Hummingbirds

female hummer

The Ontario Hummingbird sightings map were encouraging! I watched with great anticipation.
Journey North provides North American hummingbird information.

Bloggers to the south posted their first sightings and I knew they were on the way! My feeders up May 2nd, sightings nearby in the county.

I spotted my first hummer May 5th, at 3:00 p.m., and he loved my Orchid cactus. Didn't love me, though, and he took off. They've been a bit shy. I decided to move the back deck feeder to have to in the front. I thought that might reduce the food fights. NOPE! They are still buzzing one another. I only seem to have two, at this point.



One of the bonuses of being at my client's house: is that he has several bird feeders up. This is his feeder. The silly thing saw me, and she zoomed by 2' away alongside me!

I posted some facts (mating, size, feeding babies about them in this previous post. Don't forget all those important ideas about hummingbird food and cleaning hummingbird birdfeeders:

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

• 1 part sugar/4 parts water
• Boil the mixture for 5 minutes to kill bacteria
• Thoroughly clean the feeder by rinsing with one part white vinegar to four parts water.
• Do this weekly after the feeder is up and going, especially in hot weather.
• Check to see if the nectar is cloudy, which could mean (deadly) bacteria.
• Let cool and store excess in refrigerator until ready to use.
• If the feeder is dirty, add a few grains of dry rice to the vinegar solution to help scrub it clean, as an abrasive.
• Rinse out the vinegar wash by rinsing three times with clear, warm water before refilling with sugar solution.
• Do not add food coloring, honey (which ferments), or artificial sweetener, which has no nutritional value.

National Audubon Society brochure (PDF)

Migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds

This was one of my mom's birds.
After she passed, I was slow to put up a feeder.
They let me know by peering in the window!
I put out food for them immediately!

There is a great website, especially for teachers, Journey North.
Visit All Journey North Maps <= here. They show the reports from last year, as well, for those of us who keep track and like data!

For example: Spring 2012
animation/map/data 

These little guys were here by March last year.

hummingbirds are moving north!

Tracking the trek north of our critters is a special pay-it-forward treat from our neighbours to the south. I am grateful for the people who report to the website.

I have put up the feeder, having watched the progress of the hummingbirds this year.

They were early last year, with our early melt and early spring.

Now is the time to prepare your feeders. There are things to remember with feeders. Do not use soap, or anything else like this, to clean your feeder. Simply use vinegar and water, and shake it up in the feeder. If there is scum inside, put in some raw rice and shake it up.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

• 1 part sugar to 4 parts water (e.g., i cup sugar, 4 of water)
• Boil the mixture for 5 minutes to kill bacteria

Cleaning

• Let cool and store excess in refrigerator until ready to use.
• Thoroughly clean the feeder by rinsing with one part white vinegar to four parts water.
• Do this weekly after the feeder is up and going, especially in hot weather.
• Check to see if the nectar is cloudy, which could mean (deadly) bacteria.
• If the feeder is visibly dirty, add a few grains of dry rice to the vinegar solution to help scrub it clean, as an abrasive.
• Rinse out the vinegar wash by rinsing 3 times with clear, warm water before refilling with sugar solution.



Isn't she pretty?!

• Do not add: food coloring, honey (which ferments), or artificial sweetener, which has no nutritional value.