How To Make Hummingbird Food At Home

It's spring at last, and here in Southern Colorado, it seems we've been waiting a long time to glimpse our favorite wild bird, the hummingbird. We just love watching these tiny, lithe creatures of such vivid color outside our window. There have been a couple summers here that we've had twenty different hummingbirds at our three feeders. We had to refill them every day just to keep up!

We're fortunate to have very good soil in our yard, while most of this part of the country is poor, rocky soil. This makes growing perennials easier and more bountiful. I say easier because we are in a high-desert climate and must water constantly to keep things green.

Humming Bird

Those two things: certain flowers, and running the sprinkler system help attract the hummingbirds to our yard. With their specially designed beaks and long tongues, they just love the flowers suited to their anatomy. Our columbines, torch lilies and butterfly bushes are like giant billboards advertising a hummingbird-friendly play land.

We've tried to plant perennials that bloom at different times throughout the summer so that we always have something to attract the hummingbirds. What a difference it has made. We usually get to enjoy the hummingbirds at least a full month before they discover our next door neighbors yard.

While you may not need to run a sprinkler in the summer months like we must, you can install a fountain or bird bath that will attract just as many hummingbirds. They love the splash and spray of the water and we've seen them many times hovering and dipping over the nearby river where the water hits the rocks and sprays up.

Besides the flowers and water, we offer our hummingbirds feeders filled with sugar water. There is no need to buy mix for use in the feeders as it is simpler and less expensive to make your own. Here's the recipe:

-One part sugar

-Four parts water

-Boil for 2 minutes

-Cool and fill feeders made for hummingbirds

There is no need to add food coloring to the feed and it may actually be detrimental to the birds. Why take the chance?

A little trick we've learned over the years is to put a short piece of transparent tape around the stem that holds the bee guard in place. That way it keeps the larger, more aggressive birds like the Orioles from pulling out the bee guard and guzzling the food.

We've tried many different designs of feeders and found that the birds like the ones with hard plastic "flowers"' surrounding the bee guards. We've not had much luck with the drip-type feeders.

Be sure to rinse the feeders well with very warm water between use. It is not recommended to put any part of a hummingbird feeder in the dishwasher or use detergent. To make sure the feeders are perfectly clean before storing for the winter, we use a tiny bit of chlorine bleach and water. You must be sure to rinse the feeders very well if you do need to use bleach.

So if you're looking to attract beautiful hummingbirds to your yard, remember the flowers, the water and some food. You'll soon have your own flock of hummingbirds who return to your yard each year!

How To Make Hummingbird Food At Home

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Hummingbird Food Recipe - How to Make Hummingbird Food

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Hummingbirds are probably one of the most popular birds that people try to attract to their yards. Of course one of the simplest ways to attract them is to add to your yard the plants that they naturally feed on. This can include flowering plants like honeysuckle or trumpet creepers. But you may not be able to locate these where you can easily see them, so the next best solution is to mount a hummingbird feeder where you can see it, and that means you will need to fill it with hummingbird food. The classic formulation is make make a solution of one part sugar to four parts water. Most experts suggest that you use cane sugar (the white granulated type is fine.) Starting with one cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar should be enough to begin with, but you can make more and store it if you want. Let it cool and then store it in the refrigerator. Try not to store it for more than a couple of weeks. Humming Bird The water should be boiled first, this not only makes it easier
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Hummingbird Houses - A Shelter For The Birds And A Delight For You

Through the centuries, bird enthusiasts and other people have been putting up bird houses all over the country and all over the world. These bird houses are designed to attract different kinds of birds, and they are very helpful in enhancing your bird-watching experience. One of the most intriguing and captivating birds to watch is the hummingbird . Hummingbirds are generally found in South America, and they are the smallest birds in the world. They are the only birds in the world that are able to fly backwards. Because of these characteristics, hummingbirds are among the most sought-after creatures of bird watchers everywhere. Humming Bird In order to spend hours watching this delightful little bird, you would have to be able to make it stay in the same place for a long time. You can do this by creating a hummingbird house in your own backyard. This is a bird house specifically designed for the unusual hummingbird species. You do not need to spend a lot to put up humming
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