My Hummingbirds are Back Full Force

Where we live, the hummingbirds come to spend the summer and we generally have 50 or more feeding at a time.  Right now we have about 2 dozen vying for spots at the feeders.  I spent a little time yesterday trying to capture them feeding together.  The more that arrive the more wild and crazy it gets out there!

four hummingbirds at feederThis year I have one special hummingbird that follows me around the yard everytime I water my pots.  He hovers about 3 feet away from me and darts around then comes back.  It's quite fun and entertaining.  At first I thought I was getting too close to the nest and he was going to attack me (hummingbirds are totally unafraid of size differences!) but then he just hovered and watched me at work.  Would you think me strange if I told you I talk to him?!  Don't answer that question!!!!

I get questions often on feeding hummingbirds, here's the recipe for the solution that I use, I pulled it from http://www.hummingbirds.net/feeders.html#recipe:

"Here is an article by Penny Elliston, a licensed hummingbird rehabilitator, about the dangers of relying too heavily on commercial mixes.

Please, do not put honey, Jell-O, brown sugar, fruit, or red food coloring in your feeder! Honey ferments rapidly when diluted with water and can kill hummingbirds. The effects of red dye have not been not scientifically tested, and it is not necessary to color the water to attract birds to your feeder. Further, there are unverified reports that red dye can cause tumors in hummingbirds; this may or may not be true, but why take the chance?

Here's the recipe for artificial nectar (syrup):

  • Use one part ordinary white cane sugar to four parts water.

     

  • It's not necessary to boil the water. The microorganisms that cause fermentation don't come from the water; they are transported to the feeder on hummingbird bills.

     

  • Store unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

This mixture approximates the average sucrose content (about 21%) of the flowers favored by North American hummingbirds, without being so sweet it attracts too many insects.

Distilled water may be used instead of tapwater. However, some researchers are concerned that distilled water lacks minerals that hummingbirds need, and believe it would be prudent to add a pinch of sodium-free salt, which contain potassium chloride, to feeder solutions made with distilled or demineralized water. This should help bring the salt content of artificial nectar back in line with that of natural nectar and help prevent electrolyte deficiencies. Do not use table salt (sodium chloride). Adding salt is not necessary if well or tap water is used.

Any syrup solution will spoil rapidly in warm weather and especially in direct sunlight, so strict maintenance is required (see below). (Article continues on the site for more information)"

When Jacqui gets home from college, she has a digital camera that takes video, so I'll try to figure out how to post a video clip of the chaos of feeding time, you'll get a kick out of it!

Mentioning Jacqui, my pilot girl has finished her semester at school and is moving out of the dorm today, but has 8 flight activities left to secure her private pilot's license before she heads home.  I would appreciate it if you would pray for her to remember everything for her final check ride with the FAA!  She's studying hard and when she comes home she's going to rent a plane locally, maybe she'll take her Mama up for a tour?!  I can't wait for her to be home annoying me and kicking me out of my art studio (her bedroom!)

Have a great day!

AJ 

15 thoughts on “My Hummingbirds are Back Full Force”

  1. I just love Hummingbirds, I have two feeders up. They are so fun to watch I think I have the same ones come back every year and now the families also.

    Have a wonderful day everyone.

    Lora

  2. Oh Audrey, they are so lovely and so tiny. I do wish I could see them in real life. I’ve never seen a humminbird in real life, only on TV. When seen on TV they look quite big but they are so small and swift. Beautiful!! (They weigh less than an ounce! They’re soooo tiny and yet beautiful, Aj)

  3. Thanks for the recipe – will try that instead of the store bought stuff. Always put a lot in mine, yes it is wasteful. So appreciated that info.

    We’ll remind you when you have no “art studio” how excited you were to have DD home. 🙂 (Oh you know me soooo well! Actually I’m only giving up half of the space and that’s the half that holds my laptop for the internet, so I’ll just have to clear some of the disaster area in my studio space (formal dining room) where my crafting and computer are. My art/painting space will stay in her room. AJ)

  4. Great picture. Don’tcha just love the little things.
    Love all the info on the feeding of the birds.
    Patsy

  5. Great picture. I get a hummingbird once or twice every couple years. If I remember right I caught it on my camera video last time. Not sure what hard drive it is on now though.

    When you are ready to post video you can give a shout if you need help. I have video on one of my websites.

  6. I love your hummingbird pictures. Thank you also for posting your recipe. My mom feeds them also, and they are just amazing to watch.

    Karin

  7. Great pics AJ. I am sure they would be amazing to watch. Never seen a humming bird…. don’t think we have them over here. They look so tiny! Thanks for sharing.

  8. Thank you for all of the great information. I have always wanted to hang up a hummingbird feeder.

  9. Darn and I’ve been boiling mine for a minute before putting it out. Thanks
    for the tips AJ – it’s about time to get my feeders out as the wild columbine
    is now in bloom and that’s the time we start to see these little guys.

  10. Lots of useful information. Thanks. That picture is worth a thousand words. It looks like a postcard. Lovely.

  11. I watched a mother and baby hummer in nest last year and had another this year build a nest and hatch out one baby hummer from two eggs. When the baby was between 10 and 12 days old, the mother failed to return to feed the baby in the evening and the next morning. I contacted a lady who cares for hummers and on her advise took the baby to her. The weather was rainy and windy and the baby had no protected from the eliments. Unfortunately, the baby was too weak and cold to take nourishment and passed away during the night. It saddened me deeply as I thoroughly enjoy watching the the hummers. The advice you posted is absolutely correct, except I’ve been advised to boil the
    tap water then add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Thanks for the information you provided. (I had always heard that too, but this information was provided by a hummingbird specialist. I have not boiled the water now for 3 years and have had no problems. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to boil it, just for some people it takes more time which means that they may not decide to have a feeder. Thanks for sharing your story! AJ)

  12. What a wonderful photo!! Thank you for sharing and for the recipe.

    I have had a couple of humming birds come by and managed to get a photo of one, but it was long ago, and before Digital – so it’s somewhere in amongst all those printed photos that I have in drawers and boxes. And I admit to not being very organized and/or making the time to put memorable photos in albums.

  13. Thanks for the pic, AJ. Aren’t they magnifiscent? Glad you gave the tips
    about the nectar too–I always see the red type, but as you say, why
    risk it? I always feel like the cat that stole the canary when I get a glimpse
    of hummingbirds. (p.s. I’m a DAISIE)

  14. I love humming birds and miss seeing them. When I lived in the deep south as a child we watched them each summer as they hovered around our flowers on our big screen porch. What a wonderful memory this picture brings back.
    Thanks AJ

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