There are two schools of thought out there as to whether you should group multiple hummingbird feeders together or should spread them out. It's akin to the lumpers vs. splitters argument of should the Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted Flickers be split or lumped into a single Northern Flicker species. Just not so scientific.
Anyway, Bob Sargent, noted hummingbird expert and President of The Hummer/Bird Study Group, Inc., is a grouper. His advice is to cluster as many feeders together as you can. The more feeders you have, the more birds you will have. Also, if you have lots of feeders clustered together, it is much more difficult for bully birds to guard them all.
BirdWatcher's Digest also recommends this approach in their recommendations on how to "foil a bully hummer".
Last year, this "bully" hummingbird on the feeder above would just sit for minutes on end at this feeder, not necessarily feeding, but just guarding the feeder. He would even perch facing outwards, just in order to "claim" the feeder.
The other school of thought is to spread the feeders out, keeping them out of sight of each other. The popular hummingbirds.net website favors this approach.
Our recommendation at the store is to SPREAD 'EM OUT!
The grouping approach seems to make sense where hummingbird numbers are high, like along the Gulf Coast (where Bob Sargent is located) or in the southwest. At these hummingbird "dream locations", literally hundreds of hummingbirds share a feeder location as they gather to consume massive amounts of nectar, especially during migration.
(Image courtesy of WBU Inc. Image Library)
But where hummingbird numbers are lower like here in upstate New York, we recommend spreading the feeders out. In our area, we seldom see more than 2 hummingbirds sharing a single feeder or 4-5 hummingbirds at any one time in the yard.
An uncommon sight in our area: two hummingbirds on a feeder!
Here's how we approach it: we have 5 hummingbird feeders hung at windows on 3 different sides of the house. They are all visible from the living area. This way we have been able to observe 3-4 hummingbirds feeding at once, each at a different feeder. We've had good success with this approach, and it is why we recommend it, at least for folks with similar hummingbird population and activity.
What has worked in your area? Have you tried both approaches? Let us know what YOU recommend in the hummingbird feeder "grouper vs. spreader" debate.
Dave, thanks for your comment and I'm glad the grouping approach works for you. Sounds like you have a lot of hummer activity. Happy birding!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | July 22, 2015 at 05:07 PM
I agree with Bob Sargant. I live in the Columbia RIver Gorge about an hour east of Portland, OR and the Hummer population here is neither dense or sparse. BUT...I have found that by grouping my feeders together the population has increased. As Bob asserts - the Hummers may not share very naturally...but the noise that a bully-hummer makes while trying to protect his favorite feeder actually attracts more passing hummers. Of course Bob puts out 20-30 feeders and I only put out 3-5...but the principal is the same.
Posted by: Dave Sliwa | July 18, 2015 at 02:50 PM
Fay, depending where you live, the first male hummingbird through may just be a migrating bird that takes advantage of your feeder for a day or two or more, and then moves on.
Make sure you are changing out your nectar every 3-5 days so that hummingbirds recognize your feeders as a source of high quality nectar. Keep trying, if you don't have a resident male, there are always male hummingbirds looking for new territory.
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | April 22, 2015 at 02:38 PM
I put two feeders up the first of April this year. The bossy male arrived but was only around for a short while. I did see him runaway another Hummer. Haven't seen him back in a week or so....was wondering if the second feeder was to much for him to guard or if you can tell me what is keeping them away??
Posted by: Fay Rosenbalm | April 19, 2015 at 12:48 PM
Mary - thanks for sharing your experience. Do you have LOTS of hummingbirds in your area?
ScienceGuy - thanks for your observations. If you do any testing yourself, let us know!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | August 11, 2009 at 06:15 PM
I tend to group mine, just because one of our locations is so much busier than the others, but I never thought of the actual implications of our arrangement.
Posted by: scienceguy288 | August 09, 2009 at 06:49 PM
Thanks for this good info!
I have four feeders facing north and east, close to the house, that are visible from the others. Yes, I have the bullies. There are two feeders more popular than the others and the juveniles will share space. The adult males cause the chaos! :o)
Next year I will add feeders on the southwestern side of the house and watch...
Posted by: Mary | August 08, 2009 at 10:42 PM
Nick - Thanks and thanks for visiting!
Dawn - I look forward to visiting Arizona sometime when there are tons of hummers around. Must be amazing!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | August 08, 2009 at 09:40 PM
Good info..
I guess there is no right or wrong way.
I travel with one hummer feeder and a few other bird feeders.
I usually separate the hummer feeder from the seed feeders.
I could certainly use a few more feeders when parked in Arizona.
Lots of hummers.
Ok..now i must catch up on the rest of your posts i have missed..
see ya!
Posted by: Dawn Fine | August 06, 2009 at 04:43 PM
Great post. I hadn't thought about this question before.
Posted by: Nick | August 06, 2009 at 04:00 PM