Hummingbirds
“The hummingbird is
the miracle of all our winged animals.
He is feathered as a bird, but gets his living as bees.” Englishman John Lawson 1714
Hummingbirds are making their way to Mexico for the
winter and are showing up in numbers in our quaint neighborhood. I planted zinnias as usual this past spring for them, but
the seeds must have been tainted because hardly any of them produced. So I dusted off and set up my small blue single port feeder
which immediately was taken over by a female ruby-throat. Weighing no more than a penny, we sit watching as her blurred wings fanned the hot, humid air as it performed a little “sugar water snorkeling” at the feeder.
My wife suggested getting another feeder so I picked up one that had 8 ports and a perch for them to rest while they feed. The female quickly discovered it and has claimed ownership of it also. That’s the way hummingbirds are when it comes to finding a rich food source. A single bird will dominate your feeders, hoarding it all for themselves. I increased the distance between the two feeders so as to free one up for others. Sometimes a third one is needed in order to do this. Another trick is to put them all out of sight of one another.
My wife suggested getting another feeder so I picked up one that had 8 ports and a perch for them to rest while they feed. The female quickly discovered it and has claimed ownership of it also. That’s the way hummingbirds are when it comes to finding a rich food source. A single bird will dominate your feeders, hoarding it all for themselves. I increased the distance between the two feeders so as to free one up for others. Sometimes a third one is needed in order to do this. Another trick is to put them all out of sight of one another.
My neighbors have also put up feeders, and some are using the artificially red-colored
commercial mixes. The
red dye used in this mix, which is believed to be harmful towards hummingbirds, is added as an attractant. The same thing can be accomplished by using a red-colored container instead, or by just placing a simple red or orange
ribbon on the feeder’s tube. I highly
suggest making your own feed. That way
you’ll know what’s in it.
I follow Dan True’s formula from his book “Hummingbirds of North America”, using a 5:1 ratio (water to sugar) using plain
white sugar (avoid honey or any other sugar types i.e. brown, raw or organic,
and also sugar substitutes). [It is interesting to note the reason to avoid honey-
it was discovered that a honey-water mixture produces a type of fungus that invades the tongues of hummingbirds, which in turn kills them.] To make a 5:1 ratio mix, measure sugar (1 cup) and water (5 cups) into a pot and bring it to a boil
for two minutes (helps inhibit fermentation).
Be sure and place a lid on the pot when doing this so as to not concentrate
the mixture. He says not to microwave it
because this alters the sugar molecule.
Cool the mixture before using and refrigerate the rest. Also add plants such as trumpet creeper,
Carolina Jessamine, cardinal flower, zinnias and others which hummers
love. They also need protein which
they obtain from insects. You can put
out pieces of fermenting fruit which will attract fruit flies, gnats and other
small bugs that they will readily take on the wing. Also consider putting up feeders that contain just
plain water. Misters during the dog days
of summer are always a welcome “oasis” for these tiny dynamos.
Labels: Dan True, hummingbird, misters, ruby-throat