Humming Blog |
 A lot of "hummingbirders" I've talked to always have difficulty in telling the male Ruby throat apart from the female. Other than the glaring obvious red throat when it's facing you, they can look fairly similar with the olive head and back. Even the same male can demonstrate different appearances under different circumstances. A relaxed adult male will have its tail feathers tightly tucked together to form a single point, without any white on the feathers. In the male imaged, he is demonstrating a bit of anger with his tail split apart. Notice there is still no white on the tail feathers. Just understand that a relaxed adult male will have the pointed tail, and the angrier he is the wider the "V" will appear. Females and juveniles will always have a white tip on the tail. 2015, N.E. of Edmonton, AB.
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 Typically when someone tells me that a hummingbird doesn't go to any of their feeders, it tells me that it's a young bird that doesn't understand them yet. Hummingbirds get virtually the same thing from from feeders as they do from flowers, primarily sucrose. Even though the concentration of sugar varies from flower to flower, they will feed enough to fill their required calorie intake. The difference is with feeders they can gain these calories without expending as much energy. It's kind of like placing out a bird seed for other birds in one condensed feeder. They don't have to search all over to find the seeds, therefore using up less energy. Compare seed eating birds to hummingbirds in the way that they both want to gain the most amount of food value without having to work as hard to get it.
The reason I want a large variety of good hummingbird flowers in my yard is to attract young hummingbirds that are naturally attracted to them. The more flowers you have in your garden the longer time young hummingbirds will stick around until they solve the feeder mystery. Of course, if you have loads of adults feeding from feeders in your yard, the young will figure them out pretty quick. This nectar is a necessity for the quick metabolism of hummingbirds, in order to keep them moving and feeding on the needed protein they will find in small insects. Understand that these birds are opportunistic and will always revert to the method that provides them the most food with the least effort. But until they solve the feeders, flowers are a necessity. 2014, N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta.  I had a friend comment to me about a product being fed to hummingbirds and other birds that feed from nectar feeders. It, like many others, promise to be the next best thing in attracting the most hummingbirds.
I want to say first of all that you have to get them to your feeders before they'll know what's in it. Secondly, know that sugar water is better than anything. It's what they require to keep their engines finely tuned. They have a supersonic metabolism that requires sugar to keep them functioning, and this is precisely why flowers extract these high sugar concentrations. There are many angry people out there that claim these manufactured products are harmful to birds, and whether you believe it or not, you should know that these products are simply not needed. A simple mixture of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar is perfect! For those who have attracted hummingbirds for many years, they will concur. Hummingbirds will fly miles to drink this sugar water mixture. Some may ask why would a hummingbird feed from a feeder over flowers. It's simple...it requires no energy to sit and enjoy the never ending supply from a feeder. It requires a lot of energy to gain the same amount of nectar from multiple flowers. Finally, choose colorful feeders, preferably red to draw their attention, or use red tape to brighten up your older feeders. We have so many options nowadays for feeders that all we need is a simple 4 to 1 mixture of sugar water, and you're set to go. Image - Ruby throat N.E. of Edmonton, AB. Older photo taken in 2006.  It was late in the season of 2010 I believe. All the hummingbirds had left including his mother and sibling. This youngster had free rein of the yard, no one to chase or be chased by. Wherever we worked in the garden, he would sit in a nearby tree and observe. He found companionship in humans and showed very little fear.
One chilly evening my wife and I sat around the fire, feasting on one of our favourites, smores. We sat there enjoying the the flickering flames, and periodically would look back to see if our little friend was nearby. He couldn't find a perch close enough to enjoy the heat with us, so he sat on a dead branch that reached as far out from the lilac bush as he could find. Eventually he became nothing but a faint shadow in the night. The next morning he remained only long enough for me to observe his unusual behavior when he received the memo. He found out it was time to go, and he drank up as much nectar as he could stuff into his already chubby little body. He was about to head into a direction of the unknown. He had no one to lead him, and no clues into the future, and yet he remained like all the others..."Fearless". Juvenile Male Ruby-throat. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta. 2010? |
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