Extreme bird watching – little hummingbirds

I placed a Bluetooth wireless mike in the lilac bush and from 2 — 3 feet away I got this video of these incredible little hummingbirds.

Hummingbird Bird Feeders – Choosing the right one for your garden

Hummingbirds are beautiful as well as amazing to watch and many bird watchers and gardeners are keen to attract them in to their backyards. Specially designed hummingbird feeders are the best way to do this as they provide the very hard working hummingbird with an easy, quick source of food.

Hummingbirds diet consists of mostly of sugary nectar, pollen and small insects. They have a very high metabolism and need to consume lots of sugar to keep active throughout the day.

Hummingbird feeders come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes but there are essentially two main types of bird feeders , the saucer feeder and the inverted feeder. The saucer feeder is basically a dish that is filled with a sugary liquid, hummingbirds feed on this nectar through specially designed feeding holes. The saucer feeders are often smaller (and usually cheaper) than inverted feeders and are generally easier to clean, however they need to be refilled more often and depending on their size might not be that obvious to the hummingbirds.

Inverted feeders are larger (and often more expensive) , more visible to visiting birds and don’t require regular refilling. However inverted feeders can be difficult to clean and are poor quality feeders are prone to leaking.  Although there are advantages and disadvantages for both types of feeders most people choose the inverted feeders as they tend to be more effective in attracting hummingbirds. As well as deciding on the type of feeder, consider the following factors when deciding which hummingbird feeder to purchase.

Look for a feeder that is built using some red materials. Hummingbirds are attracted to red objects and are more likely to use your feeder if it’s got a red base or tube.  Also choose a feeder that is easy to clean and refill. Hummingbird feeders should be refilled twice a week or possibly more depending on the number of Hummingbirds in your garden.  Larger feeders are generally easier to clean and there are special brushes that can help make the cleaning process easier.

Its worth investing in a feeder that has one or more perches on it. Although it is fascinating to watch a hummingbird hover while feeder it uses a lot of energy and are more likely to feed if you provide a perch for them to rest on.

The sugary liquid in your feeder will obviously attract many insects including wasps if it leaks out of the feeder.  Many feeders have built in ant and bee protectors or you can purchase them to fit your bird feeders.

Once you have got your hummingbird feeders select a visible spot that is in the sun and ideally near a flower bed. It may take a while before you see hummingbirds and a little longer before they feel confident enough to feed using your bird feeders. After a while you maybe able to bring the feeder closer to the house so you can view from a window, however do not place too close to the window otherwise the Hummingbirds may fly in to the window and injure themselves.

Once your bird feeders are in place and filled with a sweet sugary solution, sit back and wait for these beautiful birds to start feeding – it is worth all the effort when you see the Hummingbirds feeing in your backyard.


- Tom White

Birdman Mel Attracting Hummingbirds

Attract Hummingbirds to your Backyard yourprettygarden.com … Backyard Bird Birding Birdman Feeders Hummingbird
- YourPrettyGarden

Hummingbirds Feeding

Close-ups of a variety of hummingbirds feeding in my backyard here in Culver City (LA), California. Watch as one uses the force of its wings to “Suck” a wasp off of the feeder. … Hummingbird Hummingbirds Nature Backyard Bird feed feeder feeding
- srtrilling

How to attract humming birds? please read?

Hi , i life in central Florida or to be specific Lake County.
I want to get a few plant to attract hummingbirds. The only thing i see are the ruby throated hummers. Give me me some plants that are native to the south east or Fl that will attract them. I want to do more than a feeder

also what feeder is the best, model and company please.
- gonecrazy_fl

attracting birds?

i live in long island and i have a big backyard. i wanted to know how i can attract other birds (besides robins) to my back yard. such as maybe blue jays or cardinals. i wouldnt mind if you told me how to attract hummingbirds or any kind of bird at all (so lons as its pretty and is not a robin. we already have tons of those coming to our backyard).

thanks!!
- RubYy BabeYy ~?~

How can I keep pigeons out but keep my bird feeders up for the little birds & hummingbirds ?

I have bird feeders and love to watch all the birds. I don’t mind pigeons, but they scare the hummingbirds away. The pigeons also seem to be multiplying. I have fed birds for years, this is the first time I’ve had pigeon problems.
Can anyone help?
- gma

I would like to know what are some good plants to plant in north carolina?

I would like color and to attract hummingbirds and other birds
and butterflies.
Please. I have a small front yard, it needs color.
- chmar11

Hummingbird Feeders

Attracting Birds to a Tropical Garden

Some individuals enjoy bird watching but prefer to do their bird watching in their back yard. Below is some advice on attracting wild birds to your back yard.

Firstly it depends upon having wild birds in the general area where your house is located and then you can attract then to your backyard.

The method used to attract the birds will depend upon what is the diet of the bird. If the bird is a nectar feeder e.g. bananaquits or hummingbirds, then large flowering plants will attract them. Hummingbird bills are perfectly adapted to the various types of flowers that they feed on, so different types of flowers will attract different hummingbirds. Some hummingbirds have especially curved or elongated bills that allow them to feed on special flowers, eg the White-tipped Sicklebill hummingbird whose downward curving bill allows it to draw nectar from heliconias. The Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird has a short and slightly decurved bill that is suited to feeding on the flowers of the ixora shrub. The Blue-tailed Emerald has a short bill that is suited for feeding on the Hibiscus flower. The Copper-rumped Hummingbird has a straight long bill that allows it to feed on medium sized tube shaped flowers such as the allamanda. Hummingbirds have little or no sense of smell, so colour is important to a hummingbird’s search process for locating flowers containing nectar. While they will visit any flower that has sufficient nectar they prefer flowers that are red to orange in colour. It is believed that this colour preference is due to the fact that red flowers standout in a green background and so are more easily seen by the hummingbird. It is also believed that because hummingbirds compete with insects for nectar they choose flowers that are less likely to be visited by insects. Most insects do not see well at the red end of the colour spectrum and so may not visit red flowers while hummingbirds see the full visible spectrum.

If space in your yard is very limited, preventing you from having large flowering shrubs, an area to consider is the curb area between your property line and the roadway. You can plant small flowering shrubs such as the miniature ixora, which will then attract nectar feeding birds to your property.

For birds that are fruit eaters, the presence of ripe fruit will attract and so having fruit trees will attract birds. The majority of trees however only fruit once per year for a few months, so the attraction is not year round. If your garden has sufficient space then multiple fruit trees that bear at different times in the year will ensure a continuous bird presence. One tree that bears fruit for a very extended period is guava and so can attract birds for most of the year. Trees are also an attraction to birds because they provide nesting and resting sites. If you have the palm trees that people usually plant in from their houses that will generally attract Palm Tanagers who will feed on the small nuts, use material from the tree for building their nests and may also nest in the tree.

When a large number of flowering shrubs and/or fruit trees is not an option, you can consider purchasing a bird feeder. The type of feeder will also be dependent upon the type of birds in the area and the type of birds that you want to attract. For nectar feeders you use a sugar solution (the feeder usually has directions). You must put the feeder in a location where the birds will see it and you must change the solution regularly (2 -3 days). Red Feeders are good for attracting hummingbirds because they have a preference for red flowers. If you use a feeder it will take a few days for the birds to recognise that it is present in your yard.

Other feed can attract other types of birds. Bare-Eyed Thrushes and Kiskadees are somewhat omnivorous and so you can use rice (not boiled). I have found that they will also be attracted by dog food. Tropical Mockingbirds can also be attracted with rice. In addition, ripe fruit such bananas, mangoes and cherry can be used and will usually attract Blue-Gray Tanagers, Palm Tanagers and Yellow Orioles.

As an alternative to purchasing a feeder you can construct a feeder. For fruits you can build a simple chicken wire basket or bamboo joint to hold the fruit and attach it to the fence. Another low cost feeder can be constructed using a plastic bowl with a narrow edge. To construct this feeder you punch three holes, equidistant around the bowl. Then attach wire strands through each hole with the strands coming together at the top to form either a hook or a loop for suspending the bowl. Three strands are required to provide stability to the bowl particularly when birds alight on the bowl to feed. It is necessary to punch several holes in the base of the bowl to allow any rainwater or liquids to drain out the bowl.

Attracting birds, apart from the visual delight also provides the benefit of controlling the insect population, as many birds are insect feeders.


- brian ramsey

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