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Column Articles
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| Hummingbirds Arriving Around Town |
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miendo writes, " The smallest and only hummingbird in the Eastern U.S., migrates from Mexico and Central America, the first of April, spending their summer with us. They again make this 500 mile flight in mid to late October to return to their winter nesting place."
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"The smallest and only hummingbird in the Eastern U.S., migrates from Mexico and Central America, the first of April, spending their summer with us. They again make this 500 mile flight in mid to late October to return to their winter nesting place."
Only 3 inches in size, its heart beats 1200 beats a minute and can fly up to speeds of 60 miles an hour. Their nests are frequently found along streams and lake shores on tree branches high over water. The nests are the size of a walnut and made of stretchable material like spidersilk, lichen, bud scales and plant down.
They lay 2 jelly belly-sized eggs per nest, which hatch in 12 to 14 days. They eat small insects and spiders and tree sap in early spring and later add flower nectar. Hummingbirds prefer red flowers that are tubular in shape but will visit any flower. They cannot smell so scent does not matter. They prefer red flowers because they have learned that red flowers contain 25% more of the nectar they need.
If you want hummingbirds in your garden, plant native trumpet creeper vine, columbine, native honeysuckle’s, cardinal flower, jewelweed, wild bergamot and firepink. Non native flowers are mimosa, snapdragon, petunia, nasturtium, hollyhock, beebalm and red buckeye. (Do not plant the invasive Japanese honeysuckle) You can also make homemade nectar by boiling 4 parts water to 1 part sugar and fill a hummingbird feeder. Change frequently if not being used. Don't let it become cloudy or get black fungus inside of the feeder. Do not add red food dye, just hang something red from it until it has been noticed. Change the solution every 2 to 7 days to prevent disease and never use honey.Honey will cause a life threatening tongue fungus. Beware of hazards, such as other birds, large insects, reptiles and animals, bad sugar solutions, drought, extended cold or wet spells and inadequate food. If you find a spider web or praying mantis by your feeder, remove these hazards before they are able to trap the hummingbird.
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Posted on Apr 17, 2007 16:56pm.
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