Hummingbirds. What fascinating creatures.
Hummingbirds are tiny, really tiny. Got a nickel in your pocket? That’s how much the little birds weigh. Their nests are the size of a quarter.
Hummingbirds are in a perpetual state of excitement, at least so far as their pulse rates are concerned. On average, a hummer’s heart beats 615 times per minute and can reach over 1,200 beats per minute. They are also fast little devils, attaining flight speeds of up to 34 miles per hour.
The tiny birds are definitely sugar-holics. They dine on nectar from assorted plants and flowers. They need their sugar fix for quick energy. Each day, they must consume more than their weight in nectar or perish. Hummers also need protein in their diets and get that by picking off an insect or two throughout the day.
It is said that hummingbirds are more attracted to the feeders because of their bright adornments than they are to the red sugar water mixture.
It seems that each year we have had bee problems at our hummingbird feeders. Bees, some sort of huge yellow jackets, take over and will actually chase the hummers away. I think we may have figured out the solution.
First, we have been buying the mix sold in stores. I’m not positive, but I think the mixes all have cornstarch in them as an anti-caking agent. This additive, it is said, can contribute to premature fermentation. And fermentation attracts bees.
Leah Leffler, from Charlottesville, is another hummer enthusiast, and says that when she puts out a solution from a mix, the little birds will come, but they are not all that enthusiastic. When she uses her own, special recipe, the hummers devour the food.
Leah uses a mixture of 1 part sugar with 3 parts water and enough red food coloring to add the right tint. She boils the concoction and then cools the mixture, which helps to deter the growth of bacteria and yeast, which I believe discourages the hummers. So, we are now shifting all our feeder juice to the homemade variety. Ordinary granulated, white sugar is preferred.
And my daughter said that if you put Vaseline around the edge of the feeders, it keeps the bees away. Don’t know why or how, but it’s working. No more bees.
Hummingbirds typically arrive in Central Virginia from about mid-April through the end of May. Occasionally, we’ll see a bird of two in the spring, but it’s usually July before they come to our feeders en masse. They skip town, heading for Central and South America, each fall. Some suggest that bird lovers do a disservice by keeping feeders up too late in the year, thus discouraging hummingbirds from migrating. There is no proof to substantiate that claim. Hummers will leave when the time is right, feeders or no feeders.
Hummers are quite territorial. We have Alpha hummers that guard each of our feeders. They sit on a nearby limb and wait for intruders. If an uninvited hummer shows up, tiny feathers fly. Oddly, I visited a home in Orange County a few years back which the owner said was on some sort of a flyway. While I was on their back porch, dozens and dozens of hummers came to their feeders without so much as one chirp of jealousy.
The Virginia Department of Game and inland Fisheries warns about creating death traps for hummingbirds in the form of open garages. If there is any red or bright color (like a gasoline can) in your garage, hummers will eagerly enter to inspect. When they find themselves closed in, rather than flying back out the door, their instincts are to fly up to escape. They then become confused and are often unable to find an exit. Sometimes a broom can help them find the way out, but better yet, keep your garage doors closed when you’re not going in or out.
Attracting hummingbirds is an easy task. Buy a feeder or two and keep it filled with fresh contents. Planting for hummingbirds in the form of a garden is also simple. Just grow as many bright flowers – red or any other color -as possible. For more information on attracting these spectacular creatures, visit your favorite garden center for advice.