THE JOY OF HUMMINGBIRDS Photo by Russ Thompson I have always enjoyed birdwatching and gardening but had never planted my garden for the birds. I had always heard of hummingbirds, seen them in books, but I had never actually seen a live one. That is, until last Summer. I guess I just happened to have the right flowers on my deck to attract the hummers. It was by sheer accident that I noticed the little creature. One afternoon in the beginning of August I was sitting in my living room. The windows and patio doors were all open to let the warm and fragrant breeze waft through the house. I was laying on the couch reading. There was no TV or radio noise, just the sound of the breeze and birds calling. I heard what I thought to be a bumble bee buzzing. I looked but didn't see anything. I went back to reading. A few minutes later I again heard the 'bumble bee', but realized that the sound was not quite that of a bee, it was a somewhat softer buzzing sound. Again, I looked up from my book, out the window and saw what I thought was a very large green bumble bee. As I got up to look more closely, the 'bumble bee' stopped in mid air and stared at me. I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized it was a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. (I recognized it from pictures I had seen.) I couldn't believe my eyes. As I took a step closer, the hummer promptly turned and dissappeared. He was there one minute and gone in an instant. I was so elated I couldn't contain myself. I had to tell someone what I had just seen. I called my mother immediately to tell her, nearly shouting into the phone. Male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Photo by DAN TRUE When I thought back to the preceding minutes, I realized the hummer had been hovering by my hanging purple Petunias. I thought it was just a fluke that I had seen him and didn't expect the bird to come back. So I went back to reading. About 10 minutes later, I heard him agin. I looked up and there he was, again by the Petunias. I steathily got up and grabbed my camera. I felt like I was on a safari as I slowly crept over to the doors while the hummer flitted from flower to flower sipping the nector. This was so exciting! I slowly stood up and aimed my camera. The bird spun around and stared at me. Click! I took his picture. I was so exicted, my heart was racing. I had actually seen a live hummingbird for the first time in my life and I was able to photograph it! I sat on my living room floor the rest of the day watching the hummer return time after time at about 15 minute intervals. I took a whole role of film that day. (Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out as good as I had hoped.) That night, I went to the local pet shop and purchased a book on hummingbirds, two feeders and nector. I got home and prepared the nector. (See recipe below.) While it cooled I washed the feeders, assembled them and chose the locations where I wanted to hang them. I could hardly wait for the next day. Hummer at Dawn, 8/9/99, by ME The following morning I was up at dawn and waiting in the darkness of my living room. Son of gun! There he was again. I sat that entire day watching the hummer return again and again and again, going from the flowers to the feeders. At one point, a second hummingbird came by and was chased by "my" hummingbird. After reading more on the little creatures I learned they could be very territorial. So I knew I had to move the feeders farther apart. But I was afraid if I moved them, the hummers wouldn't come back. I took a chance and moved the feeders, one on each corner of my balcony. But that didn't stop the hummer from coming back. He found the new locations of the feeders in no time at all. Photo by Russ Thompson That was the beginning of a passion for me. To watch these marvelous little creatures is amazing. They move so quickly that they seem to dissapper into thin air. I marvel at their ability to stop in mid air and to hang there as if held up by an invisible string. I went to the local nursery and bought more flowers and bushes that would attract the birds and that they could feed from. The rest of the Summer was spent enjoying these creatures. Hungry Hummer, 8/9/99, by ME I've already planned my garden (on my third floor deck) for this year for the enjoyment and nourishment of these amazing little birds. It should be only a few more weeks and perhaps I'll start seeing them again. I'll keep you posted! (See my JOURNAL, along with new photos taken each year.) NECTOR RECIPE You can buy powdered nector in a pet store to make, but that can be bothersome, always having to run to the pet store. I did that a couple of times last year and then decided to make my own nector. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! One part sugar to four parts water. Boil water for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in sugar until it dissolves completely. That's it! The nector can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Change the nector in your feeders every 2 to 3 days, every 2 days in very hot weather. You should wash out your feeders before refilling them, making sure to scrub them. Every 7 to 10 days I like to soak the feeders in a solution of 1 part bleach and 3 parts water for about an hour, then scrub and rinse well. Please don't put red food coloring in the nector. It is not necessary to color the nector. As long as your feeder has red on it, it will attract the hummers. You may want to position your feeders near flowers that attract the birds. Once the hummers have established a rountine of coming to your flowers and feeders, you can relocate the feeders. The hummers will find them. You may want to hang several feeders depending on how many birds visit you and how fast they consume the nector. There are many types of feeders, but I won't go into them, other than to say this: RED, RED, RED! Your feeders should have red on them. The red is what attracts the birds. Also, try hanging feeders with and without perches. Despite what many people think, hummers do get tired, and will appreciate having a perch to sit on while they feed. I'm going to try a perched feeder this year. It just makes sense to me. The little creatures spend most of their waking hours searching for food, with their little wings fluttering almost to fast to see. That takes a lot of energy (thus the high sugar content in the nector). So give them a break and offer them a choice of perched feeders along with the non-perch feeders. I'm sure they will appreciate the rest. FLOWERS & SHRUBS I've done my own research for the types of flowers and shrubs that will attract the little beauties in my neck of the woods (New Jersey). I know from my own experiece that they love: Petunias (reds and purples) Purple Honeysuckle Snap Dragons Fuschias (hot pink and purple and red) But I've also learned of some other flowers and shrubs for this area: Bee Balm (red) Butterfly Weed (yellow) Bugleweed / Carpet Bugle (blues) Flowering Tobacco Trumpte Vines Butterfly Bush Morning Glory Flox Impatients Bleeding Hearts Dahlia Firebush Geraniums Salvia Zinnias I am sure there are more, but you must take into account the sun conditions for your particular garden. Since I only have a balcony garden, I also have to take care of what will and will not do well in containers. I have found that shrubs like Butterfly Bushes and Flox do well in containers. However, at the end of the growing season I transplant them to my mother's yard where they stay. I'll enjoy the change of bushes every year (which can be expensive) and continue my experiments on gardening and natural bird and butterfly feeding. ALL PHOTOS USED ON THIS PAGE ARE USED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHERS. HUMMINGBIRD WEBSITES I have found some really great sites regarding Hummingbirds that you may like to visit. These sites are informative and their pictures are awesome! Enjoy! This Hummingbird Web Ring site owned by Peggy Waters Previous | Next Previous 5 Sites | Next 5 Sites Random Site | List Sites Add your site to the Ring THE HUMMINGBIRD SOCIETY HUMMINGSBIRDS.net TEXAS BIRD WATCHER DAN TRUE BOOKS (Hummingbirds of North America) CAROLINA HUMMINGBIRD BUZZ .
I have always enjoyed birdwatching and gardening but had never planted my garden for the birds. I had always heard of hummingbirds, seen them in books, but I had never actually seen a live one. That is, until last Summer. I guess I just happened to have the right flowers on my deck to attract the hummers. It was by sheer accident that I noticed the little creature. One afternoon in the beginning of August I was sitting in my living room. The windows and patio doors were all open to let the warm and fragrant breeze waft through the house. I was laying on the couch reading. There was no TV or radio noise, just the sound of the breeze and birds calling. I heard what I thought to be a bumble bee buzzing. I looked but didn't see anything. I went back to reading. A few minutes later I again heard the 'bumble bee', but realized that the sound was not quite that of a bee, it was a somewhat softer buzzing sound. Again, I looked up from my book, out the window and saw what I thought was a very large green bumble bee. As I got up to look more closely, the 'bumble bee' stopped in mid air and stared at me. I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized it was a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. (I recognized it from pictures I had seen.) I couldn't believe my eyes. As I took a step closer, the hummer promptly turned and dissappeared. He was there one minute and gone in an instant. I was so elated I couldn't contain myself. I had to tell someone what I had just seen. I called my mother immediately to tell her, nearly shouting into the phone.
When I thought back to the preceding minutes, I realized the hummer had been hovering by my hanging purple Petunias. I thought it was just a fluke that I had seen him and didn't expect the bird to come back. So I went back to reading. About 10 minutes later, I heard him agin. I looked up and there he was, again by the Petunias. I steathily got up and grabbed my camera. I felt like I was on a safari as I slowly crept over to the doors while the hummer flitted from flower to flower sipping the nector. This was so exciting! I slowly stood up and aimed my camera. The bird spun around and stared at me. Click! I took his picture. I was so exicted, my heart was racing. I had actually seen a live hummingbird for the first time in my life and I was able to photograph it! I sat on my living room floor the rest of the day watching the hummer return time after time at about 15 minute intervals. I took a whole role of film that day. (Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out as good as I had hoped.) That night, I went to the local pet shop and purchased a book on hummingbirds, two feeders and nector. I got home and prepared the nector. (See recipe below.) While it cooled I washed the feeders, assembled them and chose the locations where I wanted to hang them. I could hardly wait for the next day.
That was the beginning of a passion for me. To watch these marvelous little creatures is amazing. They move so quickly that they seem to dissapper into thin air. I marvel at their ability to stop in mid air and to hang there as if held up by an invisible string. I went to the local nursery and bought more flowers and bushes that would attract the birds and that they could feed from. The rest of the Summer was spent enjoying these creatures.
I've already planned my garden (on my third floor deck) for this year for the enjoyment and nourishment of these amazing little birds. It should be only a few more weeks and perhaps I'll start seeing them again. I'll keep you posted! (See my JOURNAL, along with new photos taken each year.)
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