Consistency. When there is a constant source of food in one spot, eventually they congregate on that spot. If you put out multiple feeders in one spot, the congregation gets bigger over time. The feeders need to be refilled as soon as they are empty or they get funky and the hummers will sour on your feeding spot. I use a small amount of bleach from a spray bottle each time I clean (rinse thoroughly!) and refill to help avoid the funk (yeast & bacteria).
We live in Sonoma county, about 12 miles from the coast.
This takes patience, it may take a full year to build a population that comes day after day. I have come to believe (anecdotal evidence) that once you start this process of feeding them all the time, you are actually creating more birds than would be there otherwise. Therefore, if you slack off and forget to refill some of the birds die. It’s a responsibility at that point. They generally eat every ten minutes! I have read they can’t last without eating for more than 20 minutes. Side benefit: they eat hundreds of mosquitos & gnats a day!
I will try to make a video, the hummers fight constantly while they feed and it’s quite entertaining!
