The Best Time To Put Out A Hummingbird Feeder Based On Your State
While some bird feeders can stay out all year, offering seed and suet to the species that don't migrate further south, there's one that can only shine in the right season: hummingbird feeders. It has to be put away for the winter, but when's the right time to bring it back out? The answer depends on the region you live in. Real Simple spoke to two experts on the matter, so here are the best times to put out a hummingbird feeder for every region in the U.S.
Gulf Coast/Florida
Best Time: Early March
Starting March 1st, you can bring your hummingbird feeder back out of retirement if you live anywhere in the Gulf Coast or Florida. When hummingbirds start migrating north again, this is often where they'll first be seen. Technically hummingbird feeders can be put out here starting in mid-February, but once it hits March, they're comfortably safe from any unexpectedly late cold-snaps.
Southern/Southwest States (Texas, Arizona, California)
Best Time: Mid-March
For other southern states, March 1st is generally considered a safe benchmark date, but it might be worth waiting an extra week or so just to be careful. This is another area where they can be put out as early as late February, but experts generally recommend waiting until some of March has passed. Anywhere between early and mid-March should have you lining up with typical hummingbird migration, though!
Pacific Northwest
Best Time: Mid-March to early April
The Pacific Northwest is interesting, because they see one species of hummingbird, the Rufous hummingbird, far sooner in the year than any other species. So, while other hummingbirds might not show up until later, residents of this area can put their feeders out as early as late March in order to support this early visitor.
Southeast (Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia)
Best Time: Late March to early April
Even within the Southeast, there's some regional differences. If you're in the southern parts of the region, you can start in the latter half of March, usually any time after the 15th. If you're a bit more north, wait until April 1st. The goal here is to put out your feeder once the overnight temperatures get consistently warmer (and flowers start to bloom), so keep an eye out.
Mid-Atlantic/Midwest/Ohio Valley
Best Time: Mid-April to early May
This is the first region that's going to have to wait a bit once spring hits before they put their feeders out as they tend to have cooler springs. Keep an eye on the temperature, wait until you see it getting warm and staying warm, which is usually in mid-April. Even if you've seen a hummingbird already, putting a feeder out when it's still chilly can expose birds to cold nights. If they're up early, they'll keep themselves warm, don't encourage them to brave chilly winds by leaving food out.
Midwest/Rocky Mountain Region
Best Time: Late April to early May
Because these areas have higher elevation, they tend to stay colder for longer, meaning they also have to wait for prime hummingbird feeder time. Late April to early May is what you'll be looking at, you want to be confident there won't be any more temperature drops, which can still happen during early April in the Midwest.
Northeast/New England
Best Time: Late April to early May
The Northeast has a similar timeline to the Midwest, as their spring tends to arrive a bit later in the year weather-wise. Cold snaps (for a hummingbird anyway) can still happen throughout the month of April here. This means May 1st is technically the safe date you can start putting feeders out, but you can try earlier if you see steady, warming temperatures.