Bird in Hand

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Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, the same color as many garage door pull-down fobs. If a garage door is left open, this dangling red ‘handle’ can attract a hummingbird and they inadvertently enter the garage, becoming disoriented and trapped. A main defense for hummingbirds is to fly straight up, which in the case of being in a car’s garage makes matters much worse. They can collide with the ceiling, become injured or at least disoriented. If you find such a hummingbird in your garage it is best to try to chase it out or, if it is dazed, pick it up gently and release it outside immediately. A hummer will starve to death if prevented from feeding for as little as one hour as their metabolic rate is so high. Their heart beats very fast, as much as 1260 beats per second for the Blue-Throated Hummingbird.

A hummingbird perceives us as slow moving ‘things’ similar to the way we perceive a slug, snail or starfish. This accounts for why it is sometimes possible to stand very still and be just inches from a hummingbird feeder or flower they are feeding from yet they seem to be ignoring you… to them, you seem quite inanimate and probably not very threatening!

Hummingbird on a Feeder

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There is this urban legend that hummingbirds affix themselves into the feathers on the backs of migrating geese, and this myth is most likely false. Hummingbirds are capable fliers in their own right, cited to be able to fly non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico on migration routes either way. It may be that none other than John J. Audubon started or strengthened this urban legend when, so the story goes, he shot a goose flying overhead and upon retrieving it, he observed a hummingbird exit the feathers from the back of the dead goose and fly away.

 An old joke goes that no, -the goose was already dead and that the hummingbird was delivering the food to a nest of waiting, hungry hummer chicks!

You can even report your first siting of a hummingbird to this URL and they will plot your general location. A new map is produced every year, and this can aid you to know when to begin placing your hummingbird feeder outside for them to find.

Did you know that hummingbirds eat insects? Some can ‘unhinge’ the lower jaw slightly to allow catching insects towards the back of the bill, instead of nearer the tip end. They derive nutrients and protein from insects, so adding anything to their nectar at the feeding station is unnecessary.

Hummingbird Moth

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A specie of MOTH, this is a “clearwing moth”, sometimes also called the “Hummingbird moth.”  Their wings are a clear membrane like that of bees or wasps, with only the outer edges being covered with scales. Seeing one of these under right circumstances might make someone actually believe that they saw …a fairy!

Many Hummers

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Not a lot of empirical data exist for how long hummingbirds live. Experts think that their lifespan might be 3 to 4 years, but there is a recorded case of a female broad-tailed hummer that was tagged in the state of Colorado in 1976 and was recaptured in or near the geographical location twelve years later, in 1987.

My father has several hummingbirds feeders that he maintains in the Spring and Summer months and had been watching several hummers over the years, including one that he claimed was ‘identifiable’, and had returned for 5 consecutive years before s/he came no more. He states that they ruby throated hummer was becoming ‘quite gray on top’ indicating advancing age, no doubt. I once kept a red squirrel as a domesticated pet and had her for over 7 years, and she too had become quite slow and ‘gray furred’ around the head, face and tail. Such an aged squirrel (and hummingbird?) would likely have been attrited but a predator long before having reached such an age.

Hummingbird Nest

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A hummingbird nest spotted in Costa Rica, using a high-powered scope to obtain this image.

Creatures that prey upon hummingbird eggs in the nest are larger birds, some snakes and other mammals. Creatures that catch and eat the hummingbird themselves include cats, smaller hawks, herons, gulls, even largemouth bass! I have personally witnessed an adult chipmunk swimming across a lake and something grabbed it from below and yanked it under the water with a big splash, obviously eating it! This may have been a snapping turtle even in this deep water (snappers tend to feed closer to the shallows, resting upon the bottom when they can extend their long necks for silent breathes of air.) We that witnessed this event think more likely that this may have been a largemouth bass that dragged the chipmunk under and drowned it, before eating it!

I have read that some spiders and even praying mantises have been sighted to catch and eat a hummingbird! Okay, -I’m thinking big spider/mantis and/or a small hummingbird. Or, that alcohol was involved.

A Backyard Visitor

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Like foxes, hummingbirds are seldom seen even if they are in the area. The key here is to attract them to a central place, such as a feeder, where they can be observed oftener. I like this tree though. -Is that a Mimosa ’sensitivity plant?’ Those are so kewl!

Hummingbird Feeder

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You can supplement hummingbird diet and attract them for observation by using a feeder device such as these. A red-colored feeder with yellow ‘flowers’ will attract hummingbirds the easiest and best. Avoid adding red food coloring to color the liquid as this may be hazardous to hummingbird health. A recipe of 1-cup white granulated sugar to 4 cups boiling water and allow to cool, will suffice nicely. The boiling helps to prevent bacteria and molds from growing. Do not use turbino, or any ‘brown’ or ‘in the raw’ sugars as these contain natural elemental iron which is deadly for hummingbirds if consumed over a longer term. Don’t use or add bee’s honey either as these are sugars that are less palatable to hummingbirds, even though they are made from the same flowers that hummers would ordinarily feed from.

Evening Feeding

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A later afternoon feeding will carry them through the night. Hummingbirds are inactive during the night and return to the nest before dark. Therefore, if a good fill-up of sugary nectar comes to be expected at feeding stations a surprisingly large number will congregate quite regularly.