The Hummingbird

How many times have you heard the old myth about Hummingbirds hitching a ride south on the backs of geese? Sorry folks! It just ain't so.

Although hummingbirds may fly over water in the company of other bird species, they do not "hitchhike" on other birds. Some hummingbirds land on offshore oil rigs or fishing boats to rest. Individual birds may make landfall anywhere between southern Texas and central Florida.

Hummingbird feeders, rather than dispensing seed, supply liquid nourishment to hummingbirds in the form of a sugar solution. This mixture often is colored red to attract birds. Some Hummingbird feeders have red accents or red glass to help attract hummingbirds. Mold tends to grow in hummingbird feeders, so they must be refreshed frequently and kept very clean to avoid harm to the birds, see "Humingbird Facts" below for more details. Ants and other insects are also attracted to hummingbird nectar. Smearing petroleum jelly on the feeder's hangar will prevent the ants from crawling down to the feeder below.

Making Hummingbird Feed:

(1) For one small to medium-sized feeder, combine 1 cup tap water or bottled drinking water with 1/4 cup (1:4 ratio) or 1/3 cup (1:3 ratio) of white granulated sugar and stir until all of the sugar is dissolved.
(2) Fill the feeder and hang it in a shady location near a window, deck, or patio where you can enjoy it.
(3) Every 2 to 4 days, empty any remaining sugar water from the feeder, scrub with a sponge if necessary to remove mold, rinse the feeder with hot water, and refill with freshly made or refrigerated solution.

See "How to Feed Hummingbirds" article below!

How to Feed Hummingbirds
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Hummingbird feeders bring these jewel-like creatures up close where you can observe and enjoy them while providing them with a reliable source of energy. A well-designed commercial feeder plus a homemade solution of sugar and water can either complement or substitute for the sugar-rich flower nectar that fuels hummingbirds' fast-paced lifestyle.
Steps

1. Select a feeder style that can be disassembled for easy cleaning.
   
2. Select a feeder size that will hold two to three days' worth of nectar at normal use rates; for most areas, 6 to 12 ounces is sufficient.
   
3. For one small to medium-sized feeder, combine 1 cup tap water or bottled drinking water with 1/4 cup (1:4 ratio) or 1/3 cup (1:3 ratio) of white granulated sugar and stir until all of the sugar is dissolved.
   
4. Fill the feeder and hang it in a shady location near a window, deck, or patio where you can enjoy it.
   
5. Every 2 to 4 days, empty any remaining sugar water from the feeder, scrub with a sponge if necessary to remove mold, rinse the feeder with hot water, and refill with freshly made or refrigerated solution.
   

Tips

• Saucer-shaped feeders are usually the easiest to clean, but bottle feeders are more convenient when hummingbird traffic is high.
  
• Wild bird retailers sell special brushes designed to clean hummingbird feeders.
  
• If you live in a major hummingbird flyway, you may wish to buy several small feeders or one or two larger ones to use during spring and/or fall migration.
  
• Even a single pot of the right kind of flowers (red salvias, for example) will help hummingbirds find your feeder and keep them coming back to your yard.
  
• To help the sugar dissolve, the solution can be microwaved for 1 to 2 minutes. This may also help if the solution starts to spoil within three days.
  
• "Caster" sugar or superfine white baking sugar dissolves more quickly in cold water. * The proportion of sugar to water can be made slightly higher (no stronger than 3:1) from fall through spring to give an energy boost to migrating and overwintering birds.
  
• Leftover solution can be refrigerated for up to a week.
  
• Leaving hummingbird feeders out in fall will not prevent the birds from migrating.
  

Warnings

• Do not substitute powdered sugar, brown sugar, "raw" sugar, honey, or artificial sweeteners for white sugar.
  
• Do not make the sugar water with either mineral-free water purified by distilling or reverse-osmosis or tap water that produces iron stains in sinks and toilets.
  
• Hot tap water can contain dangerous amounts of lead, so use only cold water or water heated on the stove or in the microwave to make the feeder solution.
  
• Feeders that cannot be completely disassembled for cleaning require much more thorough cleaning and rinsing than better designed models. especially if dishwashing detergent is used to clean them.
  

Things You'll Need

• hummingbird feeder, 6- to 12-ounce
  
• 2-cup glass measuring cup
  
• 1/3-cup or 1/2 cup dry measure
  
• white granulated sugar
  
• good quality tap or drinking water
  
• plastic or metal spoon
  
• glass or plastic container for refrigerating leftovers
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Make Peanut Butter Pine Cones for Birds
  
• How to Hand Feed Pigeons
  
• How to Make Homemade Suet from Juicing Pulp
  
• How to Attract Birds to Your Garden
  

Sources and Citations

• Williamson, S. 2000. Attracting and Feeding Hummingbirds. (Wild Birds Series) T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. ISBN 0-7938-3580-1
  

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