I fill both feeders in the evening and by first light one of them is empty or nearly. It cannot be the hummingbirds, because they do not feed at night.
The feeder is not damaged, not knocked down, nothing on the ground underneath. There is a sticky film around the ports though. Southern Arizona, and it has been happening since about August. Who is drinking it?
For anybody reading this without the bat clues, the rest of the list is distinguishable by what you find at dawn. Feeder tipped or on the ground with the ports prised out and muddy prints on the railing is raccoons. Bent poles, a crushed or missing feeder and an obvious mess is a bear, and that one means bringing feeders in every single night without exception.
Raccoons you can beat with a thin wire away from railings and trees, or a baffle on a pole.
And check for a leak before blaming anything. Inverted bottle feeders push nectar out the ports as the air inside warms.
The leak one fools more people than the animals do, and the tell is wet sticky ground or a sticky pole with ants gathering, plus emptying faster on hot days or in direct sun. A saucer-style feeder does not rely on a vacuum and rarely drips.
If you want certainty rather than deduction, point a cheap trail camera or an old phone at it overnight. One night settles it, and watching whoever turns up is genuinely good value.
@sticky_round_ports · 2d ago · 3 replies
Southern Arizona, undamaged feeder, sticky ports, nothing on the ground, started in August. That is bats, and you have given every clue in the set.
Nectar-feeding bats visit hummingbird feeders at night, particularly in late summer and autumn while they are migrating, and they can empty one in a few hours. They are important pollinators, and plenty of people in bat country simply accept the nightly visit. If you would rather not, bring the feeder in at dusk and put it out at dawn.
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@empty_by_dawn · 2d ago
That had not occurred to me at all. Is there any downside to just letting them have it?
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@sticky_round_ports · 2d ago
Cost of sugar, mainly. The hummingbirds still get the morning fill and the bats get the night, which is how a lot of people in your area run it. Bring it in only if you would rather the nectar lasted.
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