Susan's Hummingbird Gardens

Archive for 2007

All Kinds Of Hummingbird Feeders

This is a fabulous video showing lots of Ruby-throated hummingbirds all over the author’s yard and hummingbird feeders. He’s included hummers actually landing on his hand, and one little fellow enjoying a good sprinkling. Perhaps the most remarkable are the two babies in their nest.  You’ll really enjoy this one!

Houston Hummingbird Feeders

Here’s a really nice video of hummingbirds sipping nectar from hummingbird feeders in a Houston, Texas, USA backyard.

September 2007 Hummingbirds Houston TX

Thanks to guns4toys for posting this video on YouTube.

This is how guns4toys described it: Watch the Ruby-throated hummingbirds at my backyard hummingbird feeders.

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Very Focused Hummers Visiting Lots of Hummingbird Feeders

Here’s a quick video of lots of very hungry hummers. They’re so focused on eating that they completely ignored the author’s hands holding the feeder. Don’t you know they went through a lot of sugar for all that hummingbird nectar!

I spotted at least three different hummingbird species… ruby-throated, rufous, and caliope. Name That Hummingbird will help you spot them.

Hummingbirds 2007 Unbelievable

Thanks to kansasa1 for posting this to YouTube.

kansasa1′s description: They land on your fingers, they eat up sugar morning and night, and they even invade my house!

This video was recorded all in one day.

They swarmed the hummingbird feeders all day long!

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 What To Feed Hummingbirds – Nectar Facts

A well-designed hummingbird feeder

This is a really informative article about how and what to feed hummingbirds.  Allan’s even included his hummingbird nectar recipe.

And… I’m sure we all agree that our little feather fluffs are, indeed, beautiful!

The Beautiful Hummingbirds

By: Allan

The hummingbird’s diet requires nectar as a source of energy, and for their protein source small insects. Hummingbirds love artificial nectar from man-made humming bird feeders. Such feeders provide the hummingbirds with a good supply of nectar, and at the same time allow people to observe and enjoy hummingbirds up-close. Homemade nectar can be made from 1 part white, granulated table sugar to 4 parts water – boiled to make it easier to dissolve the sugar and to purify the solution so that it will stay fresh longer. The cooled nectar is then carefully placed into the hummingbird feeder. You should avoid using diet sweeteners because, though the hummingbirds will drink it, they will not get the calories they need to sustain their metabolism. Read the rest of this entry »

 Tips For Making Homemade Hummingbird Feeders

Hummingbird Feeder

This is an interesting article for DIY gardeners on how to make homemade hummingbird feeders. There are two points, however, that I disagree with:

1. Unless you can sterilize the old prescription vials, use something else… buy a few test tubes (like the ones used for fancy spices), a handful of corks, and some red tape. Drill a hole, large enough for a hummingbird’s bill, all the way through the cork from top to bottom. Make sure there aren’t any cork “crumbs” in the hole… just blow through it. Apply the red tape to the outside edge of the tube opening. The object is to draw hummingbirds to the business end of the tube. Since most test tubes are flared at the top, wrap the wire just under the flare and hang it right side up. If you ARE able to sterilize old prescription vials, then follow the author’s instructions.
2. Never use honey when making hummingbird nectar water. It’s not a case of honey is more natural than sugar… it’s a case of hummingbird bodies cannot process honey, and prolonged use will kill them.

Other than these two points, I thoroughly enjoyed Kathryn’s article… as I’m sure you will.

Building Your Own Humming Bird Feeder

By: Kathryn Whittaker

We all know that taking a beautiful photo of humming birds is hard to obtain, even when they are inside cages. The only thing that you could do is buy a hummingbird feeder to bring these birds into photographic distance. But these ready-made hummingbird feeders are somewhat expensive. Worry no more, because you can make your very own hummingbird feeder for free. All you need to do is recycle used or old prescription vials for making nectar dispensers. Hummingbirds are known to feed on nectars. Read the rest of this entry »