Hummingbirds Jewels Of The Sky

For four months each year, a little avian jewel sparkles amongst us, weighing in at about as much as a penny, but bringing priceless moments into our lives. It’s the Ruby-throated Hummingbird that has us anxiously anticipating their return each May and mourning their departure in September. Male hummingbirds, with their namesake iridescent ruby throat (gorget) were the first to arrive in early May. They return to the same breeding territory, even searching out that hummingbird feeder you had hanging on the window last year. Females return a week or two later, also sparkly with a shimmering green head and back, white underneath, but lacking the ruby throat. They set out almost immediately into their own roles in child-rearing; he, mating with the female, and she, building the nest, laying two eggs, keeping them warm, feeding the young, and showing them how to survive in the world. Yes, once the male has done the mating, the female does all the rest on her own. Males spend the summer defending their favorite food sources until their departure in August, ahead of the females and young. Feeding the Hummingbirds If you haven’t fed hummingbirds before, you will find that they are easy to attract with the addition of a hummingbird feeder filled with a sugar-and-water solution that mimics the nectar found in flowers. Your initial hummingbird feeder should be a simple one: a two-piece, bowl-shaped feeder is best - easy to fill, easy to clean and no drips! Hanging a hummingbird feeder is easy. You can hang it in a tree, on a shepherd’s crook, or on a window using a suction cup hook. We like to hang our hummingbird feeders fairly close - hummingbirds are small and lightning fast and you want to have the best opportunity to see them. Offering a hummingbird feeder does come with a responsibility though: you must commit to keep it clean. Nectar starts to age the minute you hang it outside. Heat and sun breaks nectar down and it will become cloudy and/or develop mold if not changed regularly. Not only is this bad for the birds, it’s bad for you because you just won’t see hummingbirds using your feeders like they would when offered a clean feeder filled with fresh nectar. Fortunately, it’s not hard to maintain a hummingbird feeder. First off, get a feeder that is easy to clean. If a feeder is hard to clean, we just tend to put off cleaning it! Make your own nectar by dissolving 1/4 cup table sugar into 1 cup of hot tap water (you can find the nectar recipe on our website at http://bit.ly/1WuKBFE). Do not add red coloring or buy nectar with red dye in it. Hummingbird feeders typically have a flower-like color and that’s all the color you need to attract hummingbirds to it. Then, at least every 4-5 days (more often if you’d like), bring the feeder in, clean it with hot water and refill it with fresh nectar. Follow this routine throughout the summer and you’ll be rewarded with many visits by these beautiful jewels of nature.