A thriving yard will attract hummingbirds, who will likely return year after year to fascinate you. It's easy to set up your yard to attract hummingbirds, which only need food, drink, and security.
Hummingbirds hover, fly backward, and dash straight ahead at 20–30 mph, so they'd appreciate a place to rest.
Hummingbirds like to have a perch,” says Sandy Lockerman, a federally registered Harrisburg bird bander who estimates she has banded 4,000 hummingbirds in 12 years. She explains, “They'll sit and make sure nobody else is coming, watch for bugs and rest.
High, thin branches left to grow beyond shrubs could provide great perches. Another option is wire swings, either bought or manufactured.
Hang them from small trees or posts near nectar-producing blooms and sugar-water feeders, high enough to avoid cats.
Perches, baths, and feeders should be kept away from garages, screened-in porches, sheds, and decks for further protection. Hummingbirds naturally fly aloft in enclosed spaces. “They won’t come down and out,” Sandy says.
“People will often find them on the floor exhausted.” Sandy suggests lifting a broom to liberate a hummingbird in an enclosed location. “It will rest on the bristles,” she explains. “Then slowly lower and take the broom outside. The bird will see a clear path and fly.”