This morning I spied him/her for the first time. The hummingbird circled around the shepherd’s hook where the hummingbird feeder hung last year. I shouted out the happy news to my husband. When I’m finished this post I’ll take my feeder off the garage shelf, soak in hot sudsy water, rinse it well, fill it with boiled sugar water, and place it back on the hook. Oh Happy Day…the hummers have returned.
While I’m readying my yard for hummingbirds, take a look at the Cornell Lab West Texas hummingbird feeders in Live time.
I plant nectar-producing flowers each year in hopes of attracting hummingbirds and butterflies. This has been a banner year for both. Our gardens are visited daily by dozens of butterflies and at least three to four hummingbirds.
We’ve noticed the tiny hummingbirds are the bravest birds in the yard. One hummer seems to know our habits, and when the feeder is removed for cleaning and refilling, he/she will hover near the kitchen window doing its best to prompt us to hurry and bring out the nectar.
I have mixed feelings about hummingbird feeders. If they are not cleaned and maintained daily, they can be lethal to hummingbirds. “Top-10 Hummingbird Nectar Mistakes”
I’ve been concerned over whether I should leave my feeder up through the Autumn months. I was glad to come upon this bit of information on the web:
Some people may be concerned that leaving a feeder up will prevent hummingbirds from migrating in the fall. This is a myth. Hummingbirds (and all migratory birds) have an internal “clock” that tells them when to migrate. No healthy hummingbird would ever stick around just because you’ve left your feeder up in the fall. ~Bird Watcher’s Digest
When the hummingbirds in my yard migrate, I know I will immediately begin to stream the Cornell Lab Hummingbird Cam, and find my hummingbird joy from their amazing live cameras. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy = Hummingbirds
