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Learn How Easy and Inexpensive Feeding Hummingbirds Can Be!

By: Rob Huff

Many people consider hummingbirds to be the most interesting of all backyard birds. They are fun to watch as they fly around looking for food and water. It is amazing how fast they can fly and how quickly they can change direction then stop and hover. If you want to make hummers regular visitors to your yard just add a food source.

You can bring even more hummingbirds in to your yard by planting 'natural' sources of hummingbird food in your landscaping in addition to hanging hummingbird feeders. Natural sources of hummingbird nectar may be as easy to maintain as the bird feeders you hang up! Besides providing nourishment to the birds, your yard will become a treasure to look at since hummingbirds prefer some of the prettiest and most colorful species of flowers.

Natural Foods for Hummingbirds

Hummingbird nectar is sipped from flowers, usually red ones. Petunias, fuchsia, red columbine , trumpet vine and red bee balm are just a few plants that will attract your winged friends. The plants simply need sun and water to grow and the birds will find them on their own. Tiny flying insects are another natural food source for hummingbirds.

"Artificial" Nectar for Hummingbirds

You can attract hummingbirds even if you don't have a yard. If you live in an apartment, a condo or even in the city don't worry, you can still attract hummingbirds. Hanging flower baskets do a great job at attracting hummingbirds in small spaces. Hummingbirds can also be attracted using hummingbird feeders. They come in many designs, colors and sizes. They will easily hang under your eaves, on windowsills or even right on a window.

Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red so hummingbird feeders with red coloring attract more hummingbirds. Hummingbird feeders come in many shapes but the shape is not really important to hummingbirds. The nectar inside is what the hummers are looking for.

Hummingbird Feeders

Hummingbird feeders are available in two styles - bottle and dish. Bottle feeders are upside down glass or plastic bottles fitted with feeding tubes extending from the bottom. Many bottle feeders feature a red plastic flower to help attract hummingbirds. You may also find bottle feeders that have bee-guards on the feeding ports to stop flying insects from invading your feeder. Hanging your bottle feeder out of direct sunlight may keep it from leaking. Leaking is caused when the sugar water gets too hot and expands.

The dish hummingbird feeder is normally made of plastic although some very beautiful ones are made from blown glass. A dish style feeder is in essence a covered dish with feeding ports built into the cover. The feeding ports in the top make them less appealing to bees and wasps. Several dish feeders are now designed with a storage bottle to distribute the sugar solution from above. Since the hummingbirds may not be able to eat all of the solution, this style feeder should be cleaned and re-filled more often. I prefer this style of feeder for feeding hummingbirds.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

Making your own hummingbird nectar is easy. The only thing you need to remember is four parts water, one part sugar. You can make as much as you need just follow the 4 to 1 formula. Some people say that a stronger ratio of 4 parts water and 2 parts sugar will attract hummingbirds faster to a new hummingbird feeder location.

Boiling the water before adding the sugar will help the mixture blend thoroughly. You can also just stir the sugar into cool water but it will take longer to blend. Do not add red food dye to the mixture, it may be harmful to the hummers that eat it. If you have a problem attracting hummingbirds just tie a few strips of red cloth the feeder. The color and movement should draw them to your feeder. If you make extra nectar just store it in the refrigerator until you need it. The mixture will keep for a few weeks if kept cold.

You can feed hummingbirds from early spring until late fall. Feeding hummingbirds in the fall will not delay their migration. In fact the extra nourishment will help them in their long journey south.

The effort you put into attracting hummingbirds will be rewarded for years to come. Studies have proved that hummingbirds will come back to the same feeding grounds from year to year.

Article Source: http://www.particlearticles.com

If you enjoy feeding hummingbirds I want help you attract more of them. Using plants with hummingbird feeders will bring these attractive birds flocking to your yard. Just apply these easy to follow tips.

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