Feeding the Hummingbirds

Article by: LeAnn R. Ralph

Early in May here in west central Wisconsin, I can count on seeing a Ruby Throated Hummingbird , The Great History of Roses hovering in front of my kitchen window, , Beware of Toxic Mulch flitting back and forth, as if to say, "there was a hummingbird , Spring Wedding Flowers feeder RIGHT HERE last year. Where is it?"

And then I know it is time to put out hummingbird , Why Bonsai Beginners Love Baby Jade nectar. I feed a 3-to-1 mixture of water , The Art of Painting Trees and Shrubs and sugar (3 cups of water , How to Naturally Dry Hydrangeas and 1 cup of sugar brought to a boil and cooled to room , How to Grow Cooking Herbs temperature). After the hummingbirds' long trip from South America, they are thin and hungry.

The general rule-of-thumb is a 4-to-1 mixture, but to start out in early spring , Why Bonsai Beginners Love Baby Jade I always use a 3-to-1 mixture. Later on in the summer, , Controlling House Plant Pests when there are more flowers , How to Grow Cooking Herbs available, I switch to a 4-to-1 mixture.

I know it is important to wash the hummingbird , How to Conquer Caterpillars feeder when I fill it to clean out any mold. I know it is also important to thoroughly rinse the hummingbird , Swimming Pool Chemicals: Algaecides & Clarifiers feeder when I am finished cleaning it to remove any soap or other chemicals.

If the feeder has visible mold, I use a bleach solution (1 teaspoon of bleach to several cups of water) to kill off the mold and mildew. Then I rinse the feeder thoroughly, under running water, , Controlling House Plant Pests for several minutes with hot water , Daylily Just Plum Happy and for several minutes with cold water. , Who Sells Flower Bulbs?

The best hummingbird , Cactus Grafting: Lophophora Williamsii to Trichocereus Candicans as a Rapid Propagation Technique feeder I've found is a Rubbermaid feeder. It holds two cups of nectar, and it is as sturdy now as it was when I bought it four years ago. Other hummingbird , Who Sells Flower Bulbs? feeders cracked when I tried to wash them, either at the end of the first year or the beginning of the next.

I also set out two of those little "flower balls" for the hummingbirds , Specialty Trees - A Beginner's Guide "â€ little round balls that hold about a quarter cup of nectar with a large, brightly-colored plastic flower , How to Conquer Caterpillars that fits down inside , Daylily Just Plum Happy the neck. The flower , Planning Your Garden from Scratch - the Planting balls fit into a holder that mounts on a steel rod pushed down into the ground. The hummingbirds , Sunflowers love the "flowers" that give them another source of food. , How to Naturally Dry Hydrangeas

Usually, right around our yard, , Park Benches - Making the Right Choice we have between four and six pair of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. , Growing Clematis Later on in the summer, , Outdoor Accessories: Fashion that Goes Beyond Furniture when their offspring start coming for the nectar, we have many more hummingbirds , Planning Your Garden from Scratch - the Planting flying around the yard. , Specialty Trees - A Beginner's Guide Pine trees , Why Bonsai Beginners Love Baby Jade on the east and north sides of the yard , Think Vintage for Your Garden provide a perch for the hummingbirds , Pond Liner Repair while they wait their turn to get at the feeder.

Not that the hummingbirds , Flower Bulbs: Nature’s Greatest Gift are especially patient about waiting their turn at the feeder. They chase each other around and chatter and scold. I am scolded, too, when I have the audacity to remove the feeder from its hook in front of the kitchen window , How To Build A Garden Bench so that I can wash it out and fill it with fresh nectar. On more than one occasion, I have ducked to avoid a collision with a hummingbird. , How to Start Your Lawn by Seeding or Sod

I have learned not to wear a red shirt when taking down the hummingbird , Storage Sheds feeder during the day. A red shirt causes the hummingbirds , The Art of Painting Trees and Shrubs to flit back and forth in front of my face, as if searching for the perfect access to this huge, glorious RED flower , Designing an Edible Garden they see before them.

Instead of filling the hummingbird , Swimming Pool Chemicals: Algaecides & Clarifiers feeders during the day and risking a collision with the tiny birds, , How to Start Your Lawn by Seeding or Sod I often wait until after dark to take down the feeder, wash it and fill it with fresh nectar. That way, when the hummingbirds , Flower Bulbs: Nature’s Greatest Gift are looking for food , The Heralded Teak Furniture Manufacturer: Kingsley-Bate early in the morning, they will find a clean feeder filled with fresh nectar.

As the season , Daylily Just Plum Happy progresses, the hummingbirds , Your Step By Step Guide To Planting The Perfect Lawn dramatically increase their nectar consumption so that by July, I am filling the hummingbird , Flower Gardening feeder at least once per day. I like having the hummingbird , Your Step By Step Guide To Planting The Perfect Lawn feeder in front of my kitchen window , Specialty Trees - A Beginner's Guide where I can closely observe the hummingbirds , Pond Liner Repair as they perch on the feeder and dip their beaks into the nectar. When the light , For ing Fixtures and Landscape Lighting Get Solar Power Installed is just right, I can see their impossibly long tongues darting out to suck up more of the liquid or to lick off the tiny droplet hanging from the end of their beaks.

When the light , Like Fall Flowers - A Tip To Care For Your Winter Garden Pond is just right, it is also easy to see why they are called "Ruby Throated" hummingbirds. , Planting a Garden Pond The red feathers at the base of the male's throat glow like the ruby slippers in the Wizard of Oz.

All summer , How to Conquer Caterpillars long I watch the hummingbirds, , Swimming Pool Chemicals: Algaecides & Clarifiers and as September approaches, they became more and more frantic to eat as much as they can, in preparation for the long flight back to South America.

And then, early in September, one day it will dawn on me that I haven't seen as many hummingbirds. , For Lighting Fixtures and Landscape Lighting Get Solar Power Installed As more days pass, the remaining hummingbirds , Is Your Fertilizer Poisoning You? leave too. Eventually I don't see any hummingbirds , Spring Wedding Flowers at all, and I know it will be many months, with a long hard winter , Your Step By Step Guide To Planting The Perfect Lawn in between, before I can once again feed the hummingbirds , Like Fall Flowers - A Tip To Care For Your Winter Garden Pond that hover in front of my kitchen window. , How to Care for Long Stem Roses

Â© LeAnn R. Ralph 2004

About The Author

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books *Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)* and *Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories).* She is working on her next book *Give Me a Home , Why Do Flowers Inspire Me So Much? Where the Dairy Cows Roam.* You are invited to order a book from Rural Route 2. You are also invited to sign up for LeAnn's FREE! monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News. Visit "â€ http://ruralroute2.com

bigpines@ruralroute2.com

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Feeding the Hummingbirds

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