Month: July 2010

Water is extremely important to all types of birds, regardless of if the birds are feeder visitors or not. By providing a dependable source of water to the birds you will accomplish many things. This post will discuss them.

By providing a dependable source of water for the birds you are likely to increase the wide variety of birds which will likely visit your yard. Having the source of water will also allow you to enjoy watching the birds preen, bathe and even drink because the birds will remain there longer then otherwise.

Having a dependable source of water available is also vital because bathing is so vital to birds. Bathing allows a way for the birds to properly maintain their feathers and therefore remain in the best possible condition for flight.

Also, having a source of water available helps enable the birds to properly regulate their body temperature. This is extremely vital because birds do not have the ability to sweat. Do you find that to be surprising? I myself do because I did not know this until doing research for this post. As a result of the fact that birds do not sweat, excess heat is removed through the bird’s respiratory system. If a bird’s body temperature rises to an extreme level this can cause the bird’s respiratory rate to increase and this will sometimes cause the bird to pant like a dog and thus cause the bird to be come dehydrated. If this occurs, a reliable source of water is necessary to ensure that the bird can replenish lost fluids.

Providing a fountain, mister or birdbath will not only allow you more time to enjoy watching all the birds which visit your yard, but it may also literally help safe a bird’s life one day.

The life of the hummingbird is not without challenges today. As human population and development is ever expanding, the hummingbird’s natural habitat is quickly decreasing in size, their breeding grounds are being lost and even their migration routs are changing.

The good news is that hummingbirds seem to be a favorite among gardeners and birdwatchers. The reason for this fondness may be due to the bird’s seer beauty or feisty nature. Regardless, hummingbirds are fortunate because they have developed the ability to adapt and find food in our gardens or at our hummingbird feeders.

My point is that often we humans are responsible for the loss of wildlife due to our destroying their habitat. Progress and development are often necessary in today’s society, but let’s each do what we can to try and ensure the survival of these birds. While no one has all the answers as to how to do this, there are simple things that we each can do to provide help to the hummingbirds. Each of us can plant flowers or plants which are known to attract hummingbirds and/or it is also easy to provide hummingbird feeders which will provide an alternate food source for the hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds serve as very important pollinators. The hummingbird’s ability as a pollinator is often said to be quite comparable to that of the bee. This post will explain why the hummingbird is such a vital pollinator.

Hummingbirds are such vital pollinators are because honeybees (European in origin) are in a state of decline.

So, I will not explain how hummingbirds pollinate. The act of pollination occurs while the hummingbird is feeding and the bird thrust its bill deep into a flower, collecting pollen on their bill and feathers. As a result, at each subsequent flower the bird visits, it leaves a little pollen and picks up some new, spreading pollen from flower to flower. The seeds and fruits resulting from their endeavors later feed other birds and mammals which then distribute the seeds to help create the next plant generation.

It is due to the hummingbird’s long, tubular bill, its unique hovering skills, and the ability to fly backward and even upside-down, the hummingbird has the unsurpassed ability to pollinate plants with long, tubular blossoms. This is quite important because the shape of these type blossoms makes it difficult for some bees and other larger pollinators to reach the pollen deep within the flower. Therefore, without the aid of the hummingbird many of these plants or flowers would not survive. Scientists even believe that our native tubular-flowered Penstemons, sages (Salvias), columbines, and certain other native plants, have evolved together with the hummingbirds, thus enhancing each others’ likelihood of survival.