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Humming Blog

Stunt Hummers

8/12/2017

6 Comments

 
Picture
   Hummingbirds are appearing everywhere across the continent now, but often times it's difficult to differentiate the young from the adults. Most adult birds will spend 90 percent of their time sipping sweet nectar from the never ending source of easy food, while the young are new to the world and focus on what they've been designed to do, pollinate. That's until they learn the grown up food, feeders. No hummingbird will ever give up the natural bounty provided to them throughout the fields of wildflowers, but feeders are a way we can attract them to our gardens and provide them with an unlimited source of food, especially during tough weather times. 
     This time of year young will be dancing from one garden to the next looking for color and food. I've always mentioned the extreme value of feeders to keep adult birds around our gardens, but flowers are vital this time of year. Young birds may learn feeders quickly or it may take several days or even weeks to learn from the adults or other youngsters brave enough to have already sipped the potion. But until they solve the feeder mystery, flowers, and lots of them, are vital to keeping young birds around your garden. You can have one great flower or a field of poppies, and a hummingbird will always choose the great one! It's crucial to load up on lots of their favorites. If you have enough great flowers to keep a hummingbird busy all day in your garden, it's extremely probable it'll be back repeatedly, or seldom leave your garden. 
​     Here's a young hummingbird that nearly stands on its head to taste the nectar within the Zinnia flower. Adults will choose the easy way to feed, whether flowers or feeders, but the young will get themselves into a real bind if they see something that interests them. 
Juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird Male. August 10th, 2017. N.E. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 

6 Comments
Leslie Geddes
8/12/2017 01:38:38 pm

Just wondering what you would consider the "One Great Flower" :)

Reply
Michael
8/12/2017 02:12:55 pm

Leslie, it can be difficult to choose a perfect flower for all regions because of their zone hardiness and for the time they bloom. I like to go real heavy on the flowers that bloom during the time the young start leaving the nest in my region. Delphiniums are my flower of choice, but I also like to plant heavily with Vining Nasturtiums, Zinnias, and Million Bells(for their attraction). Honeysuckle are a fantastic flower, but they are finished blooming in my garden when the young arrive, so I don't go as heavily on them. What I usually suggest to people is to choose flowers that start to bloom right before the Southern migration starts. This way the young have lots to choose from and also the young migrants going through. During the migration keep an eye out for the flowers that get repeat visits, and plant lots of them the next season. I have a partial list on my website. www.therubythroat.com/flowers.html, and also I have a better list in Jewel of the North book with their rating for hummingbirds. Ultimately, many people would give you a different choice of flowers because they have a different zone and the migration happens at different times throughout North America.

Reply
June
8/14/2017 06:01:35 pm

Interesting read, Sunday August 13,2027 was my very first sighting this year! A male & female Ruby Throated Hummingbirds here!! Thank goodness I never gave up putting out fresh nectar. I was so excited to say the least!! My flowers ruined by the harsh winds we had in spring & early summer, but I do have one source of colour. Hope it is enough. Seems as if they are returning South sooner this year??

Reply
michael
8/15/2017 06:43:35 am

Great to hear you got some sightings, even if it is later in the season. It certainly encourages us to put the feeders up again next Spring, and many flowers to go with them. I will do a Facebook post very soon regarding the time of their departure. ...you may be surprised!

Reply
marg
8/14/2017 09:22:41 pm

Amazing photos and so enjoy your blog and info. Our hummers were a bit late this year but did arrive. We only have 3 feeders out but lots of flowers around them and in the yard. Were concerned with all the storms and trees down at our place that nests would have been destroyed but we now have quite a few coming to the feeders so presume at least a couple of families survived. Thank you for sharing.

Reply
michael
8/15/2017 06:45:52 am

Thank you Marg. It is true that many received their hummingbirds a bit late this year. I was equally concerned with the bad storms because we lost many nests from other birds. I was not sure of the hummingbirds, but often times they will start again if time allows for that season.

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  • HUMMINGBIRDS OF CANADA
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