The Birds & The Bees #1

It's no secret to anyone, I love birds. If you have been in my house or seen my yard, you know that it's full of bird houses, gazing balls, feeders, & flowers especially chosen to attract them. Last fall I found this hummingbird feeder somewhere; it suction cups directly to the window.Tonight, as my dinner got cold, I stood at the kitchen window and snapped these pictures of two of our first hummingbirds this Spring. They are male and female ruby-throated hummingbirds.

I thought it would be fun to post these pictures along with some fun facts about hummingbirds that you might not know. Read on to learn more:

-The common Ruby-throated Hummingbird that most people are familiar with..... weighs about 3 grams. Their weight will almost double this amount as they put on fat in getting ready for migration.

-Ruby-throated hummingbirds are about 3 1/2 inches from the tip of their beaks to the tip of their tales.

-Normal flight speed is about 25 miles per hour, but they have been clocked at speeds in excess of fifty miles per hour during their courtship dives.

-During normal flight their wings beat about 60-80 times per second. In their courtship dives they might beat up to 200 times per second.

-Unlike other birds, a hummingbird can rotate it's wings in a circle. Because of this special hummingbird fact, they are the only bird that can fly both forwards and backwards. They can also fly up, down, sideways, hover in one spot, or fly upside down for short distances.

-Most hummingbirds unfortunately die during their fist year but, those that do survive that first year have an average life span of 3 to 4 years.

-Hummingbirds will feed 5 to eight times every hour for 30 to 60 seconds at a time.

-The large portion of a hummingbirds diet is sugar which they get from flower nectar and tree sap. They also eat insects and pollen to get protein to build muscle. They are also easily attracted to Hummingbird nectar feeders.

-Hummingbirds are very territorial and will perch in trees, vines or bushes, between feedings to watch the area..... and will attack other birds that might try to feed at their food source.

-Many species of Hummingbirds that migrate to the United States must travel very long distances from Mexico and Central America to get here. Many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds must travel 2,000 miles to go from Panama to their destination in Canada.

-You can make your own hummingbird nectar by following this recipe:
1. Boil 4 parts water.
2.Mix 1 part ordinary white granulated sugar.
3.Stir and allow the mixture to cool.
4.When the nectar is room temperature, fill your clean hummingbird feeder.

5. It is NOT necessary to add red food coloring to the sugar water! God made these creatures very smart...they don't need color to know where/what to eat!

Go buy a hummingbird feeder, would ya?