Bubba Birds

These photos were taken yesterday through my studio window.

This "Bubba Bird" has definitely by far,

got to be the fattest hummer I have ever seen!

And believe me, I have seen a lot of hummingbirds.

I've still got a half a dozen or more very active and vocal

juvenile male hummingbirds stirring things up here.

This guy is guarding three feeders right outside my studio porch.

Extremely aggressive, this Bubba Bird must have

an overload of hormones rushing through his veins.

Bubba's a great hunter. I've watched him successfully pluck

countless tiny insects from the air. He seems much more

concerned with stuffing his face with protein than sugar water.

I have a feeling he's a regular that was hatched here.

I bet he will be the very last one to give up

his claim to the digs this year in Hummer Land.

Hungry Hummingbirds

Today here's a quick tip for all you hummingbird caretakers out there.

We love white Ocean Spray Cranberry juice. It is delicious and comes in just the right size jug to make and store nectar in. If you are lucky, you may be able to enlist a helper or two. Here Inspector Tommy keeps a watchful eye and makes sure that I am doing things correctly.

Wash the container thoroughly after you finish the juice and take the label off. (So you don't go in there and pour yourself a huge glass of sugar water, thinking it's juice.)

Each jug holds exactly 7 1/2 cups of liquid. So, at a four parts water to one part sugar, just add 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the bottle (I use a 1/2 c. scoop and a funnel). Get your tap water as hot as you can and fill the jug almost to the top and shake, shake shake.  No heating necessary!! Honest! (Let it cool before filling feeders.)

The nectar will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge. Because the Ocean Spray bottles are square, they fit nicely.

The hummingbirds love cold nectar in the hot weather and mixing it up ahead of time also makes your job much easier. Right now I've only got one bottle made up, but later in the season, as the activity picks up, I will make gallons at a time. Here's what my refrigerator looked like last summer.

The Hummingbirds Are Coming!

I awoke last night from a vivid dream. The hummingbirds just kept coming to me. At first just one, then another, and another, and another. Where were the feeders? They were buzzing all around my house and all around the shepherd's hooks where I hang the feeders. Little dark flashes of green with a splash of bright red kept streaking past my immediate and peripheral vision. They were flying back and forth in front of my windows. They were hitting the glass with their bodies and making loud squeaking noises with their tails like they do when they are courting the ladies. I know they have been spotted in our area by the Hummingbirds.net Migration Map, so I took the dream seriously and got my first feeder up this afternoon.

It looks kinda lonely, but in a month, the whole yard will be alive. Look at the Butterfly Bushes now, just starting to bud in the background here. I cut them back about a month ago.



If anyone would like more information on attracting, caring for and feeding hummingbirds, go to my Squidoo Lens; Five Steps To Happy Hummers. Don't delay! Now is the time to get your Hummingbird Haven set up!

Rating Hummingbird Feeders From My Reject Pile

Avoid These Mistakes!

Here is a snapshot of some of my Hummingbird Feeder mistakes, discards and disasters. I'm sharing them with you, so you don't make the same errors! :-D



Going from left to right (clockwise) . . .
Bottom Left:
A. Perky-Pet Brand Hummingbird Feeder - I'm not sure where this came from or when. Pros: Made in USA, Cons: The picture on the box shows the dreaded red-dyed hummingbird nectar which the company still sells! It is common knowledge that at best the dye is totally unnecessary and it may even be harmful to the birds. This feeder would be a nightmare to clean for various reasons. You don't even want to get me started! To tell you the truth, I can't ever remember even opening the box before. And from my experience with flocks of hummers, they prefer the saucer feeders.Top Left:
B. No-Name Arty Hummingbird Feeder -Pros: A gift. Unique. Cons: Made in China. Hard to clean, too many parts, not my type. (Probably goes for 70% of all pretty feeders too.)Top:
C. Best One - Giant Hummingbird Feeder - Pros: Made in USA. A half gallon capacity and eight ports! (See bottom in center of basket.)Woo Hoo! Could last me more than 24 hrs. in an emergency situation. (ie: I couldn't be home to monitor the nectar situation 24/7.) Cons: Hard to clean and fill. Very Heavy when full. Top loop broke off from weight and hubby patched it. Plastic has discolored. Too ugly to put back up. I still have good feelings for this object though and will keep it on hand for back-up.Top Right:
D. The Droll Yankee Window Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Very cute, Really Close-up Viewing, Fun, time consuming project. Cons: Doesn't hold much nectar. Messy sticky windows from hummingbird poo. Many little parts. Time consuming project.Far Right:
E. Perky-Pet Brand - Oasis Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Hummingbirds love these feeders! I used them for years and just retired my last few. I have phased them out for several reasons. Cons: The company stills sells red nectar. The little yellow flowers are unnecessary and create a lot more work in the maintenance department. They fall off and get brittle and are a bitch to clean. (Please pardon my French.) Loop on top of hanger is smaller, making connector "S" hooks necessary when attaching to a shepherd's hook.Bottom Right:
F. Aspects Oriole Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Quality product, Easy to clean. Nectar recipe on bottom of lid. Cons: I can't seem to attract Orioles. They pass through occasionally, but quickly move on. Only four ports. Not optimal for hummingbirds, but would do in a pinch.

Gee. Not Pictured (All in use.):
HummZinger - Aspects - Pros: Many! Cons: Few! - I now almost exclusively use Aspects HummZingers. I have many of their various sizes and models and love them for many reasons. See yesterday's post's photo of a 16 oz. HummZinger. There is too much information to go into today, but I promise to tell you more about them, list their features and rave about the benefits of owning these in a variety of sizes in an upcoming post! Until then, Happy Humming!

See 5 Steps to Happy Hummingbirds here.

I'VE GOT FLOCKS OF HUMMINGBIRDS!

I had to take my Macbook Pro to the hospital today. Seems the (old ticker) battery isn't what it used to be. After the Mac Doctor ran some diagnostic tests, my fears were confirmed. A replacement is on order. Until it comes in, I'm tethered to the wall. A hard thing to get used to after 2.5 years of continuous roaming around The Sandarosa while online.

Anyway at the Mac hospital I got talking to a couple of the technicians about two of my favorite subjects, HUMMINGBIRDS and photography. I had to search my sites for the information I wanted to show them, but found it on one of my newest Squidoo Lenses, An Obsession With Hummingbirds. Here you'll find a link to a photographer who specializes in photographing the incredible creatures and even gives in-detail, expert advise on how to do it!! Be sure to check out his wonderful hummingbird gallery too!! I'd mention him by name, however it doesn't seem to be on the site. It's just DyessCreek.com.