Broad tailed hummingbirds (our most common species) consume an average of .5 oz of nectar/sugar water per day.  Using this figure, one can get a rough estimate on how many birds you might be feeding if you have a good idea of how much sugar water is being consumed in a day.  When I learned this number, I was shocked to discover I was feeding well over 450 birds per day at my personal best season a few years ago.

Rufous hummingbirds are the longest traveling migratory birds in North America, covering over 4000 miles in one direction from Central America all the way deep into their Alaskan breeding grounds.  Calliopes are a close second (and the smallest long distance migratory bird in the world), going as far as British Columbia and southern Alaska.

Hummingbirds remember their food sources, and will commonly migrate back to very specific locations including their own birth nest site.  At my former home of 15 years, I had the pleasure of getting to know a handful of my regulars over the course of so long of a time span (I hope the new folks love them as much as I did, because they sure have a lot of them now!)

Hummingbirds not only consume lots of flower and feeder nectar, but they also consume insects.  With their incredible agility, they are quite adroit at picking bugs out of mid-air (including mosquitos!) and consuming them in flight.  Females also ingest ash/charcoal when they are expecting an egg for a calcium boost to help strengthen the shell and replenish their own nutrients.

Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backwards.  They can also reach a cruising speed of close to 40mph, with courtship dives reaching up to 60mph.  Not too far of a stretch considering they are a bird that can beat their wings up to 50 times per second!

Hummingbirds have a stunning level of metabolism that requires levels of sugar that would likely kill many other animals.  Their seemingly constant flight and speed requires that they feed every 15 minutes on average, providing them a metabolic rate that averages as much as 10x that of a tip-top-shape human Olympic athelete.  They also have the ability to drop this rate dramatically low when they go into torpor (temporary hibernation) in cold temperatures, going from the highest metabolic rate while hovering to one of the lowest of any bird in the world.

Quite amazing to have such a stunning little powerhouse of nature buzzing about us every summer!

Originally published in The Mountain-Ear

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The buzz is in the air as our first wave of the broadtail hummingbird migration has finally arrived after their long journey from Mexico and parts south.  The term “scouts” is commonly used for this first wave, though the term is more formality than reality, as it is not as though they arrive to scope out the location then somehow return or send word back to the main migration to let them know the coast is clear.  Hummingbirds being considered “loners” (not gathering or migrating in flocks), simply move at their own pace, and the early birds are just that.  Early.

Another fact disproving the “scout” concept is that the birds will often return to the same feeding territory (not actually scouting out new terrain), and sometimes even the exact same tree or bush, as opposed to finding a new home every year.  Being a very competitive creature in terms of territory, it can be theorized that the early arrivals simply brave the potentially adverse weather conditions to stake their claim and establish their home before others may arrive and try to muscle in on their traditional feeding grounds.  Once the main migration arrives, territorial battles become a near constant event with audible squabbles quite common as they zip around chasing off potential threats to their food sources.

Having fed hundreds of birds per day in the past, I can attest that once the population gets dense enough at a particular location, the birds come to a sort of truce.  Squabbles still happen seemingly constantly, but they generally come to an agreement to share.  While there are always bullies, especially once the notorious Rufous arrive in July, at peak feeding times in the early morning and dusk there seems to be a bit of peace.  I always equated the morning sessions to office gatherings around the breakroom coffee urn, and the evenings to gathering at the bar to talk about the days events.

While initially skittish around humans, as most birds are, all it takes is spending time with them around the feeders for them to overcome that fear, and soon enough they will take your presence in stride.  Some even take that acquaintance a bit far, as I used to have birds that would fly into my house to yell at me when a feeder was empty.  It is commonly seen in countless videos passed around the internet that they can even be “hand fed” with tiny feeders, some brave enough to sit on a palm or perch on a finger to drink.

For years I have called them my coffee companions, as I have always greatly enjoyed sharing that morning space with them, each of us enjoying our own bit of “go-juice” and communing in the sun before going about our daily business.  It is a wonderful way to start one’s day, soaking in those first rays of sunshine with a hot cup of coffee and having a tiny, winged jewel stop by and hover, giving you a smile and a bit of chattery morning greeting before zipping off to the garden for a day among the flowers.

Originally published in The Mountain-Ear

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A proper “syrup” consists of 1 part sugar and 4 parts water, generally bringing the water to a boil first, then removing from heat and adding the sugar, stirring until completely dissolved.  In no way should you ever use the red dyed mixes that are often sold with feeders, as it can be toxic to the birds.  Only white refined sugar should be used (no raw, organic, turbinado, powdered, brown, etc.), as being so small, they are susceptible to iron build-up in their livers, which can make them sick or even kill them. Part of the refining process of white sugar is purposed to remove the iron, making it ideal for the birds consumption. 

As mentioned above, proper cleaning of your feeder(s) is essential as well, as feeders can develop a black mold that if consumed by the birds will give them a fungal infection that swells their tongues, blocking their ability to drink or eat.  An infected bird is usually noted by holding its head up with its tongue sticking out and may also be panting a good bit trying to breathe around the swollen tongue. Sadly, the infection is usually fatal.  Cleaning of the feeders should ideally be done between batches of syrup, which should be changed after 5 days so as to prevent fermentation in the sun.

If you happen to be feeding a lot of birds, I learned a fun little tip a few years ago to get a good idea of just how many you might actually be enjoying.  Broadtails (far and away our most common, as well as typically largest species here on the front range) consume an average of .5 oz’s of liquid/nectar per day.  If you keep track of how much you are filling your feeders, the math is simple.  If your birds drain a 3 cup (24 ounce) feeder in a day, you have likely fed between 40 and 50 different birds with that one feeder.  In my own heyday with the winged jewels, I learned I was feeding well over 400 birds per day during peak season.  Quite a stunning number, and may well be even more if one takes into account that they are also likely feeding from flowers throughout the day as well!

Being that they always arrive before our last snowstorms, it is good to get the feeders out to give them nourishment to help keep them warm.  Feeding is certainly not necessary by any means, as they have been doing this migration for countless years and are quite accustomed to the cold, but I’m sure they quite enjoy it.  On cold nights, they will go into a state of torpor (a kind of temporary hibernation), with their metabolism slowing down dramatically, and can actually be found hanging upside down as they may flip under their perch in this deep sleep.  Their tiny feet stay clenched, keeping them on the branch, and as the sun arises they warm up and wake up, usually making a beeline to food to get their metabolism going again.  As with any time of the year, it is imperative to bring in those feeders at night, as it may well attract a bear, which this time of year is going to be quite hungry as they wake up, and once a bear gets accustomed to the easy food, they will become regular, and as we all know too well, a fed bear is a dead bear.  Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for that one-of-a-kind buzz in the air that is always one of our more joyful signifiers of the warm days of summer ahead!

Originally published in The Mountain-Ear

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