Hummingbirds For Mom

Albino Hummingbird at the Feeder

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This vido shows an albino hummingbird feeding at a feeder. Albino hummingbirds are not a sperate species of hummingbird and are extremely rare. Since it is unlikely that many of us will personally have the opportunity to view this for ourselves, I thought I would share this video with you.

Here is some additional information about the albino hummingbird for you to discover. It is the type of information that my mom would have enjoyed discovering. I wish she were here to enjoy it along with all of you. Please let me know what you think about the information you discover here. I look forward to receiving your comments.

The albinism is of a hummingbird caused by a genetic change that prevents the formation of dark-colored pigment in feathers. TThere are varying degrees of albinism.

Typically, albino hummingbirds don’t live as long as other species of hummingbirds, because they often have poor eyesight and more brittle feathers then other hummingbirds and this causes them to have a reduced flying ability.

Hummingbird Food

Hummingbird Habitat Basics

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Are you someone who would love to create your own hummingbird habitat but fear that you you can’t do so because you lack the knowledge or don’t have enough space to do so effectively? Well, then have a got some great news for you! Let me explain.

If you have limited space available for creating your hummingbird habitat, don’t let that stand in your way. It isn’t necessary that you have a lot of space to do so, because you can do so with the use of hanging baskets or even window boxes. My mom used both of these methods extremely effectively along with all the various plants that were located throughout the yard itself. She seemed to think that more was better then less, and she must have been correct because of the number of hummingbirds that frequented our yard.

Be sure to plant flowers of like colors in large groups. Color is a great way to gain the attention of the hummingbirds. The choice of what specific flowers to pant is entirely a personal matter of choice and also depends on what will grow in your area of the country. You will want to provide a mixture of perennials and annuals. The perennials will come back year after year and the annuals will bloom quickly. Mom was great at always having both perennials as well as annuals, as a result the yard was always full of vibrantly colored flowers which attracted the hummingbirds.

If cost is an issue, you can grow your own plants from seeds and therefore save some money. This wasn’t something my mom would do very often, because she liked going to the local nursery or store and purchasing plants that were ready to be planted and already full of color and beauty. If you do want to grow your plants from seeds, you can certainly do so. Starting the plants indoors,will help the plants bloom sooner when planted outside. It is important for you to plant your hummingbird habitat as early as possible in order to help ensure that there will be a food source which is blooming whenever the hummingbirds arrive in your area.

It is important that the plants you select bloom at different times. This will help ensure an additional source of nectar is a available in the spring and summer other than your hummingbird feeders.

Pesticides should not be used. This is harmful to the hummingbirds. Hummingbirds rely on insects and spiders as a way to add protein to their diet and they will ingest the pesticides while feeding when it is used on the plants.

Hummingbirds love water, so adding a water source to your habitat is a good way to attract the hummingbirds. You can use either a birdbath or a mister as your source of water. Our yard had a birdbath. We didn’t have a mister, but I’m sure that was probably do to the fact that mom never realized that it would have been another way to help attract the hummingbirds. It may interest you to discover that hummingbirds don’t need the water from the birdbath or mister to drink, because nectar provides all that they need, the do like to bathe daily. Did you know that, mom? That is not something that I myself realized before doing research for this post. What about you? I’m always amazed at all that I’m constantly discovering about hummingbirds!

Lastly, you can add a few hummingbird feeders to your hummingbird habitat. This will provide an alternate source of food to the hummingbirds and may help solve the problem of overly aggressive and territorial hummingbirds. No matter how many various types of flowers or plants that were planted throughout our yard, there were also numerous hummingbird feeders as well. Mom wanted to use every available resource to help draw the hummingbirds to our yard and did so with great success.

Dear Mom Hummingbird Food

Hanging Baskets and Attracting Hummingbirds

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Whenever I see a hanging basket filled with brightly colored flowers it always makes me think of my mom and her love of flowers and hummingbirds. Each spring and summer, my mom would always plant a wide variety of flowers in various colors in hanging baskets all throughout the yard as yet another way to try and entice the hummingbirds to continue to visit and remain in our yard. This was just something mom did in addition to having other plants and feeders all throughout the yard to help attract the hummingbirds, Mom just loved beautiful flowers and if they helped attract the hummingbirds to the yard that was just the added bonus of her efforts and she thoroughly enjoyed watching the aerial displays and such put on by the hummingbirds.

Mom didn’t have a particular favorite flower to use in her hanging baskets. She just liked to make sure that the flowers she chose offered a wide variety of color. While red is a color that hummingbirds can see at a distance and that these birds are quite attracted to, the flowers you select can come in many colors including yellow, purple and pink.

My mom also wanted the flowers she selected to have the longest bloom time possible. She wanted to be able to enjoy the beauty of her flowers for as long as possible and she knew that this was also a good way to try and provide another source of nectar for the hummingbirds apart from the use of hummingbird feeders.

The plants my mom selected for her hanging baskets also usually had staggered bloom times, because it would allow the hummingbirds a source on nectar for an extended period of time as well as providing a source of color and beauty for a longer period of time.

The use of hanging baskets is a simple and effective way to try and attract hummingbirds. You can use it if you have limited space but still want to try and attract hummingbirds to your yard or in addition to a full sized hummingbird garden or the use of hummingbird feeders.

Our yard was always full of hanging baskets in the spring and summer. It not only helped to make the yard much more colorful and beautiful but it also served as an effective enticement which drew the hummingbirds to our yard. To this very day, whenever I see a hanging basket I am reminded of its beauty and I cannot help but also think of the hummingbirds that would visit our yard as a result of the hanging baskets. Thanks for this mom!

Dear Mom Hummingbird Food

Homemade Vs. Commercial Nectar

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Many things can spark rememberances of those we have loved and lost. It can be caused by things such as the date, sights, sounds, smells and much more. When it comes to my mom many things can cause me to remember her such as the smell of her favorite perfume, her cooking of cetain foods (Mexican food, cornbread dressing, homemade rolls and more) or the sight of a hummingbird all cause me to especially think of my mom.

Today date has had me thinking of both my parents a great deal. You see, today would have marked my parents’ 55 wedding anniversary, but my mom passed away almost 3 three years ago. My thoughts have been with my dad because of how much I’m sure he is missing her and wishing they could have reached this milestone in their lives, Mom has not only been on my mind because of the significance of this date but also because of something I read concerning hummingbird nectar. I’m sure mom would have found it to be quite interesting.

According to the Wild Bird Habitat Store commercially made hummingbird nectar is supposed to last longer. It is supposed to only needed to be changed every four or five days. Homemade hummingbird nectar is said to be needed to be changed every two days. The reason for this I do not know, because no explanation for this statement was given.

This is something that I know you would debate strongly with people. After all, the yard was always full of hummingbirds feeding at your feeders and you always used homemade nectar in your feeders. You always used a mixture of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water to make the nectar. Then you would dissolve the sugar completely, let the mixture cool completely and then once again fill and hang the feeders.

You always made sure to clean the feeders regularly, usually when the feeder was empty, but you would do so whenever it was necessary. You always made sure that the nectar solution in the feeder was not cloudy looking and that there was no black mold in it. You always made sure to clean your feeders with a solution of bleach and water or even by placing the feeders in the dishwasher and then running it.

You believed in making your own hummingbird nectar for several reasons. It was simple to do and it was inexpensive to do compared to purchasing commercially made hummingbird nectar. You believed that the nectar solution was an alternate food source for the hummingbirds besides the numerous flowers you had planted in the yard to entice the hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds are creatures of habit and as a result they will visit the same flowers and feeders year after year. Hummingbirds know when they can trust a food source and when they can’t and you will have a hard time enticing the birds back if they have had a bad experience with the food source in your feeders.

When it comes to selecting a food 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.

Also, you knew that most commercially produced hummingbird nectar mixes contained red dye in them and that this was not necessary to help you attract the hummingbirds. Even though you weren’t aware of this, red dye is not necceary in nectar solution and has been proven to be harmful to the birds. Most feeders on the market today have red on them or you can add a red ribbon to the feeder to draw the attention of the hummingbirds.

So, while there are those who state that commercially produced nectar does not have to be changed as frequently, I myself would not choose to use it and I’m sure that you would feel the same way mom. Regardless of whether you choose to use homemade or commercially produced nectar solution in your fedders, it is importaant to remember to change it as often as is necessary, After all, no one wants to intentionally harm the hummingbirds, and I know that that was something that you certainly never wanted to do yourself mom.

I miss you so much and wish you were still with us mom. I want you to know that I feel extremely blessed to have had parents who were married for 52 years. INot many people these days can say that, but I can and do with great pride and love. I also which I could share my knowledge of hummingbirds with you as being able to debate issues concerning hummingbirds with you. What lively and interesting conversations that would have been! Well, sice I can’t do so, I jwill ust have to let other offer their opinion on the subject of homemade vs. commercial nectar.

Those of you who have hummingbird feeders in you yard, what is your opinion on this natter? Please let me know what you think.

Hummingbird Videos

Cleaning Hummingbird Feeders

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If you are a hummingbird enthusiat, then this is a video you should see, so that you understand how to properly clean your hummingbird feeder and discover what accessories are on the market to assist you with this all important task. After all, why take the chance that you could accidently harm the birds that you so enjoy.