Hummingbirds

also known as Hummers and Hums

by Nita Holstine

This note couldn't go into the From My Window section. Early this morning I was on the South side of the house. I was drawn by the sound of lots of hummingbirds. So, I go look. Sure enough there were easily 6 or 7 hummers all around the desert willow blooms. These trees have been flowering since late spring and as long as they keep getting regular water, they keep up the blossoms. All the birds love it when I turn on the water sprinkler so they can bathe in the unique shape of the leaves that hold just the right amount of water.

But the sight of the hums flitting from flower to flower made me not so sad over the grasshoppers wiping out the trumpet vine. I will make it part of every morning to walk back to where I can see the trees and maybe even take along the camera.

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  Recent notes on the hummingbirds are with other birds watched "From my Window" notes.

  Our very first feathered visitor was a hummingbird.  We had wondered if there was a limit to their range; we are a long way from anything, but one came around to check us out.  Pecking on the window brought our attention to find the tiny bird trying to get at a Christmas Cactus bloom on the shelf inside the living room window. 

  We bought a feeder and nectar the next day.  All summer long, we were treated to a daily parade of hummers; but when there were so many that they fought over it, we added another feeder.  The nectar is easy to make with sugar, never artificial sweetener – that would kill them, no red coloring and made with distilled water. Most recipes seen have called for 4 parts water to one part sugar. Then they also say to mix it a bit sweeter at first to get them to come back to your feeder.  Much has been written about hummingbirds and it is most interesting to learn what other people in other parts of the world observe.  Areas that do not have freezes have the little hummers year round. Watch out for the premixed jugs of nectar. Many don’t even have sugar added. The red color is not necessary even when using a clear container. Some brands claim that they are following Audubon’s testing and findings, that you should purchase their product because they add minerals and essentials. They imply that Audubon only did research on birds in captivity and they died because he didn’t give them the extras. I didn’t use their product!

    Over the six years now, this past year was the first that we have noticed the ruby throated variety and it was more a matter of noticing when he was flashing his red throat color. When another bird would approach, he’d flash that red breast color to warn the other bird away. Some are a medium size for such a small bird but some are really tiny.  Some are a plain, grayish color but some are a beautiful, iridescent color and the ones with the red throat have a black head color.  Each year, there are more than the years before.  During the heat of the summer, they enjoy the water sprinkler with the big birds and prefer the finer mist.  The first night in the fall when the temperature drops to 45 degrees, the hummingbirds are gone until spring when they will check out the tree where the feeder would be hanging.  I had once found a tiny nest, not more than 3 inches long, woven into the thickest of the briar, about 2 feet off the ground.

    We have now moved into a new year of attracting the tiny birds. It was April 9^th when the first little hum showed up this year. They make lots of noises besides the “humming” and his was more of a clicking or sharp chirp noise. He hovered about 8 feet above and in front of me and right beside the tree where the feeder always hangs. I got the message and went to fill the feeder and hang it in the tree. Within the week, the population was up to 4 and gradually more and more until the best guess would be that there are about 8 now that come up regularly. There have been 4 feeding at one time but 1 or 2 at a time is more common. I have seen pictures in magazines of people who use gallon jugs to feed large numbers of the birds at a time.

   My true joy is not just seeing the little creatures come up to the feeder but watch them sit on the tree branches around the feeder area. They preen and groom just like the big birds and watch for the other hummers to come up to the area.  When you’ve watched them closely for a long time, you might just get to see one of them open and stretch his long skinny beak. Each part is so thin, you can hardly see what is happening. I’ve seen it all of three times now and I’ve been watching for a lot of years. I cannot see this from 6 feet away through my window; I must be out side, within about 3 feet. It actually looks more like a yawn!

    I read in a magazine article about how you could hold up a finger in front of the feeder and after a little while, a bird would land on your finger to eat. They’d wondered if it was the lady’s fingernail polish. I tried the same thing and got a little bird to land on my finger after about 15 minutes of standing quietly. It was not the nail polish. What a treat! I have heard stories of people who could sit patiently with grains of sugar on the palm of their hand and the hummers would land on their hand to eat the sugar. They are such curious little creatures and have no natural fear of humans.

   They have usually moved south in October when the night temps have started getting down into the 40's even when there are plenty of flowers and nectar.  I spend all winter looking forward to spring and their return.