Bird Watching 1

Happy Thursday! I titled this "Bird Watching 1" because I am certain that I will have more bird watching stories as it is one of my favorite activities to do.

I set my hummingbird feeder out sometime in April. At first I only had a few, it seems that the first ones to find it were males. At this time the females may have been nesting already. I have gradually gained more and more customers to my feeder as the summer progresses. During the past two weeks the amount of birds to this one feeder I have has tripled! They are always hovering about, chasing and chirping. Most of these are probably the young ones. The one in this picture that I took last night is a juvenile male ruby-throated hummingbird. You can tell by the markings on his little neck. I have read that they don't get their red neck feathers until the following winter of their first year. I have thought that I had an over abundance of females but in fact the juvenile males look like females at first.

Shaun and I were watching out the kitchen window and we saw as many as five or six at a time playing and waiting their turn. Over the last week I have had to fill the feeder everyday which brings me to share my feeder mixture. I boil 1 cup of water in the microwave on about 2 minutes or at least until it starts to bubble then add 1/4 cup sugar and stir it up good. Let it come to room temperature before putting it outside to prevent teeny little tongue burns. I read just this season in a homemade bird food cookbook that once you have established customers at your feeder you should gradually back off on the sugar content in your mixture. Right now I am mixing 1 1/2 cups water to 1/4 cup sugar and they are still drinking it like it's the last batch. Reducing the sugar content will entise them to still seek out their natural source of nectar and do the jobs that they are here to do. Plus too much homemade nectar will harm their little bitty livers and can eventually lead to a very unhealthy hummingbird.


Also you should keep your feeder clean and free of mold which can form inside the feeder and is not healthy either. My cookbook said the best thing to use outside of just water is a water vinegar mix which I already use to clean windows and glass because it leaves them streak free. I clean my feeder about every three fill ups.

Taking pictures last night at our feeder was fun because the younger birds don't seem to be too scared of me yet. They would just hover close to me checking me out. I even felt the wind once from wings flapping close to my face. I was just as still as a statue and got a few good pics as my reward. I will enjoy these precious tiny gifts from God as long as they are here... and then again next year! Have a wonderful day!