Thanks for the recommendation, Ruthann! One of my joys is sitting on our back deck & watching hummingbird activity, just feet away. Esp, during fall migration, with my AM cup of coffee &, again, in the cool of the evening. The wasps had made that an absolute no-go for past 2 wks. 

The Calliope has been to the feeder 5 times in past 45 minutes & not a single wasp has stayed for more than 2-3 seconds. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

Put out the platform style hummingbird feeder just a bit ago. And, after 15 min, smallest hummer visitor appeared…a juvenile Calliope. Had no problem with the feeder change & immediately checked out every opening, taking its fill. Has been back 3 more times. 

A paper wasp showed, landed walked along edge & immediately took off. Personally, like the inverted-bottle style better, but, once wasps appear, sold on this style. Given the decrease in hummingbird activity the past 10 days, think I’ll only need to keep it going another 2 wks or so, anyway. Thanks again for the recommendation , all!

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Thanks to all for the advice on the platform style nectar feeder. Have mine up now & will see how it goes. Even if a few wasps show, can tolerate that over the swarm of hundreds which had appeared. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

So, besides the nectar feeder, I keep a platform feeder & exclusively fill it with black-oil sunflower seeds. All summer, the main visitors have been Black-headed Grosbeaks, House Finches & Black-capped Chickadees. As our resident chickadee, at river elevation, is the Black-capped. During winter, will occasionally get an altitudinal migration, down from nearby range, of Mountain Chickadees. But, has always been during an extreme winter of snow or cold. 

Just had to look twice &, indeed, have a Mountain Chickadee visiting the platform right now. Definitely, a bit unusual for this time of year! In fact, my first yard sighting of one outside of months Jan through March.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot. 

Right, Louisa. But without the yellow plugs, the squirrels can easily swig down the nectar by tilting the feeder 🙂

That is the brand/style I’ve used for years, too. You’ll still get a few wasps and bees hovering and making a go of the nectar, but they’re great overall. The only hassle I have is with the squirrels who love to remove the yellow plastic guide flowers to get at the nectar. Those squirrels!! But I always find the flowers on the ground right under the feeders and they easily snap back on. Plus, the feeders are extremely easy to clean and fill and they do come with an interior well that you can fill with water to keep ants out.

Believe me, Bill’s method came to mind more than once this past 10 days. But, abandoned the idea & felt it better to just vacate feeding altogether. However, headed to town soon, as I’ve not tried the particular feeder recommended by rbird. And know I’ve seen that type at local hardware store. Will give a try. 

Thanks for the recommendations!
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot