Homemade ♥ Hummingbird Nectar

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I think one of my favorite Birds are Hummingbirds! I love their jewel like colors that glow like prisms in the sun. Love watching them zoom in and out... blink and you'll miss em'
I can not Wait to see who comes to visit my feeder at my new house!!

Velvet-Purple Coronet Hummingbird by Tom Munson

Just a few hummingbird facts for you...

~* Hummers are the only birds that can fly backwards.
~* They got their name from the sound their wings make when they fly.
~* They can fly at speeds exceeding 34 mph!
~* The smallest Hummer is the Bee hummingbird measuring  5 cm.
~* Hummingbird nests are approximately the size of a quarter.
~* In some species, their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute.
~* While in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals.
~* They also consume more than their own weight in nectar each day, so they must visit hundreds of flowers daily. Because of this they  are..
~* Continuously hours away from starving to death, and are able to store just enough energy to survive overnight.

Sooo this is why we need to help feed them :)

Here is what you need:
1 Cup of Sugar
4 Cups of Water
Hummingbird Feeder
** Do not use Red (or any) food coloring as it causes a fungus to grow on their tongues!! 
If you have red on your feeder that will be enough to attract them, I always have some flowers like Fuchsia's, or Petunia's near by to help attract them. I've seen them drink the nectar from my Hosta's and they like pretty much any flower that is shaped like a Trumpet!

Petunia by Swallowtail Garden Seeds

Fuchsia by Glacial Ridge Growers

Bring sugar water to a boil, let cool completely before pouring into feeder. I use 1 cup at a time and freeze the rest and use as needed. In the summer I change it out often as it tends to get moldy quick if they don't drink it all first! 
Depending on how many hummers come to my feeder, I may have to use more than a cup at a time at my new house.... hopefully ;)

Costa's Hummingbird by Dean M. Chriss Photography

There are lots of different kinds of hummingbird feeders, but there are a couple of my favorites  (and the hummingbirds too) I knew they liked mine because my old neighbor had one like the one pictured below, and they always came to mine first :D She also used the store bought nectar, so maybe that had something to do with it? Don't know, but I know it made her mad that they came to mine but not hers ;) hehehe 

  

I got the one pictured below from Wild Birds Unlimited a long time ago (but it broke) and I forgot it had a lifetime warranty :( and threw it away. They LOVED this feeder!! Mine had a moat you could fill with water so the ants wouldn't invade. Maybe they don't make them like that anymore?

WBU Small Hummingbird Feeder

Another feeder they seem to love, and that I'm currently using, is this one...

Hummers Galore Hummingbird Feeder

This link goes to Ebay, but I'm happy they carry this feeder at my local Feed-N-Seed :)  You might be able to find them on Amazon? 
They are actually called Hummer's Galore and Bacon Products Corporation in Tennessee makes them. I checked the website and it doesn't have a link to see where to buy them, but I bet you could email or call them and they could tell you, if you really, really wanted to purchase one :)

Not only do Hummingbirds like the sugar water but also it tends to attract Bee's and Ants which we don't want! So I use a little Avon's Skin So Soft applied with a Q-Tip just around each hole, not to close where the Hummers can get it but close enough to deter the Bees and Ants. I also put it on the top and on the little metal hanger because that's where the Ants come from. If it rains I have to re-apply the Skin So Soft. 

Also Baltimore Orioles like sugar water, and I have heard that some Bats! like it too!! Orioles are okay, but I don't know about the bats!!!

Sooo there you have it.... 

go now, and make some juice for your little hummer friends, you will enjoy watching their antics as they try to keep each other away from the feeder! 

My Hummer Feeder Hanging on the Porch

Got my Husband ♥ to hang mine on the porch :)

And Let me know how yours does!



EDIT: 7-21-2012
My sister sent me a link with Hummingbird info and I found a very cool video on how Hummingbirds eat, check it out!

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/05/hummingbird-tongue-drinking/