Hurray for Hummers!
Who wants to have hummingbirds in their backyard? If you do, here are a few hints to help you
attract them and keep them around. Most
hummingbirds are migratory and travel from as far away as Mexico and South
America. The first thing you need to do
is get their attention. You don’t want
them zipping past your yard without even looking. You need to roll out the multicolored carpet
for them. 
This is done by planting
brightly colored, hummingbird loving plants.
There are many plants to choose from but here are some hummingbird
favorites. Butterfly bush, agastache,
bee balm, columbines, catmint and lupine.
Hummingbird feeders should be set out in early spring. It is cheap and easy to make your own nectar. It is simply 1 part sugar to 4 parts
water. It is a good idea to boil the
mixture to eliminate any impurities. The
mixture can be prepared and stored in the fridge until needed. Adding red coloring is unnecessary and ill
advised. The feeders have enough color
to attract the birds and recent studies have shown the red coloring is harmful
to hummingbirds. Feeders should be
cleaned and refilled every few days and sooner in extreme heat.
Cloudy nectar indicates bacteria and black
residue indicates mold. In either case
the feeder should be thoroughly cleaned as contaminated nectar can be harmful
to hummingbirds. It is advisable to hang
feeders in different locations because hummingbirds are extremely territorial and will chase each
other away from feeders. Domestic cats are
responsible for a lot of hummingbird deaths, so be mindful when choosing
locations. There are numerous styles of
hummingbird feeders but I prefer the ones with a perch. This way they can rest a bit, while slurping up the juice. Nectar
only makes up a portion of the hummingbirds diet. They need a steady supply of protein and
feast heavily on insects. They also use
spider webs in nest construction so avoid insecticides if possible.
Lastly, leave your feeders out until there
have been no hummer sightings for at least 2 weeks. Hummingbirds have an internal clock that
tells them when to head for warmer territory.
They will leave whether or not hummingbird feeders are still out. As the daylight hours lessen the birds will
begin to depart. The Anna’s hummingbird
is the exception. These hummingbirds are
known to remain year round. I have never
had Anna’s hummingbirds in my yard but will look into getting a heated feeder
if that should change. Happy hummingbird
happenings to all! Sources: Cornell Lab
of Ornithology Cornell University, Colostate.edu
