Welcome to the back yard - small thoughts about living alongside wildlife.
We have a lot of fun watching our Hummingbird feeder.
We have 3 current resident Hummingbirds who spend the day guarding it and dive bombing eachother - classic aerial combat like a Spitfire taking out a Messerchmidt above the English Channel in World War 2.
Incredible. There's more than enough to go around.
Yet what they lack in social graces pales significantly in their tremendous feats of migration.
September will see most Hummingbirds leave Georgia. Females and juveniles are the last to leave as they need to build up critical fat reserves for the flight to the Gulf Coast which can take a few weeks.
They will then make a nonstop 500 mile flight directly across the open water of the Gulf. This takes about 20 hours for these birdswho weigh less than an ounce.
So aim to keep those Hummingbird feeders clean and refueled every 2 to 3 days to help these rather exceptional athletes.
Additional Information:
- To make Hummingbird water mix 1 part white sugar with 4 parts water.
- Native plants and Hummingbird feeders are vital for Hummingbirds and provide a great resting place for them on their migration.
- Please no colored dye in the sugar water.
- Plastic feeders tend to promote mold growth. A glass feeder is best and please keep it clean.