Pet Information > Others > Pet Articles > How to Make Sure the Hummingbirds Find You This Spring

How to Make Sure the Hummingbirds Find You This Spring

2016/5/4 10:40:07

It's spring at last, and here in Southern Colorado, it seems we've been waiting a long time to glimpse our favorite wild bird, the hummingbird. We just love watching these tiny, lithe creatures of such vivid color outside our window. There have been a couple summers here that we've had twenty different hummingbirds at our three feeders. We had to refill them every day just to keep up!

While most soil in this part of the country is really just ground up rock dust, our yard has some good soil. This makes growing perennials easier and more bountiful. I say easier because we are in a high-desert climate and must water constantly to keep things green.

Those two things: certain flowers, and running the sprinkler system help attract the hummingbirds to our yard. With their specially designed beaks and long tongues, they just love the flowers suited to their anatomy. Our columbines, torch lilies and butterfly bushes are like giant billboards advertising a hummingbird-friendly play land.

We've tried to plant perennials that bloom at different times throughout the summer so that we always have something to attract the hummingbirds. It has made a big difference and we get the hummingbirds to visit our yard a month before they even realize the neighbor's have flowers and feeders too.

While you may not need to run a sprinkler in the summer months like we must, you can install a fountain or bird bath that will attract just as many hummingbirds. They love the splash and spray of the water and we've seen them many times hovering and dipping over the nearby river where the water hits the rocks and sprays up.

Besides the flowers and water, we offer our hummingbirds feeders filled with sugar water. There is no need to buy mix for use in the feeders as it is simpler and less expensive to make your own. Here's the recipe:

-One part sugar

-Four parts water

-Boil for 2 minutes

-Cool and fill feeders made for hummingbirds

There is no need to add food coloring to the feed and it may actually be detrimental to the birds. Why take the chance?

A little trick we've learned over the years is to put a short piece of transparent tape around the stem that holds the bee guard in place. That way it keeps the larger, more aggressive birds like the Orioles from pulling out the bee guard and guzzling the food.

We've tried many different designs of feeders and found that the birds like the ones with hard plastic "flowers"' surrounding the bee guards. We've not had much luck with the drip-type feeders.

Be sure to rinse the feeders well with very warm water between use. It is not recommended to put any part of a hummingbird feeder in the dishwasher or use detergent. We do use a tiny bit of chlorine bleach at the end of the season to make sure they're perfectly clean before storing them for the winter. If you do use bleach, be sure to rinse very well.

So if you're looking to attract beautiful hummingbirds to your yard, remember the flowers, the water and some food. You'll have them flocking to your yard like flies!

Cindy Dykstra writes for Article-DirectorySite.com where you can find articles on pets and animals, nature, and every other subject under the sun. Free content for your web site, blog or newsletter and free RSS feeds. Free article submission too!