Hummingbird Feeder with Accessories

Hummingbirds have always been magic to me and can be attracted very easily with a good feeder! These colorful little marvels of flight can hover and zip around showing inquisitive curiosity and quickly get used to close proximity with people. There are many interesting facts about these birds, one being that some species have one of the longest migrations, compared to their size, of any other bird species, migrating annually from Alaska to Mexico and back! Unfortunately they are only present in South, Central and North America with the most species diversity in more tropical regions where climate and food sources are more steady.

Providing reliable food sources for migrating hummers, will make your patio a frequent visiting spot and most likely cause some to stay for the entire season and hopefully raise some even smaller, cuter babies! Hummingbirds are territorial however, and males will often guard a feeder, chasing off any other hummers that try to visit. One of the best ways to prevent male hummingbirds from guarding a food source is to have many feeders, which is perfect for 3D printing! So making a feeder that doesn't leak, is bee resistant, ant resistant, uses recycled materials, looks good and is relatively easy to print was the challenge.

Features:

• Easy to fill
• Extra feeder bottles can be filled and stored
• No Supports
• No Leaks
• Uses Recycled Gatorade/Powerade bottles
• Decorative Wall Hangar
• Ant Mote
• Does not require gluing or modifications to the bottle
• Bee Resistant

This design uses recycled Gatorade or Powerade bottles which can be prefilled and stored in a fridge for later use, has a decorative wall hangar, an ant mote (filled with regular water to prevent ants from finding the feeder), does not require any bottle gluing or wire hangars, is resistant to honey bees and looks great! I've used this design for several years now and the birds are very attracted to it and prefer it over any of my other feeders. To clean it I rinse it out with hot water between fillings, sometimes I use a little soapy water, or bleach solution if it gets any mold on it. Any home brewers out there might use sanitizing solution to clean them, which works great.

The nectar solution to fill the feeders is 3-4 parts water to 1 part sugar, no coloring or dyes required if bright colored filament is used (dyes are not good for the birds either). I usually make extra and store it in the fridge to make frequent refills easier. Nectar in the feeders can last several weeks depending on the temperature outside and the cleanliness of the feeder. If you notice a decrease in the amount the feeder is being visited, usually its a good indication that the nectar has soured.

I hope you enjoy this beautiful print and all the amazing humming birds that will brighten your patio, deck, playground, or wherever you decide to hang them!

High quality PETG is what I use, printed on the warmer side of the temp range to get good layer adhesion and prevent leaks. PLA is NOT recommended as this is an outdoor item and will be subject to higher temperatures in the summer months depending on where it's mounted. PLA+ is a possibility although I have not tested it.

They are large prints, so I prefer a 0.8mm nozzle as it drastically reduces print times although other nozzle sizes should work fine.

This is designed for FDM printing. I don't see why it wouldn't work as a resin print, other than being large. If you try it in resin, let me know how it works!

If you have tolerance issues with the bottle or the flowers, adjusting the size of the model by a percent or two in the slicer is an easy way to adjust it. I do like to heat the holes in the feeder where the flowers go with a torch lighter before I insert the flowers to get a snug fit, plus it's a bit easier on my thumbs! Twist and push the flowers into the holes.

https://youtu.be/-pTskfIvW6w?si=bnprapcA74QxbIEX