HUMMING ALONG
Incoming! September 2020 hummer approaching a purple lobelia
It’s almost time for my humbuddies to return. I am SO excited!
Last year, the first hummer showed up on April 29.
When will the hummers return?
Send your guess and whoever guesses closest to the date that I see my first 2022 hummer will receive a free 8x10” hummingbird print.
This year, they say the migration might be earlier.
Check out this migration map for hummingbirds, where folks enter when they see the first hummer in their area. This is a screenshot I took today. Looks like they’re as far north as New Jersey. Yesterday, it was Richmond, VA, so they’re on the move.
3.26.2022
That’s good! It gives you time to create a sweet location for your hummers to fuel up. With one of the fastest metabolisms in the animal kingdom, hummingbirds are always on the lookout for nectar to fuel their busy bodies.
10 tips to attract hummingbirds:
Feed the right food.
Hummingbirds love sugar water. The sweet mix I have been using for the past seven years is:
1 part sugar (no artificial sweeteners and no red dye, please)
4 parts water
Mix together.
Bring to a boil
Cool completely
Fill your feeder.
Leftovers may be refrigerated for up to a week, so consider making extra.
2020 Rose the hummingbird sitting pretty in between sips
2. Plant red flowers.
Hummers have a heightened visual sensitivity to red flowers. Birds & Blooms even has a Top 10 Red Flowers for Hummingbirds list:
Red Daylilies
Columbine
Cardinal flower
Penstemon
Bee balm
Hibiscus
Peony
Coral Bells
Garden Phlox
Oriental Poppy
They also recommend annuals like snapdragon, flowering tobacco, and pentas.
3. Keep feeders clean.
Fill feeders halfway and change the mixture every three to five days. Keeping it out of the hot sun also helps. If a feeder does develop mold inside, clean it with hot water and vinegar. For tough spots, use a bottle brush, or fill the feeder with sand or rice and water and shake vigorously. [birds and blooms]
4. Deter bees, wasps, and ants.
They are unwanted guests at a hummingbird feeder. Make sure the feeder ports are large enough for a hummingbird beak, but not large enough that a bee could fit. Fill the nectar far enough below the port opening, ¼ to ½ inch, so that bees can’t access it. Saucer-style feeders are usually excellent. Also, try an ant moat to discourage crawling ants.
[birds and blooms]
5. Avoid bullies.
I have witnessed some nasty in-air beak-to-beak battles among hummingbirds. These birds can get downright territorial when food is on the line! Last year, we watched two males battling it out for about an hour, dive bombing each other. To prevent one hummingbird from alienating swarms of others, set two or three feeders out of sight from one another. Problem solved. There’s enough for everyone! [birds and blooms]
6. Provide a Perch.
Be sure your feeders have a bar for the birds to perch on, or make sure the feeders are close to a bush or fence.
place feeders near bushes so hummers can perch on branches
7. Keep hummer feeders away from busy songbird feeders.
In our yard, we usually have 6-8 various feeders spread around the yard.
8. Leave spider webs up.
Spider webs are one of the materials used by hummingbirds to weave together the nest. The tiny fibers of spider webbing are what holds it together, what bonds it to its support, and what allows the nest to expand as the nestlings grow. Hummers also visit spider webs to swipe and eat insects caught in the webbing, yet another reason to leave those webs alone. [birdwatchers digest]
9. Rotten fruit!
Rotten fruit is very important to hummingbirds. Why? They need protein, as well as nectar. Rotten, or rotting, fruit attracts fruit flies and other insects (I know, ewww!), which are the perfect high-protein snacks for hummingbirds. Hummingbirds rely on insects as a major part of their diet. Place a brown banana (or some other past-its-freshness-date fruit) out near your hummer feeder and leave it there until it begins to attract insects. Then watch to see if these insects attract hungry hummingbirds. [birdwatchers digest]
10. Place feeders in a safe zone.
You want to avoid window collisions. To keep hummingbirds safe from window collisions, or from getting their delicate bills stuck in window screens, place feeders either very close to the window, or at least five feet away. [spruce.com]
Avoid Window Collisions
I attended an American Bird Conservancy webinar this past week and learned quite a bit about window strikes by birds.
To protect all feathered friends from window collisions, you can:
Place decals on the outside of your windows to hide the reflection. You can’t place just one and be done. You need to place several 2” apart from each other.
Use bird tape and cut out designs to make it more fun. Even a line pattern would work well.
Paint stripes, or dots, or any fun colorful design on your windows. Use acrylic or tempera paint.
painted windows will deter birds from flying into them
Hummingbirds Hibernate?
Well, not really. They go into torpor mode.
Hummingbirds migrate because they are unable to withstand freezing temperatures for extended periods of time. If cold weather sets in early, or a straggler faces an unexpected cold spell, they adapt.
Hummingbird bodies will essentially shut down all non-essential functions and go into a hibernation-like state called torpor. This is a really deep sleep that can last five to 10 hours. They drop their body temperatures by up to 50 degrees, to the point of becoming hypothermic, and slow their heartbeats to almost nothing.
When warmer temperatures return, they “wake up” and continue their journey. It can be a little alarming to see a hummingbird in torpor, since they often hang upside-down from a tree or even a feeder. Don’t disturb hummingbirds you find exhibiting this behavior; they’ll be just fine once the weather warms up.
Feeders I use to Keep the Hummers Coming Back Each year
It’s a good idea to have various feeder options. In case you’re wondering, this is one style of feeder I use quite successfully that I hang along my fence.
Hummingbirds return year after year. I read that they visit their usual watering holes and will bring their growing families with them. The most hummers I have seen at one time is six. Usually it’s 2-4.
Good luck with your hummer adventures! Photographing them is another topic I’ll have to write about. One thing’s for sure: it’s not easy! Ha!