Wild Flora's Wild Gardening: "Dish-Style" Hummingbird Feeders

"Dish-Style" Hummingbird Feeders

Here is it again: Here's a rerun of the picture of the dish-style feeder I recommended about a month ago. This post will give you leads on how to find one, or one like it. Except for this one, all of the photos in this post are from the respective manufacturers' websites.

SINCE RECOMMENDING "DISH-STYLE" HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS about a month ago, I've had several inquiries from people who have had trouble finding one. Several large companies do make them, however, so with a few tips (which will arrive shortly) anyone who wants a dish-style feeder should be able to locate one for sale.

First, let's quickly review the advantages of dish-style feeders. In my book, the main advantage is that they're easy to clean: Just remove the top and you can clean the inside thoroughly, without having to use a bottle brush. Another advantage is that because the feeding holes are above the water level, there is no risk of dripping as there is with styles that place the holes below the liquid. This style also deters some of the larger insects that are attracted to sugar water, because their tongues aren't long enough to reach the water. (If the insect is small enough to crawl in through the feeding hole, however, it will do so.)

So how can you find them? I'm aware of three companies that make this style of feeder.

Yule-Hyde

The one in the photo above is made by Yule-Hyde Associates Co., a Canadian company. It has most of the characteristics I recommend in a hummingbird feeder:

1. Dish style for easy cleaning.

2. Perches for better viewing of the birds.

3. Mounts on the window. This allows better viewing of the birds, but another advantage is that window-mounted feeders are rarely troubled by sugar-seeking ants.

The one drawback of this inexpensive feeder is that the perches seem to break off easily. For that reason, a more expensive feeder made out of tougher plastic may be a better investment.

Now oddly, I cannot find this feeder on the Yule-Hyde website. In fact, I can't seem to find this feeder available online or even mentioned online. I purchased mine at a local feed store, but have no idea how anyone who doesn't live near me can get one. All I can suggest is that you ask local stores whether they are able to order them. Ask for Model Number HBW1.

Aspects

Meanwhile, two U.S. companies also make dish-style hummingbird feeders, and their products are widely available. These feeders are more expensive than the Yule Hyde, but they are also made of tougher plastic. So they may well be a better deal in the long run.

Right, the Aspects HummZinger "Mini" holds 8 ounces of sugar water, which is usually plenty as you should replace the food frequently anyway. Note the perches and the ant moat around the hanging stem.

Aspects makes several versions of its dish-style "HummZinger" brand. All are hanging styles (in other words, not window mountable), but they do have perches. They come with a lifetime guarantee and also have built-in ant moats, which is a convenient feature on a hanging feeder. (An ant moat, as the name implies, is a trough that you fill with water. This helps to prevent ants from reaching the sugar water in your feeder.) An ant moat is nice to have but not essential on a hummingbird feeder as ant moats can be bought separately from companies such as Lee Valley.

Aspects also sells a window-mounted dish-style feeder which they call the "Nectar Bar". Unfortunately, the Nectar Bar does not have

perches.

Right, the Nectar Bar from Aspects. I like the little roof that prevents rain from getting into the sugar water, but I wish it had perches.

Droll Yankees

Droll Yankees is one of the best-known and most respected makers of bird feeders, and they also make dish-style hummingbird feeders. They offer a hanging style and a window mounted style, both in a sturdy plastic with a lifetime guarantee. Both feeders also have a perchable rim.

Right, dish-style feeders from Droll Yankees. The top one is a hanging style, the "Happy Eight 2", while under that is the window-mounted "Window Hummer 2". Both have perchable rims.

I think all of the feeders described here are good ones and would be happy to have any of them. However, by a hair I think my favorite would be the Droll Yankees window-mounted dish-style hummingbird feeder, shown at bottom.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...: This is some good information. Thank you for doing the research.
Carole; April 12, 2008 at 10:14 PM
The Diva said...: Great information. Thank you so much. I like these feeders much better.~~Dee; April 17, 2008 at 3:16 PM
Sarah O. said...: Should we be concerned about harmful chemicals in plastic feeders, especially ones that sit in the sun? I know the government says there is reason to be concerned about plastic chemicals and baby bottles - could the same be said for tiny birds with miniscule kidneys and livers?; April 21, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Anonymous said...: I found your blog through Natural Life magazine. It's great! These hummingbird feeders look really cool! I especially like the one that sticks on the window. My kids would love watching those beautiful creatures up so close!!; June 13, 2008 at 7:02 AM
Wild Flora said...: Hi Sarah and thanks for your question about the possibility of hummingbirds being injured by chemicals in bird feeders. I need to do more research on this topic but my preliminary research suggests that as long as you change the liquid frequently (particularly in hot weather) the birds are probably going to be ok. One of the reasons I like the small feeders is that the birds empty them quickly, encouraging owners to refill refrequently. (I recommend refilling daily in hot weather.) This is not as much trouble as it sounds because the liquid can be prepared in batches and stored in the fridge.; June 16, 2008 at 6:35 AM
Wild Flora said...: A footnote to my previuos comment about plastic in hummingbird feeders: I don't want to sound as though I'm not concerned about the possibility that environmental toxins might affect hummingbirds, but as a matter of general interest I thought it might be worth mentioning that they aren't necessarily more vulnerable to toxins just because they're smaller than humans are. For instance, a small rodent may be able to eat a mushroom that would kill a human, just because a mouse's metabolism is different from ours. In contrast, frogs and salamanders can be killed by oils commonly found on human hands (which is why you should never pick them up), not because they're smaller but because their skins are so fragile.; June 16, 2008 at 6:48 AM
Mother Nature said...: I have been happy with the HummZinger mini.; September 22, 2008 at 10:44 AM

About this blog and its owner

I’ve lived and gardened in Chicago and the Seattle area, and now I live on 250 acres in eastern Canada. Most of my life has been spent as a journalist and editor, but after moving to Seattle I took a detour and ended up designing and installing wildlife-friendly gardens. For a long (sorry) but (I think) funny essay about this experience, please click here.

In this blog, I try to combine my gardening experiences with journalism-type research to come up with items that I hope will be useful to you, the gardener who wants to be kind to wildlife. The blog will probably be most useful to people living in areas where I have some practical experience, namely the band of states and provinces that are on either side of the United States-Canada border.

Being self-employed, I go through spells when I’m self-unemployed and am able to post frequently, and spells when I’m involved in a project and not able to post. This site is a labor of love and, alas, like so many labors of love it often has to take a back seat to labors of lucre.

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Q&A

Question: I have a neat old elm tree in the front yard which is sorely afflicted with mistletoe. I don't know quite what to do with it, as every windstorm drops branches, bark and other parts down on the yard below. I know the infected wood will have to go, at least that is what I'm told, but a considerable amount of tree must be removed in the process. It is a dear tree, and I don't want it to come to fatal harm. What should I do? From Mary

Answer: Dear Mary, old is not ugly, dying is not bad, and dead is part of the natural order. At least if you're a tree.

Old, diseased trees, and the dead trees they eventually turn into, play just as important a role in an ecosystem as the young, healthy ones do--even more important because, thanks to the misguided practices of the past, dead and dying trees have become so rare. Holes in dead and dying trees are vital nesting spots for many birds and small mammals. Dead branches and other litter (which is not necessarily a sign of disease--healthy trees drop litter too), if left to decompose naturally, are also important for ecosystem health.

When working with old trees it's important to get advice from an arborist who understands their value and won't be in too much of a hurry to make drastic changes. Before hiring an arborist, I'd ask him or her to explain the ecological value of dead and dying trees. Ideally I'd want to work with an arborist who could show me examples of dead or dying trees he/she has left standing (aka snags).

I don't know much about mistletoe because I've never lived anywhere that it grows, but I wasn't surprised to read in the Wikipedia that it is an ecologically important species. All too often, valuable native species are classified as pests just because they don't fit preconceived notions of attractiveness. To me it sounds like a pretty cool plant and one I would be happy to have in my garden.

All in all, as long as the tree doesn't pose a hazard to people or property (the advice of a professional could be helpful in making this decision), I would leave it alone to live out its life in dignity and peace. If the tree does pose a hazard, I would look for an arborist who is willing to do the least amount of work necessary to remove the hazard, making every effort to leave as much of the tree as possible and not destroy its appearance.

With any luck you will find someone who appreciates the aesthetics of old trees--who recognizes the beauty, as well as the ecological importance, of big holes, broken limbs, and gnarly wood. (With any luck, we will all find people like this as we get older--but that's another story!)

I like to answer questions! Send me a question at wildflora at gmail dot com and I'll try to answer it. If you provide an email address, I usually respond privately within a few days. (If I forget, please forgive me and send me a reminder.)

Looking for a question and answer that appeared here previously? I am archiving them at my new website. Currently you'll find one question and answer about how to get rid of a multiflora rose and another about how to move a bumblebee nest.

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