How To Encourage More Hummingbirds To Come To Your Yard With An Old Tree Branch

The sense of wonder experienced when seeing hummingbirds is nearly universal. Tiny but fierce, sturdy but vulnerable — they are a mass of contradictions in a small package. When these tiny travelers arrive after migrating thousands of miles, they are hungry and looking for a place to put their little feet down. If you ready a space for them, you might be able to convince hummingbirds that your yard has just what they need to make it their happy place. They simply require food, cover, water, a place to perch, and a place to nest. Would you be surprised to learn that you could entice them with an old dead tree branch?

Before you learn what's so great about a big stick, let's get a few basics out of the way. With a rapid metabolism driven by their miniature heart beating around 1,260 times per minute, food is their number-one priority, and a hummingbird feeder is a surefire way to attract hummingbirds as repeat visitors. Place it in an open area to give them both visibility and safety from predators. You can also encourage them to visit with certain colors around your garden, like red or orange. And of course, growing flowers that attract hummingbirds can bring them to your place.

However, simply by sticking a fallen branch into the soil, you can create a place for hummingbirds to perch. It's a good idea to put it within view of your feeder. Because the branch has no leaves, the birds can see far and wide, and can spot points of interest for them to investigate for nesting and foraging — which is very useful for them.

There are many good reasons that a large tree branch stuck into the ground would be attractive to hummingbirds. In the wild, dead trees are a gathering place birds. While hummingbirds seem to always be on the move, they need to perch for many reasons: resting, looking out for predators, and watching for food. Luckily, the twigs and sticks attached to your dead branch when stuck firmly in the ground, provide perching places galore. Hummingbirds love to perch in the sun to warm up in the morning and evenings. They also use the opportunity to preen and clean their feathers.

A big perch offers male hummingbirds in particular a place to survey their territory, and even launch themselves off to defend their bailiwick from potential hummingbird rivals. They also eat insects and will hunt for them on dead tree limbs. So, that big stick has got a lot going for it in hummingbird world. The tree limb would ideally be tall enough that the hummingbirds can look down on their feeder. It's best if it has several sticks and twigs sticking out of the main limb that are appropriate for tiny hummingbird feet to grasp. To prevent the branch from blowing away, it needs to be firmly planted — either in a hole in the ground or perhaps in a bucket filled with rocks. Put it in a spot that gets both sun and shade during the day. Who have thought that a big stick could be your ticket to a hummingbird-friendly yard?