How To Enjoy Hummingbirds

In Native legend the hummingbird is said to be a healer as well as a carrier of joyful messages. During times of great pain or great sorrow, if a hummingbird appears it is a sign that the healing will soon begin. Legend has it that if the hummingbird comes to you and hovers above you, it is delivering a message of healing.

Some say the if you wear hummingbird jewelry that the jewelry will make you feel happy and peaceful.

Here is a story about the hummingbird and what it means to Native Americans in the northwest part of the country. The tiny hummingbird is also called Sah Sen in Coastal Native art. It is thought to be a messenger of joy and supposedly is a symbol of good luck as well as representing friendship and playfulness. If a hummingbird is seen prior to a major event such as going hunting or traveling to another village, the sighting is supposed to be a positive sign. The hummingbird’s ability to fly back and forth at great speeds and to hover, is believed to be a special skill the hummingbird has to help guide the people. If the people fall behind, the hummingbird can easily back up to keep the pace.

One of the stories about the hummingbird tells about a warm spring day. Summer was on the way and all the flowers wee in full bloom. A mother and her daughter were wading through the green grass as they enjoyed the beautiful colors of the blooming flowers. As a hummingbird joined them, they stopped to watch as it buzzed and darted from flower to flower.

The child was fascinated by the little hummingbird and asked it’s mother why such a tiny bird would want to fly so fast. And also asked why doesn’t the bird stay at one flower instead of visiting them all? The mother and the child sat down on a small hill overlooking the field and the mother said, “Let me tell you the story of Hummingbird.”

Many years ago there was a fragrant flower that rose every spring to display her beautiful petals and bright colors for all the world’s creatures to enjoy. The people and animals waited anxiously each spring for this special flower to appear. On that day they knew the warm, kind rays of summer had arrived. Raven saw how much joy this flower brought to the world, so the next spring when it appeared, he transformed it into a tiny bird. The bird had the colors of the green spring grass and the flashing red of a setting sun. Raven gave the bird a special gift to fly like sunlight flickering through tall trees. He also gave it a message to take to all the flowers. That’s why today we see Hummingbird buzzing from flower to flower, whispering a message. Hummingbird is thanking each flower for making our world a more beautiful place.

The mother looked at her child and said, “As you grow up, remember that like each flower, each person has gifts to give the world. In return that person will be thanked by the birds, animals and flowers for helping to make our world a better place for every one.”

The above story is as told by Robert James Challenger in the book Eagle’s Reflections and other Northwest Coast Stories available at Hill’s Native Art in Tofino, British Columbia. They have been our valued wholesale jewelry customers for many years and carry a wide selection of art work including hummingbird jewelry and Native American jewelry.

The artisans of copperreflections.com have been making handcrafted jewelry and unique gift ideas since 1985. Inspired by the beauty of wildlife, nature and Native Peoples of North America, each piece is carefully designed and handcrafted especially for you. Our designs are silver plated and diamond cut on copper handcrafted jewelry and unique gift ideas.

Read more by this author, Jennifer Hisir, at Handmade Jewelry Blog by Copper Reflections.

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Click the link Hummingbird Jewelry to see a large selection of all kinds of hummingbird jewelry.

My favorite choice of hummingbird  feeders is the Hummzinger Ultra

The HummZinger has patented Nectar guard tips which are flexible membranes attached to the feed ports that prohibit entry from flying insects, but allow Hummingbirds to feed as usual. The HummZinger also has a built in ant moat that will stop crawling insects from getting to the nectar. It also has raised flower ports that divert rain.

This mid-size nectar feeder has a 12 oz. capacity and can be hung or post mounted with hardware provided. It has four feeding ports for hummingbirds and is made of unbreakable polycarbonate. Easy to clean.

For ease of cleaning and protection from bees, wasps and ants, this feeder can’t be beat.

Anyone Can Enjoy Feeding Hummingbirds!

When you decide that feeding hummingbirds is something that you would like to try, there are a couple of things you should want to do. First of all you have to have a hummingbird feeder. You’ll be able to buy one or perhaps build your very own home made hummingbird feeder.

Many individuals take pleasure in feeding hummingbirds inside their backyards. Hummingbirds are amazing to observe and hummingbird feeding is really a gratifying hobby for the old and young alike. Hummingbirds normally nourish themselves on nectar which is simple to duplicate, home-made nectar is ideal for bringing in these tiny birds. Here are some instructions on making food for feeding hummingbirds:

Food Instructions For Feeding Hummingbirds:

1. to make hummingbird food, white sugar and water are mixed together at a ratio of one part sugar to four parts water

2. next, bring this hummingbird feed mixture to a boil while stirring the mixture to dissolve all the sugar

3. boil the hummingbird food for about two minutes then let the homemade hummingbird food cool before adding to the hummingbird        feeder.

Boiling the hummingbird feeder solution will get rid of any chlorine that might be in the water and kill any impurities that might be in the sugar. This boiling process will allow your hummingbird nectar to last longer before it starts to ferment.

This four to one ratio of water to sugar will produce a hummingbird feeding mixture that is about twenty percent sugar just like the flower nectar hummingbirds naturally feed on.

If you have any of your homemade hummingbird nectar leftover, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
There are some joys that you can take pleasure in for low cost and birding and feeding hummingbirds is certainly one such enjoyment. Observing hummingbirds is really a clear pleasure. These gorgeous wild birds can be found in beautiful jewel-toned colors and they appear to hover in mid air while they drink nectar out of your backyard garden flowers.

Now that you have the nectar for feeding hummingbirds, now you will need a hummingbird feeder. There are numerous kinds of feeders available for feeding hummingbirds. The vast majority of them are going to have some red colorization to them. For the reason that hummingbirds are drawn to the color red. However if you think that there’s not enough red on your hummingbird feeder then you could fasten a red-colored ribbon around the bird feeder. Red on your feeder or on a ribbon is enough red, to attract hummingbirds. You don’t need to add any red food coloring to the nectar itself. Some say this red coloring is harmful to the hummingbirds, so there’s no need to take a chance.

In addition to the red colorization, hummingbirds enjoy having nectar from various flowers, shrubbery, vines and trees. By putting your bird feeder among the back garden flowers, you’ll have the dual enjoyment of feeding hummingbirds even though there aren’t any flowers blossoming within your backyard garden.

Now despite the fact that hummingbirds adore the color of red they are going to visit your backyard garden if their preferred plants and flowers are there. Having the right flowers in a garden, is a must to be as successful as possible at feeding hummingbirds. Blooming plants like Columbine, Begonias and Holly Hocks, as well as Fuchsias, Coral Bells and Lantana are a few of these. Impatiens, Penstemen, and Petunias along with Geraniums and Flowering Tobacco are also some more favorites that hummingbirds like to feed on.

They also enjoy Azaleas, Flowering Quince, Honeysuckle, Weigela and also the Butterfly Bush. Flowering vines like Morning Glory, Trumpet Creeper and Trumpet Honeysuckle will also attract lots of feeding hummingbirds.

As hummingbirds are extremely territorial birds you’ll have to place other feeders where the hummingbirds won’t see their competition. Should you position the bird feeders close to one another the hummingbirds will fight each other; occasionally to the death in order to guard their favorite flowering plants and feeder.

The very best time to position your hummingbird feeder is around Five to ten days prior to the time the hummingbird season begins. This way should any passing migratory hummingbirds view the bird feeder they will often stop by your backyard. There might be the opportunity of your feeding hummingbirds from another country even. Here is a link that will be helpful in determining when you should put out a feeder. When to start feeding hummingbirds.

The season for hummingbirds starts once the weather conditions starts turning warmer, for that reason it’s best that you understand their traveling times. By doing this you’ll attract hummingbirds to your backyard garden even when there aren’t any great smelling flowers blooming.

Once you’ve started feeding hummingbirds you’ll be amazed at how many hummingbirds will come to your garden and just how colorful and exciting your garden will suddenly become.

To keep the hummingbird nectar fresh you’ll have to change it before the sugar in the homemade hummingbird food starts to ferment.

The outside temperature will determine how long your hummingbird food will last before the sugar starts to ferment. Here is a chart that gives an idea of how long your hummingbird food should last, for feeding hummingbirds, based on the outside air temperature.

High temperatures…………Change nectar after

71-75……………………………6 days

76-80……………………………5 days

81-84……………………………4 days

85-88……………………………3 days

89-92……………………………2 days

93+………………………………change daily

Should you forget to change the hummingbird feed on a timely basis and mold appears, you’ll have to give your hummingbird feeder a thorough cleaning. For feeding hummingbirds, a clean feeder is a must!

You will need to mix a 10% bleach and 90% water solution to soak your feeder in to kill the mold and sterilize your feeder. Soak your feeder for an hour. You may need to use small hummingbird feeder brushes to brush the dead mold off of the inside of your feeder and out of the feeder ports, to thoroughly clean it.

You may also need to brush the feeder with special hummingbird feeder brushes to remove the dead mold. They come in shapes and sizes especially suited to get into all the little nooks and crannies where mold might be hiding. For feeding hummingbirds, you can’t allow mold to be in your feeder.

Once your feeder is clean, remove all the bleach water by rinsing it in running water several times.

There are feeders that you can buy that will make the task of cleaning a feeder a lot easier. Try to find a feeder that is easy to take apart and allows you to get inside the feeder to all those hard to reach areas that will need cleaning.

My favorite choice of hummingbird  feeders to use with the homemade hummingbird feed recipe, for feeding hummingbirds, is

Aspects 12oz Hummzinger Ultra With Nectar Guard

 It’s inexpnsive and  has several features that  makes it well worth the price.

The HummZinger has patented Nectar guard tips which are flexible membranes attached to the feed ports that prohibit entry from flying insects, but allow Hummingbirds to feed as usual. The HummZinger also has a built in ant moat that will stop crawling insects from getting to the nectar. It also has raised flower ports that divert rain.

This mid-size nectar feeder has a 12 oz. capacity and can be hung or post mounted with hardware provided. It has four feeding ports for hummingbirds and is made of unbreakable polycarbonate. Easy to clean.

For ease of cleaning and protection from bees, wasps and ants, this feeder can’t be beat for feeding hummingbirds.

Trap-It Ant Moat for Hummingbird Feeders, Red

If you don’t have a feeder with an ant moat built-in, you can get an add on ant moat like this one that is great for feeding hummingbirds, to hang your feeder from.

Good luck with your hummingbirds and I hope you enjoyed this article on feeding hummingbirds

Click the link for more articles on feeding hummingbirds.

A Good Hummingbird Book, Collection

A good hummingbird book, will contain lots of valuable information on hummingbirds. A hummingbird book will give facts such as hummingbird habitat, all the different hummingbird species, where the hummingbirds are found through out the world and how to identify the different hummingbirds. A hummingbird book will also have pictures of the different hummingbirds so you will be able to identify which hummingbirds you have in your particular area. A hummingbird book will tell what hummingbirds eat, how hummingbirds sleep, how they fly and information on their life span can also be found in a good hummingbird book.

Below is a link to a great hummingbird book collection, containing all the best  hummingbird books available. Just click on the link hummingbird book and it will take you to Amazon.com, where you may read more about the hummingbird book and even purchase the books if you so choose.

By Terrie Merritt

Hummingbird behavior is quite interesting and hummingbirds are fantastic little birds. Did you know that they are the only birds that can fly backwards? This is only one of the many interesting fact about the hummingbird, and you will find lots more interesting facts in the hummingbird behavior article below.

Hummingbird Mating and Reproduction

Hummingbirds court in the air but, contrary to common myth, mate on a perch. Males arrive first to establish a territory and food supply. They fly a courtship display when the females arrive, calling with a chirping sound and displaying his brightly colored gorget. Many species perform a flying dance to impress the female.

Videos and info about where do hummingbirds sleep

Hummingbirds will find a favorite perching spot, where they feel safe, to sleep. Usually in a bush or tree, where they will perch on a branch. They especially like to use thick trees or bushes, such as a fur tree, because these will provide protection from the elements while the hummingbird sleeps.

If the hummingbird is a female hummingbird that has young babies that are still too young to take care of themselves, she will sleep on the nest.

Sometimes when sleeping perched on a branch, the hummingbird will loosen it’s grip slightly, which causes it to turn upside down on the branch. These upside down birds are sometimes mistaken for dead birds because of their upside down position. When found in this state they may not even respond to your touch. They should just be left alone until they return to their normal state on their own, usually when the sun comes up and warms their bodies. It may take as much as an hour for the hummingbirds to fully recover from this hibernation like state called torpor.

below is a video on where do hummingbirds sleep:

Here you can see a hummingbird that is actually hanging upside down from a branch.

Here is another where do hummingbirds sleep video. This hummingbird is actually sleeping, hanging upside down from the feeder.

I you want the best hummingbird feeder, that’s easy to clean and will protect your nectar from bees, wasps, ants and other crawling insects, check out the feeder below!

Here’s The Easy Solution To-How To Keep Bees Away From Hummingbird Feeder

Ants, bees and other insects always seem to end up at your hummingbird feeder. Bees, just like your hummingbirds, enjoy that same sweet hummingbird food that’s inside your feeder. Once your feeder is up, it doesn’t take long for the bees and other insects to find it.

Besides attracting bees, a lot of hummingbird feeders will leak the nectar onto the ground where the ants can easily find it also. Once the ants find it they get into the feeder and drown where their bodies decompose and ruin your nectar. Bee and ant problems seem to go hand in hand when it comes to feeding hummingbirds.

The good news for us hummingbird lovers is that there is an easy solution to  “how to keep bees away from hummingbird feeder” …. that will also keep the ants out of your hummingbird nectar.

Hummingbird Feeder Bees-How To Keep Bees Out Of Hummingbird Feeders

Lots of stinging insects are attracted to hummingbird feeders. Yellow Jackets, Paper Wasps, Honey Bees and White-Faced Hornets to name a few, can take over a hummingbird feeder and prevent the hummingbirds from feeding at all.

You may want to let the hummingbird feeder bees have the feeder and put up more feeders where the hummingbirds can feed. I have read that a lot of these insects are carnivorous (meat eaters) and can be lure away from the hummingbird feeder by placing a small lump of hamburger, saturated with apple juice, on a plate away from the feeder.

Another way to help with the hummingbird feeder bees and insect problem is to get rid of some of the insects using wasp traps that are available in stores. They get into the trap and then can’t find their way back out. Follow this link to find a large selection of wasp traps at Amazon.com . This is a quick way to get rid of lots of insects.

Another way to help keep hummingbird feeder bees and other stinging insects away from your sugar-water hummingbird feeders is to mount bee guards on the feeder ports. Bee guards can be purchased which fit on the feeder flowers to deter bees and wasps. Bee Guards are small, round, plastic grates that fit over the feeding tube, restricting the insects’ access but allowing the hummers to feed through the grates with their long bills and tongues.

Here is another trick I read about to deter wasps and hummingbird feeder bees. Try applying Vicks Vapor Rub around the feeding flowers to repel bees. Birds don’t have a sense of smell, wasps and hummingbird feeder bees do.

Ant guards or ant moats are available that you can hang your feeder from which have a water barrier.

Probably the best way though to solve your hummingbird feeder bees and wasp feeder problem and to also eliminate any ant feeder problems you might have, is to use a feeder that is specially designed to keep hummingbird feeder bees, wasps and ants out of the hummingbird nectar.

I hope you enjoyed this “Hummingbird Feeder Bees” article. Click the link for more information on how to deal with hummingbird feeder bees.

Here’s The Easy Solution To-How To Keep Ants Out Of Hummingbird Feeders

Ants and hummingbird feeders just seem to go together. I guess because you hardly ever see a hummingbird nectar feeder without ants on and inside it.

The same sweet hummingbird nectar that is so attractive to your hummingbirds, is also just as attractive to all the ants in your neighborhood. Once your feeder is up it doesn’t take long for the ants to find it’s location.

A lot of feeders will leak and spill nectar on the ground, alerting all the ants in the area to it’s presence. They soon find your feeder and get into the nectar and drown. Their bodies decompose and ruin your nectar.

Luckily for all of us hummingbird lovers that use nectar feeders, there is a cheap and easy solution to the hummingbird feeder ant problem.

The answer is a simple device that holds water and since the ants can’t swim, it becomes a barrier to keep the ants away from your hummingbird nectar. The device goes by several names , ant moat, ant guard and ant trap, but is most commonly known as an ant moat.

 Below is an inexpensive ant moat that will answer the question of how to keep ants out of hummingbird feeders.

Also, because it is so inexpensive, most people will buy several ant moats so that they have one for each of their hummingbird feeders. A truly quick, easy and cheap way to solve all of your hummingbird feeder ant problems.

Trap-It-Ant Moat For Hummingbird Feeder

Product Description

The first and still the best ant moat protection for your Hummingbird and Oriole feeders. Protect your feeders from ants and other crawling insects. Insert the ant moat between hanger and feeder and fill with water, providing a barrier to crawling pests. The red color is great to help attract hummingbirds to your feeder.

Click the link for more information on How To Keep Ants Out Of Hummingbird Feeders.