Rick Steves' stunning porch accessory attracts hummingbirds to his yard – it's under $25 and adds a striking, sun-catching beauty to any outdoor space

The famed travel writer makes his Seattle home as striking as his European escapes with this easy-to-use birdfeeder that invites beautiful avian pollinators

rick steves lecturing on a black background
(Image credit: Rick Kern/WireImage via Getty Images)

It's impossible not to be charmed by a hummingbird. From their fast-beating wings to their iridescent feathers and their tiny beaks, everything about the miniature creatures is strikingly beautiful and fascinating. Luckily, there are easy ways to invite the birds to your yard. For instance, travel writer Rick Steves has been a famous nature lover throughout his travels in Europe, and keeps this interest alive at home with a glass hummingbird feeder.

He explained how he attracts hummingbirds to his yard in an interview with The Strategist. Steves stated: 'We live in Chihuly country here in Seattle, and everything in glass wants to be nice and artful' referencing famed glass artist, Dale Chihuly. He continued, 'As the sun’s going down, the sun cuts through that beautiful orange-and-red glass filled with that sweet water for the hummingbirds. It’s just beautiful.'

As Steves points out, his hummingbird-attracting device is gorgeous. The different colors of glass come together in a kaleidoscope of tones that reflect and refract the sun. This is what makes it such a great pick if you're wondering where to place a hummingbird feeder. Experts advise placing your feeder within arms length, and this is definitely one you'll be want to keep nearby.

Furthermore, Steves avoids a common hummingbird feeder mistake by keeping the bottom fresh. He explains: 'The base of it gets kind of mucky and moldy if you don’t wash it, and, over time, it needs to be replaced. And I was walking to work one day, and there was a tiny, little garage sale, and I stepped into the garage sale and found the base of this hummingbird feeder — not the feeder, just the base — exactly the part I needed. It was like divine intervention. It cost me a dollar.'

Editor's Picks of Hummingbird Feeders


More pollinators is never a bad thing, and all the better if they are gorgeous little birds. It's an easy choice when the hummingbird feeder is as beautiful as Rick Steves'.


Sophie Edwards
News Editor

Sophie is a writer and News Editor on the Celebrity Style team at Homes & Gardens. She is fascinated by the intersection of design and popular culture and is particularly passionate about researching trends and interior history. She is an avid pop culture fan and has interviewed Martha Stewart and Hillary Duff.

In her free time, Sophie freelances on design news for Westport Magazine and Livingetc. She also has a newsletter, My Friend's Art, in which she covers music, culture, and fine art through a personal lens. Her fiction has appeared in Love & Squalor and The Isis Magazine.

Before joining Future, Sophie worked in editorial at Fig Linens and Home, a boutique luxury linens brand. She has an MSc from Oxford University and a BA in Creative Writing and Sociology from Sarah Lawrence College.