Posted by Patsy Locklear on April 15, 2006

Q: When does hummingbird season officially start. I am in Northeast Ohio (Ashtabula County). I want to sit out a bird feeder for them but I'm not sure of their season.

I'm so new at this birdwatching. I have blackcapped chickadees, a woodpecker, cardinals, bluejays, other finches and two black birds that I have not researched.

I want very much to attract the hummingbirds too. But I was going to place the feeder in my front. Should I combine all of these feeders out back? I'm also adding some flowers to my garden that hummingbirds can feed from.

I'd appreciate any help you could give.

Wanishi (Goodbye in the Lenape Tribe)

Patsy

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Ohio

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: Good luck with your bird feeding - it's extremely rewarding! If you want to put your feeders in the same area, that should work just fine. As the spring moves into summer, the seed eaters will be visiting your feeders less often while the hummers will be actively using the feeders once they get started. I have all of my feeders in the same area and it works just fine for me. If you place your feeders where you have the most cover (trees, shrubs, and flowering plants) you'll probably have more bird varieties visiting.

There are lots of sites on the web that discuss bird feeders so you should be able to find ample info to help you get started. I have a great web site that plots the migration of the hummingbirds you may want to check out. At least a few hummingbirds have already been seen in northern Ohio so you may want to put your hummingbird feeder out now. Take a look at www.hummingbirds.net

Enjoy!

John Wiessinger ( April 17, 2006)