How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden
Hummingbirds are found all over the Americas including the Caribbean. Known for their ability to hover and their unique ability to fly backwards, hummingbirds hover by flapping their wings at high speeds up to 80 times a second.
The smallest bird in the world is the Bee Hummingbird at only two inches in length and 1.8 grams. The Giant Hummingbird is the largest hummingbird at at over 8 inches in length and 25 grams in weight. Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of all birds and to keep going they need to consume more than their own weight in food every day. To do this they have to visit many hundreds of flowers every day to harvest the nectar. They have extended tongues and beaks which allows them to reach right into the flowers. They have the ability slow down their metabolisms when still, in contrast to nearly all other animals with a high metabolisms. This extends their lifespan, which has been recorded at up to seventeen years.
How to Make A Hummingbird Friendly Garden
To attract hummingbirds to your garden plant brilliantly coloured flowers and shrubs. The sense of smell of Hummingbirds is very poor but they are drawn to brilliant colours. Hanging a feeder specially made for humming birds in your garden or on your deck will be a focus for these beautiful birds. Plant annuals include petunia, salvia, beard tongue, jacobinia, firespike and impatiens. Some perennial plants include hummingbird mint, canna, columbine, lupine, hota, yucca and bee balm. For trees and shrubs pick buddleia, lantana, tree tobacco, mimosa, flame acanthus and azalea.
Do not use any pesticides in your garden as this will kill insects and bugs that hummingbirds eat. They will also leave residues on flowers which the hummingbirds may ingest. Also supply plenty of roosting places as hummingbirds will spend in the region of 80% of their time sitting on branches, twigs etc. Make available plants that will supply materials for nesting to attract female hummingbirds. Hummingbirds have a preference for feathery nesting material from trees such as willow and eucalyptus and from lichens and mosses.
Hanging brightly colored, hummingbird feeders in your backyard will create a center of attention for the hummingbirds. A good idea is to fasten red streamers that will blow all around the feeder. It's also a great idea to provide feeders at assorted heights as hummingbird species all have different preferences. Species that prefer low growing plants will visit a feeder placed lower whilst species that feed on taller shrubs and plants will rather go to a feeder located in a higher position. Hummingbirds are also very territorial and an individual hummingbird might guard a particular feeder and prevent other birds from feeding. Place no less than 3 feeders at different heights around your backyard.
Hummingbirds love a bath in the mist on leaves so you could put a mister close to some broadleaved shrubs to give them a bathing place.
Making Hummingbird Nectar
Make a sweet nectar by blending together one measure of sugar with 4 cups of water that has been boiled. Cool down and keep in the refrigerator. Nectar that is unused can be kept safely for about a week. Carefully wash hummingbird feeders weekly by rinsing with a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar in four cups of water then washing out with clean water. Fill with the nectar solution and hang out of the sun. Don't add food colouring or synthetic sweeteners. Also do not use honey as it can ferment and produce a a fungus that can poison the hummingbirds. Change the nectar in your feeder every two or three days or oftener in hot, summer weather.
Conclusion
It is not hard to make a garden to appeal to these pretty birds. Provide them with the food they like and a secure location and hummingbirds will pay a visit your garden regularly.
See more about feeding wild birds and some cheap bird feeders to buy at Garden Bird Feeders or Garden Garden Bird Feeders UK
Feb 14, 2010 | 0 | bird care tips
