ROORK’S WING TIPS – 16

Spring is almost here and the Hummingbird’s are on their way back from their winter vacation in Central America. This month is a great time to pull out the hummingbird feeders and check them for cracks. It is also a good time to buy some new feeders or try a different design. Here are a few of my favorites.

The best design I have tried is the HummZinger Excel #143 by Aspects. Its flat profile allows you to see the birds no matter where they perch. It is a dream to clean and has a water well to discourage ants.

The Hummerfest by SureFire is of a similar design. Neither the HummZinger nor the Hummerfest have any yellow areas to attract bees.

Perky-Pet offers three feeders that I like. The 203 –CP Four Fountains Feeder has an 8 ounce glass bottle which is easier to clean than the old plastic bottle and doesn’t spill in high winds. It also has four ports with bee guards. The second design #227 is a flat daisy shaped feeder that comes with its own pole. This looks lovely in your garden and is a breeze to clean. Their third model is the Little Beginner Feeder. This feeder makes an ideal gift for a child or grandchild.

Rubbermaid has a new feeder that looks very interesting. It is plastic with a 24 ounce capacity. Its four feeding ports are protected with a new red bee guard system that looks good.

Remember to clean your feeders at least once a week in cool weather and every few days in hot weather.

Get ready: THE HUMMERS ARE COMING!

RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS

The Ruby Throated Hummingbird is the smallest of the eastern birds. With a weight of barely one tenth of an ounce, he appears more fragile than a spider web. This tiny fighter plane makes up in attitude for what he lacks in size. He aggressively defends his food source from all other hummers. He will find a perch that allows him to see all flowers and feeders in his chosen domain. If he spots an intruder he will swoop down and chase it off. He spends so much time defending his turf that he has little time left to enjoy his food. Plant some red tubular flowers or put up a feeder and you will enjoy the antics of this tiny tyrant.

Getting Hummingbirds to visit your yard is not as difficult as you think. The male hummingbirds will begin arriving in our area sometime between the first and 15^th of April. Attracting the male is key to having hummingbirds breed in your neighborhood. When the first hummers arrive they are searching for a good food source. They have traveled all the way from Central America and are very hungry. If you put up a feeder in the midst of lilacs or azaleas the hummingbirds will see the flowers while flying over and find your feeder. If you have no early blooming flowers tie red bows on shrubs near the feeder. The birds will think they are flowers and fly down to investigate. After hummers are aware of your feeder you can move it to a location that suits you better. Once they locate the feeder the males will visit it faithfully each day. The female will also frequently come to the feeders but she will spend much of the summer brooding two batches of young.

A Hummingbird’s nest is the size of a half dollar and will contain two perfect tiny white eggs. Their nests are made of spider webs and tiny pieces of lichen. They are placed in a tree ten to thirty feet in the air. Their nests stretch as the young increase in size.

Little research has been done on the mating habits of the hummingbirds. The only thing that we know for sure is that the female mates, lays eggs and then raises the young alone. The mother will bring the young hummers to the feeder and flowers. While they are in the nest she will gather nectar and tiny insects and regurgitate this slurry down the throats of the young. Once she raises one batch she will find a new mate and start another.

Even though it seems that hummingbirds spend most of their waking hours at your feeder it is actually only one of many food sources. Flower nectar remains the largest part of their diet with tiny insects and spiders making up the balance. One way to guarantee that hummingbirds will return to your yard year after year is to plant their favorite flowers. Bee Balm, Bleeding Heart, Butterfly weed, Cardinal Flower, Columbine, Coral Bells, Four-o-clock, Fuchsia, Jewelweed, Nasturtium, Petunias, Phlox, Tithonia, Sage, Snapdragon, Spider Flower, Nicotiana, Zinnias, Morning Glory, Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine, Azaleas, Rose of Sharon, and Weigela are just a few.