Joy Of Feeding Humming Birds

There are a few pleasures that one can enjoy for free and backyard bird watching is one such pleasure. Watching Hummingbirds is a definite joy with there flight and personalities a plus. These beautiful little birds come in lovely jewel-toned colors and they seem to hover in mid air as they sip nectar from your garden flowers.  There is another way that you can attract these birds to your garden, and that is by adding a Humming bird feeder to your backyard, garden, patio or even your window.  These especially  designed feeders  for holding nectar rather than seed is specially made for Hummingbirds and some of them  can also be used by Orioles.

There are many types of  Hummingbird feeders that you can buy. Almost all of them will have some red color to them. This is because Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. However if you feel that there is not enough  red on your hummingbird feeder then you can tie a red colored ribbon around the feeder or fill it with red colored nectar until the birds have found it.

Besides the red color, Hummingbirds love to have nectar from flowers  Hummingbirds love,shrubs, vines and trees. By hanging feeders from a porch, pole or amongst the flowers hummingbirds love, you will get the double pleasure of feeding hummingbirds even if there are not any flowers blooming in your garden.

Now  Hummingbirds  will visit your  backyard, porch, or window  to come to your humming bird feeder. You can also attract hummingbirds by adding  their favorite flowers and plants to your backyard or patio in pots. Plant and flowers Humming birds love are Columbine, Begonias and Holly Hocks, as well as Fuchsias, Coral Bells and Lantana. Hummers also like Impatiens, Penstemen, and Petunias along with Geraniums and Flowering Tobacco.

They are also attracted to Azaleas, Flowering Quince, Honeysuckle, Weigela and the Butterfly Bush. Flowering trees like Trumpet Creeper, Morning Glory, and Trumpet Honeysuckle may also see visitors of feeding hummingbirds. Others include Tulip Poplars, Honeysuckle Vines and Flowering Crab trees.

Hummingbirds are very territorial birds so you may want to  place other feeders where the hummingbirds will not see each other or at least be separated. If you have just one feeder you will probably see a lot of squabbling and territorial rivalry going on at times. Should you place the feeders near each other the hummingbirds will fight each other; sometimes to the death just to protect their favorite feeder this can also occur when they are territorial over a Hummingbirds favorite flowering plants.

The best time to place your Hummingbird feeder is about 5 to 10 days before the Hummingbird season begins in your area. This way should any passing migratory Hummingbirds see the feeder they may stop in your backyard. There is a chance that you may have Hummingbirds from another country stop in on their migratory flight as well.

The season for Hummingbirds begins when the weather starts turning warmer, therefore it is best that you know their traveling times. This way you will attract Hummingbirds to your garden, patio, or window even if there are not any fragrant flowers blooming.

Since Humming birds eat not only the nectar from flowers and of cause from humming bird feeders they they depend on small insects,and sometimes small spiders for their protein. So you will see them coming to your garden when the weather warms up or in parts of California year round.They migrate as they travel following food sources.The nectar they eat is primarily their power source for their insect catching. The lack of insect populations during the winter and subfreezing weather  is the reason most Humming birds migrate to Central America in the winter or they face the possibility of starvation from lack of nectar and insects. A way to keep feeding Hummingbirds other than planting flowers hummingbirds love in your garden is to hang a  Humming bird feeder and filling it with instant Hummingbird food mix, or you can prepare your own mixture.

Home Made Hummingbird Nectar

If you want to prepare your own Hummingbird mixture this one has been found to be a favorite of feeding Hummingbirds. Take 1 part cane sugar, 4 parts water, and boil together for 1 to 2 minutes so as to kill bacteria and slow down spoilage, cool then fill the feeder. Do not use artificial sugar or honey as it can kill the birds.Also Hummingbirds prefer cane sugar so if you are having problems attracting the Hummers check the type of sugar you are using.You can add red food coloring to help attract the humming birds to your feeder how ever I do not recommend it as it is not a natural substance.Keep the nectar mixture in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

One thing you must remember to do is to clean your Humming bird feeder every time you add new Hummingbird food to your feeder.This can be done by washing in warm water and using a brush. If molds  appear on your feeder washing them with water and a bleach solution or soaking them in it will kill the mold, then rinse thoroughly .You can refrigerate the food you do not use for about two weeks then you will need to make a new batch. Also remember to replace your Hummingbird food weekly in hot weather. Never let the Humming bird food remain in a feeder for longer than two weeks as the sugars change into a chemical that is bad for your humming birds and may kill them.

Once you have started feeding hummingbirds you will be amazed at how many will come and the different verities of humming birds  you will see. These colorful little birds will enjoy your garden, backyard or patio even more with a humming bird feeder and the flowers Hummingbirds love if you decide to plant them.

Thank You for visiting Backyard Bird Watching hope you enjoy feeding Humming Birds.