One of the most interesting birds around is the hummingbird. There is just nothing else like watching the tiny creature zip around your yard and find hummingbird food. The little bird can zip across the yard, buzz your ear and fly away before you can even spot it! Keeping a regular hummingbird visitor in your yard is fun and easy to do, just provide a little hummingbird food.
You can bring even more hummingbirds in to your yard by planting 'natural' sources of hummingbird food in your landscaping in addition to hanging hummingbird feeders. Natural sources of hummingbird nectar may be as easy to maintain as the bird feeders you hang up! Besides providing nourishment to the birds, your yard will become a treasure to look at since hummingbirds prefer some of the prettiest and most colorful species of flowers.
Natural Hummingbird Food
Nectar is the main food source for hummingbirds. They find nectar in flowers. Hummingbirds seem to be attracted to red flowers more than other colors. I have used scarlet salvia, cardinal flower, red bee balm and coral bells with great success. I prefer perennials to annuals as they come back year after year providing a reliable natural food source for hummingbirds. Hummingbirds supplement their diet with tiny flying insects.
"Artificial" Hummingbird Food
Having a yard isn't always possible. Or you may not like gardening. You may live in a nursing home, a second floor apartment or a condo in the city, but you can still attract hummingbirds. You can use flowering hanging baskets or hummingbird feeders. Hummingbird feeders come in several different sizes, shapes and colors. They can be hung from windows, patio eaves and even porch balconies.
When using hummingbird feeders look for ones that have red coloring on them. Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. Hummingbird feeders come in many shapes and sizes but that is more a personal preference. The hummingbirds only care about the nectar inside.
Feeders for Hummingbirds
Hummingbird feeders are available in two styles - bottle and dish. Bottle feeders are upside down glass or plastic bottles fitted with feeding tubes extending from the bottom. Many bottle feeders feature a red plastic flower to help attract hummingbirds. You may also find bottle feeders that have bee-guards on the feeding ports to stop flying insects from invading your feeder. Hanging your bottle feeder out of direct sunlight may keep it from leaking. Leaking is caused when the sugar water gets too hot and expands.
When shopping for dish style hummingbird feeders you will find some made out of plastic. The other style is made from blown glass. These feeders are beautiful pieces of art that will add a touch of class to your bird feeding station. Plastic dish feeders consist of a dish to hold the nectar and a cover with multiple feeding ports. The feeding ports are usually shaped like flowers to attract hummingbirds. The topside feeding ports are not appealing to flying insects, as they cannot reach the nectar inside. I have tried both styles of hummingbird feeders and I think the dish style works the best.
Hummingbird Food Recipe
Making nectar for feeding hummingbirds is simple. The traditional recipe calls for 4 parts of water to one part sugar. You can adjust the batch size to fit your feeder needs as long as you maintain the 4 to 1 ratio. If you go through a lot of nectar and have a large number of feeders to fill daily, you can mix 4 gallons of water with one gallon of white sugar. For small feeders, mix 4 cups of water with one cup of sugar.
The mixture doesn't necessarily need to be boiled. Boiling the sugar and water will guarantee that it is mixed, but stirring well will also keep it mixed. When you do boil your mixture, make sure to cool it down before serving it up to the birds. Red food dye is not needed to attract them, either. The red dye may actually be harmful to the birds. Store any leftover nectar in the refrigerator. It can remain for a week or two without going bad.
Hummingbirds will visit your hummingbird feeders into the fall. Many of the hummers you see at your feeders in the fall are migrating from locations farther north. The nourishment they receive from your feeders will provide the energy needed for the long flight to their winter home.
The effort you put into attracting hummingbirds will be rewarded for years to come. Studies have proved that hummingbirds will come back to the same feeding grounds from year to year.
About the Author:
If you love feeding hummingbirds I want help you attract more of them. Using plants and hummingbird feeders will bring these attractive birds flocking to your yard. Just apply these easy to follow tips.
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