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Hummingbirds are here, but for how long?

Hummingbirds call Central Georgia home in the summertime, but how long will they stick around?

MACON, Ga. — As we continue our 13WMAZ Backyard Garden series, we're talking about a fun, fluttering friend: the hummingbird!

If you enjoy seeing them in your yard, we have some good news for you.

Here in Central Georgia, we primarily see the ruby-throated hummingbird, named for the red-coloring on its neck.

In our area, hummingbirds typically arrive in early to mid-March and stick around into early fall.

This extended stay is thanks to the South's warm climate and its location close to the Equator. This keeps the days longer and the temperatures warmer, making places like Georgia a prime location to settle in a little longer.

Even in the late fall and winter months, it's not impossible to spot a hummingbird in your backyard garden, although most migrate even further south to a more tropical climate. 

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your backyard garden while they're making themselves home in Central Georgia, making nectar for a feeder is easy.

The steps are as follows:

  • Add 1 part sugar with 4 parts water and boil until sugar dissolves.
  • Cool the solution and add it to the feeder
  • Don't add red dye, it's not necessary.

Make sure you're cleaning the feeder regularly to prevent mold.

If you don't want to use a feeder and also want to add a little color to your backyard space, you can plant tube-shaped plants such as daylilies, petunias, or geraniums. 

Share a picture of the hummingbirds in your backyard garden by texting them to 478-752-1309. We will show those off in our segment each week.

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