THE BUZZING LIFE OF HUMMINGBIRDS

PHOTOS BY AUDRA SPEARS, SHANE HARRIS, JOHN DENNEY & MARTHA TUCKER

As a child, it was a startling yet delightful moment seeing a hummingbird for the first time. From that first glimpse, it seemed there was no way that tiny thing darting between flowers was a bird. It looked more like a giant bee buzzing back and forth than a typical slow moving bird. And whoever heard of a bird drinking nectar from flowers and sugar water from hanging feeders? Looks like a bee, eats like a bee and even sounds like a bee, but called a hummingbird?

Hummingbirds might be hard to understand, but their uniqueness is appreciated and admired by many. Their return each spring is highly anticipated, evidenced by all the hanging feeders – red, ready and waiting.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the most common species in Alabama, usually return to Alabama from mid-March to mid-April and stay until late summer and early fall. They overwinter in Central America and make the journey back and forth each year.

The male Ruby-throated hummingbird is recognized by his deep red throat patch and dark green back. The female looks like the male except she has no red on her throat and has a lighter green back.

During their daily activity, hummingbirds burn a tremendous amount of calories and usually feed about four times an hour. They have tubular tongues that extend deep inside flowers to reach nectar. Insects also

make up a small portion of their diet. Hummingbirds are best seen and easily attracted to feeders. Many types of feeders are commercially available, and most work well. A feeder that has a bee guard works best because it keeps bees from using the feeder. If too many bees are attracted to the feeder, hummingbirds will not use it. Feeders are filled with nectar solution that is either purchased or made at home. For the home-made solution, mix one part table sugar to four to five parts warm water. The warm water makes the sugar dissolve faster. Allow the solution to cool before filling the feeder. There is no evidence that hummingbirds need any nutrients other than pure, white table sugar. Never use honey as a substitute for sugar in the solution. Hummingbirds cannot digest honey. They will eat a honey-based solution, but they will soon die from lack of nutrition. Honey may also transmit a fungus that is lethal to hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, but artificial Guarding the Food Supply food coloring does not have Above: Male hummers are highly territorial and will prevent other birds from using it; Facing Page: Female hummingbirds lack the red throat of the males. to be added to the sugar water solution. Most hummingbird feeders have red on them, which attracts hummingbirds. Once they find the feeders, hummingbirds will remember where they are located and will return often, even year after year. According to Wesley Anderson, our Alabama Cooperative Extension System forestry and wildlife specialist, red dye in food has been a controversy since

the 1970s. It also raised concerns related to hummingbird health. Red dye No.2, a known carcinogen, has been banned in the United States since 1976. The current red dye used is Red 40, which is FDA approved for humans; however, hummingbirds’ small size and differing anatomy means that the dye may be dangerous for them. Until there is further research, Anderson said it is best to steer clear of red dye in hummingbird food altogether.

Be sure to keep your feeders clean. Rinse the feeders with vinegar and hot water at least once a week, even if some solution is left. Avoid using detergents. Do not allow mold to grow on the feeder or let the feeding solution become cloudy. Placing feeders in the shade away from direct sunlight will keep the sugar water from becoming moldy, which can be harmful to hummingbirds. Discard old feeding solution and store extra fresh solution in the refrigerator.

Many times, when one hummingbird begins to use a feeder, others are attracted as well. A male sets up a territory around a feeder and defends it, not allowing other hummingbirds to use it. The aerial combat that follows is very entertaining. If the combat gets too intense, put up another feeder or two on the other side of the yard to limit confrontations. A general rule is to separate feeders by at least 6 feet, so one hummingbird does not dominate all of the feeders.

If ants are attracted to the feeder, coat the monofilament line (used to hang the feeder)

with vegetable oil. The oil keeps ants from climbing down the line. Wasps, yellow jackets and bees are also attracted to the sugary substance and could become a problem or nuisance. Coating the area around the feeder openings with petroleum jelly may help prevent these insect pests from getting a foothold on the feeder.

Planting flowers around your home is also a good way to attract hummingbirds to the yard and garden. They love brightly colored flowers, especially red, orange and pink. Red flowers are most effective. The best hummingbird flowers have three things in common: blooms are tube-shaped, brightly colored and easy for hummingbirds to hover and drink. Plantings of azaleas, salvia, zinnia, cardinal flower, bee balm, trumpet honeysuckle, catmint GARDEN and trumpet vine will all attract hummingbirds. Many other red

TALK flowers grow well in Alabama and will lure hummingbirds into your yard. Local hummingbird experts state that after July 4, more rubythroated hummingbirds are typically seen at feeders. Many of the birds that were further north begin migrating south in midsummer and stop by briefly. But since they do not all migrate at the same time, hummingbirds could be expected to travel through

Shane Harris until about late October. Experts also remind hummingbird lovers to keep feeders out during the winter. That’s because even though the ruby-throated hummingbird overwinters in Mexico and Central America, there are other hummingbirds that come to Alabama for the winter. If you see a hummingbird between Nov. 15 and the March 1, it won’t be a ruby-throated hummingbird; it will be another species. Occasionally, Western species of hummingbirds, including the Rufous Hummingbird and Black-chinned Hummingbird, have been seen, documented and banded in Alabama.

Feeding and watching hummingbirds is possibly one of the most entertaining and relaxing things to do this spring and summer. When it gets too hot to work in the yard or garden, just pour a glass of lemonade or sweet tea, sit out on the porch in the swing and watch the show. If you don’t have a hummingbird feeder on your porch or near your garden, you are missing out on a lot of fun. You’ll be delighted by all the activity of hummingbirds visiting your feeders.

For more information, contact the Tallapoosa County Extension office at 256-825-1050 or visit online at www. aces.edu. Follow on Facebook.

Shane Harris is the County Extension Coordinator for Tallapoosa County.

Great Entertainers

Clockwise from Left: Hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors; Migrants fly through our area as early as March and as late as October; Plant flowers in your yard to attract these small birds; These hummers wait for an opening at the feeder; Hummingbirds have long tongues that they use to drink nectar from flowers; Hummingbirds must eat about four times every hour.