See How Feeding Hummingbirds Can Give You an Up Close View!
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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
Hummingbird nectar is sipped from flowers, usually red ones. Petunias, fuchsia, red columbine , trumpet vine and red bee balm are just a few plants that will attract your winged friends. The plants simply need sun and water to grow and the birds will find them on their own. Tiny flying insects are another natural food source for hummingbirds.
"Artificial" Hummingbird Nectar
You can attract hummingbirds even if you don't have a yard. If you live in an apartment, a condo or even in the city don't worry, you can still attract hummingbirds. Hanging flower baskets do a great job at attracting hummingbirds in small spaces. Hummingbirds can also be attracted using hummingbird feeders. They come in many designs, colors and sizes. They will easily hang under your eaves, on windowsills or even right on a window.
The color and the style of the feeder is what attracts the bird. Any feeder with red or dark pink parts gets the attention of the hummingbird. Your hummingbird feeder can be round, oval, glass, plastic or even multi-colored, but it will need nectar inside to get the birds to return.
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 Nectar Recipe
Hummingbird nectar is easy to make. It is a simple ratio of four parts water blended with one part sugar. You can make all the nectar you want as long as you stick to the ratio. If you are putting out your first hummingbird feeder or placing one in a new spot you may want to try a stronger mixture of four parts water to 2 parts sugar. This is said to attract hummers faster.
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.
You can feed hummingbirds from early spring until late fall. Feeding hummingbirds in the fall will not delay their migration. In fact the extra nourishment will help them in their long journey south.
Attracting hummingbirds gets easier each year. Studies have shown the hummers return to reliable food sources year after year.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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