yard, such as a shed, is where you should go. The feeder can also be placed in a well-lit area yet still be hidden by naturally occurring foliage or trees.
Your hummingbird feeder needs to be in the shade throughout the day until late afternoon, and then it can be placed directly in the sun once it has cooled down in the evening.
Heat will effect Nectar quality
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Since the outside temperature is too high to support it, the circumstances within the hummingbird feeder might change rapidly, leading to germination when the temperature drops.
It’s a lose-lose situation to put a hummingbird feeder in direct sunlight; the birds will be attracted, but the nectar will spoil.
Keeping homemade nectar at a steady room temperature ensures that hummingbirds can safely consume it even if they are feeding it to them outside.
It’s a good thing, too, because the nectar has long since passed its prime and would have to be thrown away before the hummingbird feeder could be cleaned and filled with fresh nectar.
Hummingbirds may not be able to drink nectar when it has become too hot due to the sun, even in states with mild summers. It can be too hot inside, even with the shade, for hummers to feed.
When the sugar water turns hazy due to the heat, it’s no longer drinkable.
Mold will grow on the inside and outside of this hummingbird feeder if it isn’t cleaned frequently over the summer or in hot, humid locations, rendering it unsafe for the birds to utilize.
Summarizing up
Hummingbirds enjoy the sun, and you know what a hummingbird feeder can be like in the sun if the feeder can handle it.
In direct sunlight, the handmade nectar in hummingbird feeders can quickly go bad.
Hummingbird feeders can be hung or placed in a sunny part of your yard, but on hot summer days, the nectar should be kept in the shadow for as long as possible.
The nectar and other foods used in hummingbird feeders should be kept at room temperature, therefore leaving the feeder in the sun for too long would likely kill the birds.
The temperature within the bottle of a hummingbird feeder will rise, and it will fall again, creating ideal circumstances for the interior bottle to cloud up, signaling that the nectar needs to be changed.
This kind of setting is ideal for the growth of germs and the development of mold unless it is frequently cleaned out if kept in the sun.
Even on mildly cool days, a hummingbird feeder will benefit more from being placed in the shade.
Hummers prefer bright, open areas, but there’s nothing stopping you from hanging the feeder where the shade isn’t as intense.
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Category: Birds
