The Bee Hummingbird is the tiniest bird in the world at only 1.8 grams in weight and two inches long. The largest hummingbird is the Giant Hummingbird at around eight inches long and weighing about 25 grams. All the hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any birds and to sustain this they have to eat their own weight and more in food every day. So that they can do this they must visit many hundreds of blooms daily to harvest the nectar. They have extended bills and tongues in oreder to reach right into the blooms. They can decrease their metabolisms when resting, unlike most other high metabolism animals. This increases their lifespan, which has been reported as long as 17 years.

How to Make A Hummingbird Friendly Garden

To draw hummingbirds to your garden plant brightly coloured shrubs and flowers. The sense of smell of Hummingbirds is very poor but they can be attracted by intense colours. Hanging a a speciality hummingbird feeder in your garden or on your deck will be a focus for these pretty birds. Annuals to plant include salvia, petunia, impatiens, firespike and jewelweed. Perennial plants include foxglove, hosta, hummingbird mint, lupine, yucca, cardinal flower, bee balm, canna and columbine. For bushes and trees plant lantana, mimosa, red buckeye, azalea, buddleia and weigela.

Don’t use any pesticides in your garden as you will kill bugs and insects that hummingbirds eat. They will also leave deposits on the blooms which the hummingbirds may consume. Also provide plenty of places to perch as they spend almost 80% of the time perching on clothes lines, twigs etc. Supply plants that will supply materials for nesting to attract female hummingbirds. They prefer feathery nesting material from trees like eucalyptus and willow and from ferns, mosses and lichens.

Placing vibrantly colored, specially made hummingbird feeders in your backyard will exert a pull on the hummingbirds. An excellent idea is to fix red ribbons that blow around the feeder. It is also helpful to put out feeders at various heights as hummingbird species all have different preferences. Species that prefer plants that are low growing will go to a feeder sited lower whereas species that feed on taller shrubs and plants will prefer to go to a feeder sited higher. Hummingbirds are also extremely territorial and one hummingbird may perhaps defend a particular feeder and prevent other birds from feeding. Place no less than three feeders at assorted heights around your backyard.

Hummingbirds enjoy bathing in the mist on foliage so you could place a mister close to some broadleaved vegetation to give them a place to bathe.

Making Hummingbird Nectar

Make a sweet nectar by blending together one cup of sugar and four cups of pre-boiled water. Cool and keep in the refrigerator. Excess nectar can be kept safely for up to 7 days. Carefully wash hummingbird feeders once a week by rinsing with a solution of 1 cup of vinegar to four cups of water then washing out with plain water. Fill with the sugar solution and suspend in the shade. Don’t use sweeteners or food coloring. Also don’t use honey as it can ferment and create a a poisonous fungus. Swap the solution in the feeder every 3 days or oftener when the weather is hotter.

In Conclusion

It is not hard to make a garden to attract these beautiful birds. Give them the food they love and a comfortable setting and hummingbirds will pay a visit your garden frequently.

See more garden craft ideas at Easy Craft Ideas

Most backyard birders immediately think of nectar feeders when it comes to attracting hummers, and for good reason.  If hummingbirds are reasonably common in your area and you maintain your feeder on a regular basis, you’ll soon have several birds competing for a drink.  The primary advantage of a feeder is that, unlike a flowering bush, you can place it wherever you like for optimum viewing.  Be careful, though, not to hang a bird feeder too close to a window; birds could accidentally strike the glass and become injured. 

It’s not necessary to purchase a premixed hummingbird nectar solution.  In fact, the dyes and other ingredients sometimes found in these products could be harmful for the birds.  A simple mixture of four parts water and one part white sugar will serve your backyard hummers quite well.It is important to make sure your solution is changed every two to three days.  Solution that’s left too long in the sun will begin to ferment, sickening the birds.  In hot weather, even more frequent changes may be necessary.

While a nectar feeder can be a hummingbird magnet, hummingbird-friendly landscaping will also attract them.  Red, tubular flowers, such as flame acanthus, cross vine, Otay Monkey flower, and trumpet creeper are especially attractive.  Do a little investigating and find out which blooms are native to your area.  In addition to flowering plants, hummingbirds look for stands of dense vegetation in which to safely nest.  By maintaining thickets of trees and shrubs such as oaks, sumacs, and junipers, you may be able to convince a female hummingbird to lay her tiny, pea-sized eggs and raise her brood in your backyard.  If you do find a nest, you can be sure it belongs to a Ruby-throated Hummingbird; it’s the only hummingbird species which breeds in North America.

In addition to nectar, hummingbirds need clean water, both for drinking and for bathing.  Hummingbirds must clean their feathers regularly to maintain their aerodynamic shape and insulating properties.  A bird bath that’s intended for these diminutive birds should be kept shallow, no more than two inches deep.  Hummers are most likely to be attracted to moving water; this can be as simple as a dripping bucket, or as ornate as the most complicated bird bath fountains. 

If it’s taking a while for the hummingbirds in your neighborhood to find a newly hung feeder, a splash of color might do the trick.With their incredible color vision, you will find hummingbirds are attracted to bright red feeders and other colorful items in your yard.  Red pinwheels or ribbons near the new feeder may help them zero in on their new resource.

species of birds

If you were to walk outside and see a flock of song birds, then you probably would be in admiration and awe of their beauty. But walk outside and see a murder of crows or a flock of seagulls and instantly the movie “The Birds” comes to mind. Some species have gotten the short end of the stick. Perhaps a lot has to do with how these species have been portrayed in moves and in literature. It has tainted the mind with dark images of death and portents of doom.

Light tales of love from Disney or twisted tales of doom by poets such as Edgar Allen Poe have kept the crow/raven in its sinister spot. In “Sleeping Beauty” by Disney, the villainess has a pet crow/raven that is used as her evil spy. Poe had his raven that kept crying “nevermore” in his piece titled quite apropos “The Raven.” Maybe it is the fact that crows travel in packs called murders. The birds portrayed in these classic works of fiction have certainly made their mark in our minds.

The wild bird definitely deserves some respect. It is just like other wild animal. You have to keep in mind that it is territorial, will defend itself and has to find a food source. And while crows/ravens have received some bad press thanks to authors and filmmakers, vultures and other carrion eating birds have repulsed mankind for eons. This bird species is a scavenger. Anytime you see vultures or buzzards circling in the air, you know that there is either something dying or something that has already died. Most people do not set up bird feeders to attract these types of birds. They want colorful birds, songbirds and delicate hummingbirds to grace their gardens and yards.

Perhaps it is time that people got over their fear of the birds that have gotten such a tough break in literature and movies. You do not have to worry about going outside and a murder of crows attacking you for no reason. The raven is not a symbol of death or a portent of bad things ahead. They are just two legged, winged wild animals that serve a specific function in the animal kingdom.

wild bird

Having a hobby is not hard to do. It is hard, however, to find a hobby that fits in with your busy lifestyle and desires. If you like the outdoors and enjoy interacting with nature, then you may want to consider bird watching. After all, there are over 10,000 species of birds in the world. Even if you live in the middle of a metropolitan area, you can still find different bird species. It is a hobby that can be a real passion.

Birds range in size. Sometimes a bird is easy to spot based solely on the size. Take for example the ostrich. The ostrich is the largest bird in the species. You will not even need a set of birding binoculars to see this huge example. But on the opposite end of the spectrum are the hummingbirds, which range in size from a few inches in diameter to the size of a bumble bee. Even if the bird is sitting still, you would have trouble spotting it. When it is in flight and zipping around you only get a brief glimpse unless you have special hummingbird feeders set up in your yard to attract them.

If you are a real fan of birds, then you will undoubtedly take steps to attract them to your garden or yard. Even if you live in an apartment with a small patio or balcony you can still find bird feeders to lure certain species in. But you need to take into consideration the type of bird you want to attract. If you are hoping to attract a blue bird then you do not need a feeder that caters to swallows. The more that you put into researching the type of bird you want around your home, the more you will know about their particular eating habits. One further note: make sure that you buy bird feeders that squirrels cannot get into.

Birds are not for everyone. Some people just do not like the species. However, if you do love watching these wild animals in their own habitats, then you will definitely enjoy being a bird watcher. Do not worry about how many there are to see. Just concentrate on having a good time and enjoying yourself. It gets you out of the house and it will do your body and mind good to get outside and get some exercise.