May
2009
Having Fun with Hummingbirds in Your Garden.0
You can do various things to your garden to make it hummingbird friendly and attract more of these birds. Even if you stay in the city’s middle and didn’t have any luck getting these birds in the past, you can soon have them around your garden by following some simple steps.
Setting up hummingbird feeders is a great way to attract them. The feeders should be filled with artificial sugar water solution made at home. Some red flowers can be hanged on a basket or planted near the feeders. This will make it easier for the birds to find the feeders, as they will be attracted to the red flowers. It should be remembered that these birds only rely on sites to find their food source as they do not have any sense of smell.
You should remember that none of the above mentioned plants needs to be red colored, though red color is attractive to the hummingbirds. After growing the plants, avoid using pesticides for killing the insects as the insects can serve as good sources of protein to the birds. The pesticides if ingested by the hummers can kill or sicken them.
You should use the standard sugar water solution for feeding the hummingbirds. Make this solution at home which you can store in the refrigerator for a week. Avoid using honey or sugar substitutes for feeding the birds which can harm them, as honey promotes a fatal fungal disease and sores in the mouth of hummingbirds. Placing the feeder in a shady and cool spot will prevent the nectar’s spoilage.
Using red colored hummingbird feeders in your garden will attract more of these birds. An artificial red flower or band can be tied to the feeder if you feel the feeder doesn’t have enough red in it. But, using of red food colors in the nectar solution should be avoided as they are found to be harmful to the birds. Sometimes, the male hummingbirds try to exert their dominance and drive away the other hummers if you have fewer feeders in your garden. You can prevent this by adding several other feeders around the garden and bring more hummingbirds to your garden.
The feeder of the hummingbirds can be invaded by insects like bees and ants, driving away the birds. To avoid this you can use the feeders with built-in bee guards and use moats or nectar protectors to control ant invasion. When the moats are attached above the feeders filled with water, they block the ant’s pathway.
Insects like ants and bees may invade your garden and feeders and drive away the hummingbirds. You have to use the feeders with built-in bee guards and attach moats or nectar protectors on the feeders to control their invasion. These steps will ensure that your garden continues attracting the hummingbirds.