Category: Hummingbird Food

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Hummingbird Food

Creating a Habitat to Entice the Hummingbirds

Do you wish to create a habitat that will attract hummingbirds? If so, then it must have variety. As more and more of the hummingbird’s natural habitat has been lost due to increased population and urban development, the need to create alternate habitat sources has become even more important then ever before. It is my hope that this post will help you discover how to effectively create a hummingbird habitat. Also, by creating your own hummingbird habitat, you yourself are helping to ensure that these amazing birds will be around and that everyone can continue to enjoy them well into the future.
 
The exact habitat requirements for each species of hummingbird are different. The tips offered in this post are general in nature and are not intended to help to attract a particular species of hummingbird. The general nature of these tips should ensure that they can be used by anyone interested in creating a hummingbird habitat.
 
One key to creating a hummingbird habitat is that it should have areas of sun, partial sun, and shade. If the area of your yard where you want to create the hummingbird habitat is sunny most of the day, then you need to plant trees and shrubs. If the area is entirely in the shade, you will want to open up the area to let large patches of sunlight in. Having areas that allow both sun and shade is necessary to grow a wide variety of plants.
 
Your hummingbird habitat should consist of many levels of vegetation. The area should have some tall trees, some medium-height trees, some flowers, some grassy areas, as well as some shrubs. These different levels will provide the hummingbirds a variety of choices of where to feed or where to perch to rest or roost. This may help ensure that the hummingbird will remain in your yard for a longer period of time.
 
You want to plant a wide variety of flowers. You will want to choose both flowers that are known to attract hummingbirds as well as others. It is important to select flowers that will bloom at different times, because there will always be something flowering. The flowers will serve two very important purposes: they will provide a source of nectar for the hummingbirds, and they will also attract insects on which the birds will feed.
 
It is also important to have a source of water available for the hummingbirds. A hummingbird will get water wherever they find it, whether it is beads of water on a leaf, from a brook or stream, or even from a sprinkler. Another way to provide a source of water is by having a birdbath available. The birdbath should have a very shallow water depth to allow the birds to stand in the water if they choose to do so. Adding some small flat rocks to the birdbath will create different water depths within the birdbath.
 
By creating the right hummingbird habitat, you can create both an environment where hummingbirds not only want to feed but also nest. Having a wide variety of plants will provide the female hummingbird a wide variety of nesting materials from which to choose. Willow shrubs have downy fibers that many hummingbird species will use to build the bulk of their nest. The willows will also serve as a source of nectar for the hummingbirds and it will also attract insects on which the hummingbird can feed.
Your hummingbird habitat should also contain some perches so the hummingbirds can survey the territory. You might want to create some perches that give the birds a good view over the flowers. Hummingbirds will often perch on tree limbs that are above and behind the flowers or even on some bare tree limb.
 
For many species of hummingbirds, the size and range of their habitats is rapidly decreasing. Therefore, we must strive to provide alternate habitat sources. It is my hope that the information contained in this post will help you do so more effectively.
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Hummingbird Food

Hummingbirds and Nectar

Many people tend to perceive the hummingbird as constantly needing to eat. This is not entirely accurate. Yes, hummingbirds do possess extremely high metabolic rates, but the hummingbird does not eat constantly. On average, a hummingbird will eat between 5-8 times an hour with each feeding lasting about 30 seconds in length.
 
The amount of nectar that a hummingbird must intake each day is dependent on a number of factors including activity level, air temperature, quality of available resources, and time of year. The hummingbird will require one and a half times its body weight in nectar to meet its daily energy needs.
 
The hummingbird can digest nectar very rapidly and efficiently. The nectar will pass entirely through the hummingbird’s digestive system in less than 20 minutes! 
 
Due to the large amount of fluid a hummingbird will intake each day, a hummingbird’s daily urine output may exceed 80 percent of its body weight, whenever nectar is found to be plentiful.
 
Even though they have an extremely high metabolic rate, hummingbirds do not eat until they are full at every opportunity. During daylight hours, the hummingbird will eat frequently for short periods of time. At night, the hummingbird will eat as heavily as the nectar supply will allow. The hummingbird may store a third of its weight in nectar to ensure that it will survive its overnight fast while maintaining its normal resting metabolic rate.
 
I hope you have found this information about the hummingbird’s dependence on nectar informative. Was there anything mentioned in this post that came as a surprise to you? Do you have a comment you would like to make? Please feel free to do so.
 
 
 
Categories
Hummingbird Food

Creating an Effective Hummingbird Habitat

The exact habitat requirements for each species of hummingbird are different. The tips offered in this post are very general and are not intended to help to attract a particular species of hummingbird. The general nature of these tips should ensure that they can be used by anyone interested in creating a hummingbird habitat.
 
One key to creating a hummingbird habitat is that it should have areas of sun, partial sun, and shade. If the area of your yard where you want to create the hummingbird habitat is sunny most of the day, then you need to plant trees and shrubs. If the area is entirely in the shade, you will want to open up the area to let large patches of sunlight in. Having areas that allow both sun and shade is necessary to grow a wide variety of plants.
 
You want your hummingbird habitat to consist of many levels of vegetation. The area should have some tall trees, some medium-height trees, some flowers, some grassy areas, as well as some shrubs. These different levels will provide the hummingbirds a variety of choices of where to feed or where to perch to rest or roost.
 
You want to plant lots of flowers. You will want to choose both flowers that are known to attract hummingbirds as well as others. It is important to select a variety of flowers that will bloom at different times, because there will always be something flowering. The flowers will serve two very important purposes: they will provide a source of nectar for the hummingbirds, and they will also attract insects on which the birds will feed.
 
It is also important to have a source of water available for the hummingbirds. A hummingbird is quite resourceful and will get water wherever they find it, whether it is beads of water on a leaf, from a brook or stream, or even from a sprinkler. Another way to provide a source of water is by having a birdbath available. The birdbath should have a very shallow water depth to allow the birds to stand in the water if they choose to do so. Adding some small flat rocks to the birdbath will create different water depths within the birdbath.
 
By creating the right hummingbird habitat, you can create both an environment where hummingbirds not only want to feed but also nest. Having a wide variety of plants will provide the female hummingbird a wide variety of nesting materials from which to choose. Willow shrubs have downy fibers that many hummingbird species will use to build the bulk of their nest. The willows will also serve as a source of nectar for the hummingbirds and it will also attract insects on which the hummingbird can feed.
 
Your hummingbird habitat should also contain some perches so the hummingbirds can survey the territory. You might want to create some perches that give the birds a good view over the flowers. Hummingbirds will often perch on tree limbs that are above and behind the flowers or even on some bare tree limb.
 
For many species of hummingbirds, the size and range of their habitats is rapidly decreasing. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly up to those of who love these birds to provide alternate habitat sources. It is my hope that the information contained in this post will help you do so more effectively.
Categories
Hummingbird Food Hummingbird Pictures

Flowering Plants of Vital Importance

Almost every part of the hummingbird’s life is shaped by their dependence on flowering plants. This includes their size, shape, their ability to hover in flight, their mating habits, and migration. The nectar that is found in flowers that has been pollinated by hummingbirds is very rich in sugars, especially sucrose, which is commonly found in sugar cane and sugar beets.The hummingbirds depend on these sources because of their high metabolic rates which are necessary for them to achieve hovering flight. The small body size of the hummingbird that helps them to achieve optimum flight performance, but it also results in a higher rate of heat loss. The hummingbird must take in an enormous about of calories to help ensure their ability to maintain a normal body temperature.

 
When it comes to selecting a food source, the color of a plant is far less important in determining a bird’s "favorite" nectar source. What is most important is the quantity and quality of the nectar which is available. Whenever choosing a flower, the hummingbird will select the flower with the highest nectar output and the richest concentration of sugars, regardless of the shape or color of the flower. Also more important than the color of the flower is how the nectar taste.
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Hummingbird Feeders Hummingbird Food

Proper Hummingbird Feeder Maintenance

Many people have hummingbird feeders in their yard, but quite often they aren’t always sure how to properly maintain them. This post will help inform you about how to properly maintain your feeders, and thus hopefully ensure that you will have an abundance of hummingbirds visiting your yard on a regular basis. 
 
It is important to remember that hummingbird sugar solution is liquid and therefore extremely susceptible to fermentation, mold, or harmful bacteria. These things can put the health and lives of the hummingbirds in danger. 
 
Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned every two to three days. The feeder should be washed in very hot water, to wish you may add some vinegar or even a tiny amount of Clorox. The vinegar will help remove mold, and the Clorox should only be used for extremely difficult cleaning jobs. Whatever cleaning solution you choose to use, please be sure and rinse the feeder out thoroughly when you are finished! Any places that are hard to reach can be cleaned with the use of a bottle brush or pipe cleaners.
 
In very hot weather, which is considered to be temperatures above 60 degrees F., feeders should be cleaned every two days, and then fresh sugar solution should be added. The reason for this is because in very hot temperatures the pathogens in the sugar solution can multiply very rapidly.
 
It is impossible to state a specific date by which hummingbird feeders should be up. When to put up your hummingbird feeders will depend on where in the country you live. In the south the arrival of the hummingbirds may be as early as January or February. If you live in the north, the arrival of the hummingbirds will probably take place in April or May. The timing of when you should hang up your feeders will also depend largely on which hummingbird species are common where you live.
 
Many people mistakenly believe that leaving hummingbird feeders up for too long a period of time will prevent the hummingbirds from migrating. This is not true! A hummingbird has an instinctive urge to migrate and this is not based on whether feeders are up or not. The hummingbirds are most likely responding to light level changes rather than to food level changes.  
 
In some parts of the country hummingbirds have become year-round residents. On the West Coast, in the Southwest, and in a few places in the Southeast, hummingbirds can be found in the winter. So, if you live where hummingbirds have become year-round residents, leaving your feeder up could be life-sustaining to these birds.
 
Having hummingbird feeders placed around your yard is one of the easiest ways to attract hummingbirds to your yard. It is important to maintain proper feeder maintenance to ensure the health and well being of these birds. Also, doing so will help to ensure that these birds will return there each and every hummingbird season.