Hummingbirds have enriched my life for over twenty-five years. I'm sure they were "there" before then, buzzing around me, but I was oblivious to their existence. When I "discovered" them, I was like the proverbial kid in the candy store: I had to FEED them, PHOTOGRAPH them, WATCH them!
I bought a feeder, pricey nectar, and spent summers since then entranced by those little birds zooming in and out of my yard, sitting on perches, and sipping juice. Territorial by nature, there have been some fairly decent sword fights near the feeders, as one bird would protect its food from another. Loud screeches accompany these bouts.
Occasionally, I've had a hummingbird flutter right before my eyes as if IT is studying ME !
I've discovered over the years that hummingbirds in Ohio have a pattern of behavior. Like the swallows of Capistrano and the buzzards of Hinckley, I can depend on seeing my first hummer of the season on or about May 7th, each year. That is the day I hang out my feeder, and I haven't been disappointed yet.
Because it is not a good idea to keep feeding these little guys into the fall, I remove my feeder on October 7th. If I were guilty of letting them think that they could keep feeding as Ohio gets colder, they might miss their starting time for the flight south to wherever it is they go for winter. I like to picture them in South America having nectar at colorful festivals, while I am struggling in the deep Ohio snowfalls.
We primarily have Ruby Throated Hummingbirds here. They are luminous green with a bright shiny spot on the front of their necks. There are supposedly five types in Ohio, but this one breeds here and is predominant. I've photographed them repeatedly with a fast lens, as they flutter and dip and soar. It is said that if you can see three hummingbirds, you have ten times that many waiting their turn to feed. I like to think so!
A year when I had grown some fabulous "kitty whisker" flowers in my garden (no, I don't know their real name, just their nickname) I had hummers all day in the garden, and one day the strangest one ever showed up. It was round with an exceptionally long beak, antennae, was a mottled cream color and brown, and moved rather slowly from bloom to bloom. This was before computers, so I trotted off to the library to find out what kind it was, to no avail. Bea Van Iderstine, fondly known as Mrs. Van, knew more than most people about birds and such, and when I described this odd little hummer to her, she told me it was a "hummingbird moth," not a bird at all! Who knew? (Bea did.)
Once, when my children were little, a hummingbird soared into a swing set pole, and landed in our yard. Because by then I had learned to SEE these zooming creatures, I saw it fall. I picked it up and held it in my hand. It was totally dazed. It had no weight. I could have been holding a mere feather in my hand. I felt its little heartbeat and talked to it before it died, and was amazed at the smallness of its physical being.
I found a hummingbird nest once, also. It was like a very small puff of cotton candy. Who knows where they build these little puffs? They are no larger than a pair of small socks rolled together. I kept the tiny nest on our mantle for many years, as a conversation piece.
In Utah, a few summers back, we watched from a restaurant window as literally HERDS of hummingbirds fed at a decent-sized feeder. The lady who filled them wouldn't tell us her secret recipe, but she said she had to fill the feeders three times a day. There must have been ten birds at a time! I don't attract but two at the most. I am not complaining, for if I lived in Hawaii (and wouldn't THAT be a pity!) I would get NONE. There ARE none in Hawaii, alas.
This summer I have enjoyed our hummingbirds in my front yard AND the back yard. They have entertained us with their sparring matches, zoomed in and out during cocktail time on the front porch, or dinner on the back porch. We always point or nod to acknowledge the arrivals. From inside the house, we take note of their comings and goings. I frequently ask myself how did I, as a child, never notice these little creatures?
I no longer buy pricey nectar, but make my own with sugar and water. I boil the water, add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. If I want to make it red, I add a drop of food coloring, but some folks say the coloring isn't good for the birds. ( I make sure it is cooled before I put it into the feeder, of course.) I actually think they like my mixture better than store-bought nectar. If I mix up a large batch, I keep the extra in the refrigerator until it's time to change. It has to be changed regularly so it is clean and doesn't make the birds sick.
In another month I'll remove the hummingbird feeder for fall and winter. I know my little friends will be vacationing in warmer climes, where someone else will put out nectar and enjoy their visits.
On May 7th next year, though, you know I'll be waiting for them!
copyright: KP Gillenwater
