They're here! They're here! Our yearly visitors--the ruby-throated hummingbird. Forgive the not-so-great photos, as I didn't have my tripod out when they were visiting!
This morning as I was doing some work in my living room, I looked out our large glass window and I had one of them hovering outside, saying, "WHERE is our FOOD?" I hadn't put our feeders out yet; this coming weekend was going to be our planting/outdoor cleanup weekend. However, I didn't mind dropping what I was doing to accommodate these wonderful little visitors. I have about five different feeders, but I only put two out today. Luckily I had some nectar mix.
Are your hummingbirds flying about? If you haven't seen them, I bet they're close by. To bring them in, get your feeders out...red or red-orange colors attract them the most. Even if you don't have the red nectar that comes pre-mixed, you can make your own nectar using this recipe (note that it doesn't have to be red...just the feeder or part of the feeder that is red or red-orange will attract your hummingbirds!):
- Combine four parts water to one part table sugar in a pan
- Boil the sugar water mixture (do not leave it boil too long, or the water will evaporate)
- Cool in the refrigerator
- Fill your feeders; change the nectar as necessary to prevent bacteria buildup (clean your feeders, too!
- Store the remaining nectar in the refrigerator
