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Hummingbirds - Watch These Amazing Birds Raise Their Family By David R Price The name brings smiles to our faces. Hummingbird. You smile and can imagine this tiny bird darting from flower to flower, hovering in space, in its iridescent splendor. Every year we sit on the patio and watch as several males establish their territories in our backyard birding areas. There always seems to be one who thinks all the feeders are for him and him alone. After a while, it seems like a well laid battle plan. One hummingbird feeds while another draws the bully away - over and over again. The Ruby Throated Hummingbird is the most common in the US and normally the only hummingbird east of the Mississippi river. This tiny bird is also an amazing migratory bird. Each fall, hummingbirds leave the US and as far north as Canada to begin an arduous journey to Central America for the winter. Yes, these cute fragile looking birds fly non-stop hundreds of miles across the Gulf of Mexico each and every year. If you live along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, help these fancy flyers out by supplying nectar. Hummers need plenty of stored energy for the tiring flight across those open waters. They enjoy the tropical paradise for winter and as the season changes they begin heading north - again across those open waters. These weary travelers begin arriving as early as the end of February along the coast and could use some easily accessible food supplies to replenish themselves. Many of these birds can be found resting and stocking up on food for the rest of their journey. By the end of March they begin showing up as far north as Kentucky, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. April finds these travelers along the Canadian border. By the end of May the Ruby will have established their summer nesting areas from Florida to mid Canada and as far west as the Dakotas. Having arrived, these birds search out nesting sites near readily available food sources. Attract Hummingbirds to your backyard. Begin by setting out a few feeders filled with nectar. The hungry birds will search them out and if you have shrubbery for nesting - they may just stay the entire summer. If you supply nectar every year, these nesting families will come back year after year. You will have established your own hummingbird summer home. Now plant bee balm, honeysuckles, trumpet flowers, hummingbird vines, and other flowering plants. Hummingbirds not only feed on nectar but also eat small insects that are on these flowers. We have several families that return every year and nest inside our wooden fence. That is the next pleasure - watching them raise a family! The nests of these birds are of course also very small. Hummers like nesting sites safe from heavy winds and rain. Tight shrubbery protected from the wind is a great place for hummers to build a nest. There is a commercially available Hummingbird House Kit designed, tested, and proven to attract the Ruby as well as other hummingbirds, depending on where you live. These kits are economical and once a female nests on one, she will return to the same spot year after year. Many people enjoy these nesting kits because they afford a better view of the nesting family and baby hummingbirds. So get ready, clean your feeders, ready the nectar, and enjoy these amazing birds. Try this for an easy nectar recipe that works great for us: Use 1 part sugar to 4 parts water or 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water Bring water to a rapid boil Cool and add to hummingbird feeders Seal and refrigerate unused nectar Keep the nectar fresh, change every 3 to 4 days to prevent spoiling and attract the most hummers. David Price is an avid amateur bird watcher, outdoor photographer, and owner of Fancy Flyers - a website providing birding information, festival schedules, pictures, products, and stories at http://www.fancyflyers.com The author also has a birding blog site:
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