Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard – And to Your Hummingbird Ring!The Hummingbird Ring is a great feeder for an up close and personal experience with hummingbirds, but if the birds don't recognize your yard as hummingbird-friendly, they won't ever visit your ring. Fortunately, it can be easy to attract hummingbirds to your yard and help them find your Hummingbird Ring.What Hummingbirds NeedHummingbirds are interested in four things in every yard they visit – food, water, shelter and nesting sites. If your yard provides all four in abundance, you'll soon have plenty of hummingbirds flocking to visit.

• Food Nectar-rich flowers are a key food source for hummingbirds, and blooms with tubular shapes are best for their needle-like bills. Bee balm, salvia, petunias, columbine and trumpet vine are just a few options that attract hummingbirds, and planting these flowers near a deck, patio or other seating space where you will offer your Hummingbird Ring is best to get birds used to feeding in that area. A flower pot with nectar blooms on a patio table is a great idea, or hang pots from a gazebo or arbor in the seating area. You can even tuck a Hummingbird Ring (or two or three) into the pot to get hummers accustomed to visiting the feeder before it is on your finger. Other nectar feeders can also be hung nearby for hungry hummers.
• Water While hummingbirds get plenty of liquid from the nectar they drink, they still visit water sources for bathing and preening. Because these birds are so tiny, they avoid deeper water sources and instead prefer shallow bubblers, such as bubbling fountains, where they will splash about. Misters are also a great option and hummingbirds will fly right through the mist before perching to preen. The moving water of bubblers and misters also helps attract hummingbirds with splashing noises and glittery sparkles. Positioning water near the feeding area will help catch hummingbirds' eyes and keep them close to your Hummingbird Ring as well. If you don't have a bubbler or mister, turning sprinklers on to light spray settings can help attract hummingbirds that may fly right through the spray to bathe.
• Shelter In between sips from your Hummingbird Ring, beautiful flowers or visits to the water, hummingbirds need to perch and rest. Shrubs, vines and trees all provide excellent perches, and hummingbirds will opt for perches that give them commanding views of the nearby area so they can watch for predators or any competing visitors to their favorite feeding areas. Clotheslines, trellises and arbors are other convenient perches hummingbirds will take advantage of, or you can add quaint hummingbird-size swings to your yard. If different perches are close to prime feeding areas, the birds will be encouraged to stay nearby.
• Nesting Sites The same trees and shrubs that provide good shelter for resting hummingbirds are also ideal nesting sites for these tiny birds. Thorny shrubs are also favorite nesting sites, as they provide an extra layer of protection from predators. Because hummingbirds can be nervous nesters, planting nest-friendly plants in a quiet corner of the yard further away from the feeding area or water will help the birds feel more at ease. Providing nesting materials nearby, such as cotton fibers, spider webs, moss and lichen, will also help encourage hummingbirds to take up residence.

By meeting hummingbirds' basic needs in thorough ways, it is easy to bring these flying jewels right to your yard. As they learn just how safe and convenient your yard is, they will be more willing to visit your Hummingbird Ring and give you that amazing experience of hand-feeding a hummingbird.