How to Attract Hummingbirds in Washington: A Backyard Sanctuary Guide

There's a genuinely surprising backstory behind Washington's most familiar backyard hummingbird. Anna's Hummingbird was historically limited to Baja California and coastal California — it wasn't originally a Washington bird at all. As backyard feeders and winter-blooming ornamental plants spread through the Pacific Northwest, Anna's expanded its year-round range all the way into British Columbia, and it's now the hummingbird most Western Washington homeowners see at their feeder in every season, including the dead of winter.

Whether you're gardening in Seattle, out in the Columbia Basin near Spokane, or up in the Cascade foothills, this guide will walk you through everything you need to turn your space into a Washington hummingbird destination: how to size your setup to any space, feeder and nectar care, pest-safe cleaning, and the native plants and wildflower seed varieties that thrive in Washington's climate.

The Short Version, If You're in a Hurry

To attract hummingbirds in Washington, keep a leak-proof feeder up year-round in western Washington (Anna's is active there all winter, and Rufous arrives by mid-March), and put one up by early April in eastern Washington for arriving Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned Hummingbirds. Fill it with fresh, dye-free nectar, keep it clean and refilled every 1–6 days depending on heat, skip the insecticide so hummingbirds can still hunt insects for protein, and plant native, nectar-rich flowers like red-flowering currant, orange honeysuckle, and penstemon so your yard offers real food alongside the feeder.

• Best feeder type: leak-proof design with a comfort perch, like the AspenPerch® Hummingbird Feeder
• Best nectar: plain 4:1 water-to-sugar ratio, no red dye — or Pop's Nectar with added electrolytes and calcium
• Feeder timing: year-round in western Washington for resident Anna's (Rufous also arrives here by mid-March); by early April in eastern Washington for arriving migrants
• Nectar change frequency: every 1–2 days above 90°F, daily once Columbia Basin heat pushes past 100°F, every 5–6 days below 70°F — and watch for freezing overnight in winter and at higher elevations
• Pest control: no insecticide — use vinegar-water spray and HummGuard® nectar tips instead
• Top native plants: red-flowering currant, orange honeysuckle, penstemon, salmonberry, red columbine (varies by region — see below)
• Best wildflower planting window: October through November west of the Cascades; early spring in colder eastern Washington and higher elevations

Which Hummingbirds You'll See in Washington

Washington is a genuine multi-species hummingbird state — nine documented species, split fairly cleanly between the wet western half and the dry, high-desert-like eastern half. Anna's Hummingbird is the state's only year-round resident, a relatively recent arrival that's now the default backyard bird west of the Cascades. Rufous Hummingbird is the most widespread migratory breeder, arriving in western Washington by mid-March and famously aggressive at a shared feeder. Calliope Hummingbird, North America's smallest bird species, breeds mainly in mountain habitat east of the Cascades. Black-chinned Hummingbird is the least common of the four regular breeders, concentrated around Spokane and Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Washington's five documented rarities each have a real, specific story behind them: Costa's Hummingbird has 18 accepted records and has shown up nearly every year since 2021; Ruby-throated Hummingbird has just one accepted record, from Clark County in 2017; Broad-tailed Hummingbird has four accepted records, all from 2000–2005 in the state's southeastern corner; Allen's Hummingbird has only two accepted records, both from the 1800s; and Broad-billed Hummingbird has a single record, from 2014 near Carson.

When Do Hummingbirds Arrive and Leave Washington?

Anna's aside, Washington's migratory species follow a fairly predictable seasonal pattern, though timing differs somewhat between the two sides of the Cascades.

Arrival and departure windows by region, based on eBird checklist data (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), 2016–2025.

Attracting Hummingbirds No Matter Your Space

You don't need acres of land to invite wonder into your yard. Hummingbirds are famously adaptable — all they're really looking for is a dependable food source, a safe place to perch, and a little color.

• Small patio or balcony: One feeder hung from a bracket or shepherd's hook, paired with a container of red or orange tubular blooms like penstemon, is plenty to get noticed. Hummingbirds are solitary feeders by nature, so a single feeder works great in tight spaces.
• Average backyard: Add a mix of feeders and native blooms along a fence line or garden bed, and give your visitors a swing or two nearby to rest and survey their territory between sips.
• Large yard with trees: Take advantage of the shade. Hummingbirds prefer feeders and plantings tucked out of harsh, direct afternoon sun, with a nearby branch to perch on and watch for rivals. Spread multiple feeders far apart, since hummingbirds are territorial and will happily chase each other off a single feeder — especially once feisty Rufous Hummingbirds arrive.

Choose a Leak-Proof Feeder to Prevent Nectar Waste

A feeder is only as good as what's in it — and how well it's kept. A leaky feeder does more than waste nectar: it can attract ants, bees, and other pests, turning your sanctuary into a mess that can deter hummingbirds.

Saucer-style feeders, like Pop's AspenPerch® Hummingbird Feeder, hold nectar in a shallow basin below the ports, so there's no sealed air pocket to cause problems; bottle-style, gravity-fed feeders tend to leak more, since the air trapped above the nectar expands with temperature swings and pushes nectar out through the ports. It's paired with our patented Polyperch® comfort perch, too, so your hummingbirds can rest and feed at the same time instead of hovering the whole meal.

Keeping your feeder filled is also important because hummingbirds need a dependable, fresh source they can count on every visit, not a gamble.

Shop the feeder

AspenPerch® Hummingbird Feeder, 8 oz

Leak-proof by design, with a patented Polyperch® comfort perch built in — so your hummingbirds can rest and feed at the same time instead of hovering through the whole meal, whether you're keeping it up year-round for Anna's or through a shorter eastern Washington season.

Shop the AspenPerch® Feeder →

Keep Feeders Clean with Fresh Nectar

Clean your feeder every time you change the nectar, using warm water and a bottle brush — no soap residue, no bleach. A little vinegar and water solution works great for breaking down sticky buildup or the beginnings of mold. See our full guide to cleaning a hummingbird feeder for the complete how-to.

Skip the Red Dye

Your feeder's color does the attracting; dyed nectar offers no benefit and can be harmful to a hummingbird's health.

Use a Real Nectar Recipe

Use a 4:1 plain sugar-water ratio to make your hummingbird nectar, or save yourself the math with the ready-to-use option below.

Just getting your first feeder going? Nectarade® Ready to Use Liquid comes pre-mixed and formulated with added electrolytes and calcium to support hummingbirds through the demands of nesting season and migration — no dyes, no preservatives, nothing to commit to before you know how much traffic you'll get.

Shop the Ready to Use Nectar →

Only Fill Enough to Change Often

An 8 oz feeder rarely needs to be topped all the way off — overfilling just means more nectar sitting around long enough to spoil. A better approach is to fill only enough that your hummingbirds empty your feeder every couple of days.

How Often to Change Nectar in Washington

The table below is the same one used across our state guides, but the top of it means something different here than almost anywhere else. Western Washington's marine climate rarely gets past the high 80s, while the Columbia Basin runs hot enough that Yakima's average July high already sits around 90°F, with real heat waves pushing well past 100°F. So expect a western Washington yard to live mostly in the top three rows of this table, and an eastern Washington yard to spend real stretches of summer in the bottom two:

If the nectar ever looks cloudy before that window is up, change it early — cloudiness means it's already started to ferment. In winter, especially in western Washington where Anna's stays active, check nectar after freezing nights and swap in a fresh, unfrozen batch as needed.

Keeping Feeders Pest-Free Without Insecticide

Hummingbirds don't live on nectar alone — small insects make up a big part of their protein diet, especially for feeding chicks. That means insect spray is off the table around your feeding station; it removes a food source hummingbirds depend on and can be harmful to them directly.

Ants

Ants are drawn to any spilled or leaking nectar, and once a trail forms, they'll march straight up the feeder pole or hanging hook to reach the source. A vinegar-water spray works well as a deterrent — mist it around (not directly on) the feeder ports, and wipe down the hook or pole where ants tend to travel. A leak-proof feeder design also does real work here: with nothing dripping down in the first place, there's less to draw them in to begin with.

Bees and Wasps

Bees and wasps are trickier than ants, since they're after the same nectar hummingbirds are drinking, not just what's spilled. A vinegar-water spray around the ports can help, but the more reliable fix is a feeder design that keeps them out entirely rather than just discouraging them.

Still crashing the party? HummGuard® Nectar Tips slide onto the AspenPerch's feeding ports — a flexible membrane lets hummingbird beaks through and closes tight against anything bigger.

Shop HummGuard® Tips →

Plant a Washington Native Hummingbird Garden

Feeders are a wonderful supplement, but nothing beats real, native nectar. Native plants evolved right alongside Washington's hummingbirds, so they bloom on the right schedule and produce exactly the nectar these birds are looking for.

Best native nectar plants by Washington region:

Pop's tip: Red-flowering currant is arguably the single most valuable native plant in western Washington — it blooms as early as February, right when Anna's Hummingbirds are already nesting and before Rufous Hummingbirds arrive from Mexico, giving both species a reliable food source when almost nothing else is in bloom.

If You're Near the Border

Hummingbirds don't check a map before deciding where to feed, so if you're near a state line, your best guide might be a blend of both.

Near Oregon: Both states share the identical finding that none of the blend's 12 varieties are true Pacific Northwest natives, and both split into a wet west side and dry east side. See our Oregon guide for more.

Near Idaho: Eastern Washington shares Idaho's dry, high-desert Mountain West climate and Black-chinned/Calliope territory. See our Idaho guide for more.

To make this easy, our Perfect Little Sanctuary® Wildflower Seed Blend is designed to bring nectar-rich color into your yard with minimal fuss.

When to Plant the Perfect Little Sanctuary® Blend in Washington

Timing splits along the Cascades. In western Washington's milder, wetter climate, aim for October through November, giving seed the benefit of the region's wet winter season. In eastern Washington, where winters are colder and drier, early spring planting (once the soil is workable) is often more reliable, similar to other cold-winter interior climates. This timing is based on the germination needs of the blend's own 12 varieties: 9 of the 12 either need or benefit from a cold, moist stratification period before they'll germinate well, and how that period is best delivered depends heavily on which side of the state you're on.

Ready to plant? Perfect Little Sanctuary® Wildflower Seed Blend packs all 12 varieties into one packet — no separate shopping trips before your side of the state's planting window.

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Top Performers in Washington

The Perfect Little Sanctuary® blend is worth being upfront about: it's built primarily for bees, butterflies, and seed-eating songbirds, not as a dedicated hummingbird mix — the plants doing the real hummingbird-attracting work in this guide are the native species named above. That said, several of the blend's 12 varieties are well-matched to Washington's climate and worth featuring:

• Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata) — a California native built for a mild, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, which describes western Washington's summers surprisingly well; a rare case where this variety, a poor performer in humid states, should genuinely thrive
• White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) — broadly native across nearly all of North America, including Washington, and very low-maintenance
• Siberian Wallflower (Cheiranthus allionii) — prefers cool, dry conditions, a good match for eastern Washington's climate
• Palmer Penstemon (Penstemon palmeri) — not a Washington native, but a genuine hummingbird favorite that performs well in dry, high-desert-like conditions similar to eastern Washington's Columbia Basin
• Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) — heat- and drought-tolerant, a reasonable fit for eastern Washington's dry summers
• Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) — not a Washington native, but a broadly adaptable garden performer with modest water

Pop's tip: Since this blend leans toward varieties suited to drier climates, gardeners on the wetter, western side of the state may want to supplement with true Pacific Northwest natives like red-flowering currant for the strongest results, while eastern Washington gardeners can lean more heavily on the blend as-is.

Give Them a Place to Rest

Hummingbirds spend a surprising amount of their day perched, not flying — watching their territory, digesting, and simply resting between feedings. A Pop's Original Hummingbird Swing hung near your feeder gives them exactly that spot, and it turns your feeding station into a front-row seat for watching them up close. Hang it about 1 foot from your feeder, at the same height (Pop's rule of thumb), and don't be surprised if a hummingbird claims it as their own personal lookout post.

Shop the Perfect Perch

Original Series Hummingbird Swing, Onyx

A second swing gives a chased-off bird its own perch to fall back to — worth having once feisty Rufous Hummingbirds start defending a feeder as their own.

Shop the Original Swing →

Keep Your Sanctuary Safe from Predators

A feeder draws more than hummingbirds, and in Washington the best-documented risk isn't a predator at all — it's the glass in your own house. Hummingbirds show up consistently in bird-window collision studies, and researchers point to their high flight speed and fragility as likely reasons why. Birds Connect Seattle (formerly Seattle Audubon) launched the Seattle Bird Collision Monitoring Project in September 2021 — the first long-term study of its kind in Washington — to track exactly when and where these collisions happen around Puget Sound buildings.

The fix is simple and specific to how small a hummingbird is: window markers need to sit no more than two inches apart in any direction, since a hummingbird can navigate gaps that would stop a larger bird. Clear tape, decals, or even a bar of soap streaked across the glass all work, as long as the spacing holds up. If you find a bird that's hit a window, Birds Connect Seattle's dbird.org tool lets you report it and helps build the statewide picture.

Cats round out the other well-documented hazard to hummingbirds almost anywhere, Washington included. Keep cats indoors, and place feeders either close enough to a window that a bird can't build dangerous speed before impact, or well clear of one, with markers on any reflective glass nearby. For the full picture of what actually preys on hummingbirds, see our complete guide to hummingbird predators.

Summary: Key Takeaways for Attracting Hummingbirds in Washington

Building a hummingbird-friendly yard doesn't take a green thumb or a big budget — just a little consistency and the right setup. Here's everything from this guide in one place:

• Anna's Hummingbird is Washington's only year-round resident, having expanded into the state relatively recently thanks to backyard feeders and winter-blooming plants
• Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned round out the state's four regular species, arriving between mid-March and late May and departing by late summer
• Feeder timing: year-round in western Washington for Anna's (Rufous also arrives by mid-March); by early April in eastern Washington for arriving migrants
• Any size space works — one feeder is plenty for a balcony; larger yards can support multiple feeders spaced apart, since hummingbirds are territorial
• Use a leak-proof feeder with a comfort perch, like the AspenPerch®, and fill it only as full as it'll be drunk in a few days
• Skip red dye in nectar; a plain 4:1 sugar-water ratio or Pop's Nectar both work
• Change nectar every 1–2 days above 90°F, daily once the Columbia Basin's heat tops 100°F, up to every 5–6 days below 70°F, and watch for freezing in winter
• Clean the feeder at every nectar change with warm water and vinegar — no soap or bleach
• Never use insecticide near feeders; hummingbirds rely on insects for protein. Use vinegar-water spray and HummGuard® nectar tips instead
• Add a hummingbird swing near the feeder to give hummingbirds a place to rest and be observed up close
• Window strikes are Washington's best-documented hummingbird hazard — space window markers no more than two inches apart, and keep cats indoors
• Native, nectar-rich plants (red-flowering currant, orange honeysuckle, penstemon, salmonberry, depending on region) do more for hummingbirds long-term than feeders alone
• Sow wildflower seed in October–November in western Washington, or early spring in colder eastern Washington; Clarkia, White Yarrow, Siberian Wallflower, Palmer Penstemon, Indian Blanket, and Black-Eyed Susan are the strongest Washington performers in Pop's Perfect Little Sanctuary® blend, though none are true regional natives

Get these basics in place, and the wonder takes care of itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

A few of the questions we hear most from fellow hummingbird lovers across Washington:

When should I put my hummingbird feeder out in Washington?

It depends where you are. In western Washington, keep a feeder up year-round — Anna's Hummingbird is a genuine winter resident there and depends on feeders through cold snaps (Rufous also arrives here by mid-March). In eastern Washington, where every species is a seasonal migrant, early April is a safer bet for arriving Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned.

What are common mistakes when feeding hummingbirds in Washington?

The biggest one is treating western and eastern Washington the same. West of the Cascades, the mistake is taking the feeder down every fall out of habit — Anna's is there all winter and depends on it. East of the Cascades, the mistake runs the other way: leaving nectar out too long in summer heat, where it can ferment well within the 2–3 day window a milder western Washington yard would tolerate.

Do hummingbirds like feeders without perches?

They'll use either, but a perch matters more than it might seem. Hovering is metabolically expensive, and giving a hummingbird somewhere to land and feed instead of hover the whole time — like the AspenPerch's built-in Polyperch® — means it burns less energy per visit. That's especially useful in Washington during Rufous Hummingbird's aggressive, high-energy territorial pushes through a shared feeder.

What happens if you don't boil sugar water for hummingbirds?

Boiling isn't the part that actually matters most — the real variable is how long the nectar sits out afterward. Washington's own temperature-banded change schedule (every 1–2 days above 90°F, up to every 5–6 days below 70°F) does more to prevent fermentation and mold than boiling the water ever will, especially in eastern Washington's hot, dry summers where nectar can turn cloudy well before a "boiled" batch would seem due for a change.

Is it bad to leave my hummingbird feeder up in fall in Washington?

Not in western Washington — quite the opposite. Anna's Hummingbird stays there year-round, so a feeder that disappears every autumn is taking away a real food source from a bird that's still around. East of the Cascades, most species are genuinely gone by fall, but leaving a feeder up a little longer costs nothing and occasionally catches a lingering migrant.

What are the best plants to attract hummingbirds in Washington?

Red-flowering currant is the standout in western Washington, blooming as early as February. Orange honeysuckle and red columbine perform well throughout the Cascades, while scarlet gilia and penstemon are solid choices for the drier Columbia Basin. Native, tubular, red or orange flowers are the general rule of thumb.

Washington Hummingbird Resources

Audubon Chapters

Washington is home to numerous local Audubon chapters across the state, including Birds Connect Seattle (formerly Seattle Audubon). Find the one closest to you with Audubon's Find Your Local Audubon tool.

If You Find an Injured or Grounded Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are protected under federal and Washington state law, so only a licensed wildlife rehabilitator can legally care for one.

• Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife — Find a Wildlife Rehabilitator — the official statewide directory (after-hours emergency line: 360-902-2936)
• PAWS Wildlife Center (Lynnwood) — one of the largest wildlife rehabilitation centers in the state; call 425-412-4040
• West Sound Wildlife Shelter (Bainbridge Island) — call 206-855-9057

Sources

• eBird bar chart data, Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Washington statewide plus Clallam, King, Snohomish, Chelan, Kittitas, and Yakima counties.
• Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife — species accounts and rehabilitator directory.
• Birds Connect Seattle — Seattle Bird Collision Monitoring Project — Washington's first long-term bird-window collision study, launched 2021.
• NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information — U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020, Seattle-Tacoma and Yakima stations. Source for the regional summer temperature ranges behind our nectar-change table.

Why We Built This Guide

Pop's Birding has been helping hummingbird lovers for three generations. One of the questions our customers ask most often is "How do I actually attract more hummingbirds to my yard?" — we built this guide to give a direct, practical answer, not a generic one. Most feeder advice online treats every state the same way, but Washington genuinely splits in two: a mild, wet western half where Anna's Hummingbird never leaves, and a hot, dry eastern half where every species is a seasonal migrant on a completely different schedule. A single nationwide feeder-timing rule gets Washington wrong on one side of the Cascades no matter which side you pick. We wanted a guide that actually accounts for Washington's climate, regions, and timing, not one that happens to mention Washington in the title.

How We Built This Guide

The feeder up/down dates here are the actionable takeaways from our full Washington hummingbird calendar, which carries the complete month-by-month methodology. The nectar-change table is banded by actual outdoor temperature rather than a fixed calendar date, since fermentation speed is the real variable and a single statewide schedule would either leave nectar out too long in an eastern Washington summer or have western gardeners changing it more often than it needs. The native plant lists are broken out by region rather than given as one statewide list, since a plant suited to western Washington's cool, wet climate can struggle badly in the Columbia Basin's dry heat and vice versa. And the predator section leads with window strikes because Birds Connect Seattle's Bird Collision Monitoring Project is a genuine, Washington-specific research program tracking exactly that hazard — a real in-state data source, not a generic warning borrowed from elsewhere.

Haven't grabbed it yet? Download the free Washington Quick Reference Guide — one page, print and keep.