Humming Blog |
Humming Blog |
![]() Once hummingbirds find a flower that they like, they will spend an enormous amount of time feeding from them. It becomes locked in their brain as to what a good flower should look like. They will dance from cluster to cluster looking for that specific flower, bypassing all others. You can always tell which flowers are worth keeping as your primary hummingbird attractors by the amount of time they spend at each one. When I started working on the Annuals and Perennials chapter of my book, I spent an entire summer tracking their favorites. Now I make it a regular practice to plant all the top hummingbird attractors each year. Of course, all regions across America will have many different perennials based on their hardiness, but when it comes to annuals there are many similar varieties that will work from one end of the country to the other. 2013, N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta. Juvenile Ruby-throated hummingbird.
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![]() Country living certainly has its rewards. Fresh air, wide open spaces and the peaceful sound of nature can fill up our senses and create within us a euphoria that keeps us returning to natural surroundings. Just about every one of us desires the need to hike down a mountain trail, wade a peaceful stream, or just sit quietly and observe nature. Unfortunately, many people seldom get the opportunity, but this shouldn't stop us from bringing a bit of the country into our own backyards. We don't need acres of land to create a perfect natural oasis. We just need a few of the necessities to interest the birds enough to have them want to stick around our garden. First, consider the size of your garden. The smaller space you have, the more you should limit yourself to the necessary features. Greenery is necessary for birds to escape predators and the heat of the day. A water feature means survival. Food sources will keep them returning multiple times in a day, and flowers attract insects and produce pollen and nectar, and are absolutely necessary for a hummingbird garden. It's an absolute certainty that birds will return repeatedly to a location that contains all of these necessary requirements for birds to survive. Even in small spaces, consider using every square inch of soil to plant only the favorites of hummingbirds. Give them a reason to keep returning. If you only have one or two plants that provide nectar, it won't be that memorable for a hummingbird that plans it's daily course around valuable food sources. And with the arrival of hummingbirds in Spring, don't forget hummingbird feeders. Every adult hummingbird knows their value, and will remember its location for the years. If you can attract and maintain a local population of hummingbirds, I can guarantee you that they will use your feeders throughout their daily schedule. Don't think that you can't create a small and valuable space for birds right in the city. A water feature, food sources, and shelter are what birds look for. Hummingbird Hideaway, N.E. of Edmonton, 2016. ![]() Hummingbirds are little clean freaks. Just about every time a hummingbird perches, it will scratch, and preen itself with its seemingly awkward long beak. They have the ability to stretch their neck to unusually long lengths in order to direct their beak to where it needs to go. Even their hidden feet will suddenly appear from within that plump little feathered belly and scratch at approximately 10 strokes per second. Everything is done swiftly but so accurately. One little nuisance hummingbirds have are flower mites. They are extremely common with hummingbirds. These mites feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers. When hummingbirds insert their beak into a flower to feed, these little mites quickly grab hold of the beak and nostrils of hummingbird to hitch a ride until they reach a suitable flower to feed from. These mites pose no threat to hummingbirds, but simply move from one flower to the next in the same way that hummingbirds do, in search of food. 2015 ![]() I haven't posted much about this flower because it isn't a perennial that grows in my region. Agastache is a zone 6 and warmer perennial. It is sometimes sold in nurseries across the country as an annual. In the warmer climates it self seeds and can even become a nuisance in locations. It's one nuisance that hummingbirds will gladly accept. Every time the young birds would appear in my yard, they made sure that they'd visit the Agastache. They show brilliant red flowers with new buds opening daily. We tested this flower in the middle of our deck table, and it was a sure winner with the young birds making close up appearances regularly. Every year we try a new annual or perennial to see if it'll outperform the others. If it's a big hit, it gets added to the list. We don't go too overboard until it has proven its effectiveness. When it has, it will be planted in large numbers the following years. I believe it was the summer of 2014. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta. Juvenile Ruby-throated hummingbird. ![]() There are many who have started their indoor planting, and a few that are lagging behind, but don't be alarmed if you're the latter. One plant that can make a massive impact in hummingbird garden is the Zinnia. They grow relatively fast and will produce the most spectacular flowers. The fact is that most adults hummingbirds will reject the Zinnia, but young birds are immediately drawn to them because of their size and brilliant colors. The flowers are different from many others in the way that they'll last for incredible lengths of time. Many annuals will produce a flower that only lasts one to five days, but the Zinnia can produce a flower to last well over a month. In fact you will find many flowers that open up in mid July that will last all the way to frost. They cross pollinate all the time so it's nearly impossible to get one consistent color, but they produce a rainbow of the most spectacular jewel and pastel colors. They stand from 18 to 36 inches, and if planted in the right soil, will produce a bush of brilliant flowers, sometimes even different colors on the same plant. For those that think they've missed the time for indoor planting, the Zinnia is definitely for you. I like to start the seeds indoors one month before transplanting outdoors. These flowers don't like cold temperatures. They should be started indoors until they germinate. Then place them outdoors to get as much sun and wind right from germination. They will condition properly, developing more leaves and a sturdier stock. Pull them indoors on any day or night that goes below 5C(42F). If they get too cold they will develop a limp stock, but once they get the warm temperatures they will once again stand tall. If you start them indoors and don't allow them natural conditions, they will shock easily when moved outdoors. Don't over water these plants either. A sure sign of over watering are brown tips on the leaves. You may not have flowers at the start of the season, but you will have lots of them at the perfect time, when the young hummingbirds leave the nest. They can vary in flower sizes, and many will produce a large button while other don't. They are always inconsistent, but beautiful. As I've mentioned before, plant their favorite flowers in large groups. Make it worth their while to keep returning, and also for them to stick around for longer periods of time. Plant Information Height: 18-36" Width: Up to 30" Germination time: 5-8 days Days to Maturity from seed: 70-90 days. Colors: All Jewel and Pastels Location: They love full sun, and will handle drought conditions. Hummingbird rating: 3 out of 5 ![]() When planning out your feeder locations, is it for you or is it for the birds? Every year I place numerous feeders in strategic locations to attract the largest number of hummingbirds I possibly can. Sometimes feeders get placed in locations where I'll get very little personal reward, and some feeders are placed right near my favorite lounge chair. Ultimately, we all want to see every hummingbird that shows up in our garden, but are we restricting the amount of hummingbirds that show up in doing so? A lot of people refuse to put feeders in sunny locations, but these can be some of the most productive feeders at certain times of the day and definitely certain times of the year. Many people will place feeders only in a location where they can see it all the time, but are we restricting our potential? I believe we are. A dominant male will ultimately seek out every feeder that you've got in your yard, but still choose his favorite. The shy female will oftentimes feed at your quietest feeder. It may be the one hidden on the back side of the house, or maybe the one furthest in the field. I try and cater to every bird in every situation in order to accommodate as many hummingbirds as possible. Females can be very finicky during nesting season, and I'm comforted in knowing this. They are responsible for their young. They take far fewer risks and are far more aware of the dangers around them. So in knowing this, we should do a little bit more to accommodate each and every one according to their situation. Sure, we may miss several sightings of hummingbirds in the first half of the season, but the rewards will be far greater when every male, female and juvenile return to the five star accommodations after nesting. The image is of a female that flew in from a distant location every 4-6 hours. She traveled through all conditions, including this foggy morning, to stock up on nectar. This feeder was used far less by the dominant male(Ziggy), and was precisely the reason she returned to it so often. Please click on the image to see a larger view. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta. July 2016 ![]() There's something special about finding a quiet place in the garden and just watching a story unfold. While most of the feeders had been claimed by adult males, there were still a few clusters of flowers that remained available for all the juveniles to fight over. I selected a location tight against a willow bush and waited for the evening battles to begin. Slowly they began to arrive one at a time to the garden. Soon the fighting started to intensify as I could hear distance squeaks in the different directions of all the feeders. It wasn't long before a young male began dancing through the delphiniums right in front of me, desperately seeking out the few flowers that remained. Occasionally he would head in the direction of one of the feeders, only to be seriously reprimanded by its dominant owner. Immediately he would be back to his sparse patch of well licked out flowers. At this point, few flowers were better than no flowers, and it gave him even more reason to viciously defend what little he had when others would try a takeover. The yard became pretty active, and every hummingbird was defensive over any food source they could find, and eventually would perch as close as they could to make it clear of their ownership. It was at that point that this young male perched right beside me in the willow bush. He had a clear view of his island of delphiniums, and would give out a series of squeaks with any approaching bird. He gave me several opportunities for photos, and showed very little concern for me but became seriously aggitated with any bird sniffing around his flowers. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta. August 2016 ![]() A while ago someone wrote me that hummingbirds have to learn how to feed from flowers, and it's so true. There are so many different shapes and sizes with so many different access points on each flower. Not only do the young birds poke at each and every flower in their early days, they have to solve the puzzle how to extract the nectar. Imaged is a young Ruby Throat feeding from one of the simplest flowers to feed from, a Zinnia. They lick the pollen from the center button and also lick between the flower petals, sometimes revolving in circles around the flower between all the layers. What's so enticing to hummingbirds about these flowers is that the dinner plate can grow even bigger than they are. They stand out from all the other flowers with that large target and there's not much of a learning curve when it comes to solving such an easy flower. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta. 2007. ![]() Hummingbirds can spend as little as 3 1/2 months in many regions during their summer visit, and for most of us that just isn't long enough. I am one of those people who can't get enough of those little wonders, so I have to find ways of turning a 3 1/2 month hobby into an annual one. Towards the end of hummingbird season I start collecting the seeds to which I will be starting planting in the new year. Once all the hummingbirds are gone, I go full force into collecting seeds. They all get laid out and dried for a few months. When January hits, it's time to start them indoors. It can be very easy to start seeds in your home if you have a bright sunny location for the seedlings to grow, however, if you don't have a bright location or you want to start a large number of seeds, then a few items will be needed to be successful. Costs can be a limitless if you wanna go all out, but it's not necessary. So I will show you how I've done it for the last 12 years and it's always been successful. Light is an absolute necessity, and fluorescent lighting is the most effective. Without light, plants get long and leggy. With lots of light they will grow a healthy stock full of leaves. I built a system to adjust the light distance from the plants. As they grow, the light can be raised accordingly. It's nothing fancy, but it's very effective. First of all you don't have to spend 2 or 3 hundred dollars on lights. These are simple shop lights. They can be purchased for 20 to 30 dollars. You can buy the appropriate bulbs for the fixture. There are plant lights or just regular fluorescent lights, plant lights being double the price. All I've used are regular fluorescents and they've worked just fine. Next was building a proper support for the light fixtures, one for each end. I built these supports to sit on a table, and used what ever materials I had available. It consisted of a simple upright 2x4 stand(30 inches tall) with a notched out base(not really necessary if you don't have the proper saw) that were screwed together. The T-bracket on top and the base are both about 18 inches long. I drilled a hole on both ends, 2 inches from the end. These holes have to be big enough to slide steel conduit through. Get four S hooks large enough to comfortably hook onto the steal conduit, and you can hook the chains from the light fixture on to them. The chain usually comes with the shop lights. The foam on the end of the pipes was for my own safety after I performed a murder scene from cranking my head enough times on the raw pipes. The foam isn't necessary if you want to perform Act 2 of the murder scene on your own. The cost is approximately $75.00 for the materials. From there you can go as high as you want with a light timer, grow light bulbs or whatever else you want to improve. There are several options out there for seed containers, and also for soil mix. There's some soil mixtures designed specifically for seeds, but they can be pricey if you're doing large amounts of seeding. I buy a large $10.00 bail of peat moss, and the largest bag of perlite available. I mix 75% peat moss to 25% perlite. I also use fertilizer, only once the seedlings have developed their second set of leaves. I apply the all purpose fertilizer once every two weeks. Before plants can be directly planted outdoors, they need to be hardened off(acclimatize them to the outdoors). Step 1: full shade to less than 1 hour of sun for the first week. Step 2: part sun up to 3 hours for the second week. Step 3: 3 to 8 hours for the third week. Finally, planting them in their permanent summer home. These materials will pay themselves off several times over the years, as I probably have saved myself $500 or more per year in growing my own annuals and perennials. If you have the time and don't leave home for days at a time, this is the perfect hobby to reward yourself with an outstanding hummingbird garden throughout the summer. ![]() Here is a post from last year, but something worth repeating with the Ruby-throated hummingbirds soon to arrive throughout North America. Across the US Pacific Coast, and very soon across most of North America, angry little hummingbirds will be assuming territories in many gardens. Males will be fighting for the rights to these breeding grounds spanning right across the country. Imaged is an adult Male Ruby Throat, like you'd know from this distance, standing his ground. He chose about 5 different perches from one corner of our 3 acres to the other. He would sit for about 2-5 minutes on each perch watching over his territory, waiting for the females to arrive, and chasing out every other male that attempted a takeover. This was our well known "ZIGGY". The dead branches on these towering trees are always perches for the Blackbirds and a few others that like to sit high up as they can. Ziggy would often times perch up there even when all the others were there. They wouldn't bother with him and he wouldn't bother with them. This is actually normal behavior for the adult male hummingbirds. They aren't trying to make themselves scarce. They actually want any approaching hummingbird to know that the king is there and he's not willing to tolerate any trespassers. Please click on the image just so you believe me that it's a hummingbird. Even then you may not believe me! May 2015, N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta. |
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