Bird Watching Guide - Feeding Hummingbirds

There are a few pleasures that one can enjoy for free and watching birds is one such pleasure. Watching hummingbirds is a definite joy. These beautiful birds come in lovely jewel-toned colors and they seem to hover in mid air as they sip nectar from your garden flowers. There is another way that you can attract these birds to your garden, and that''s by a feeder that''s especially been designed for feeding hummingbirds.

There are many types of hummingbird feeders that you can buy. Almost all of them will have some red color to them. This is because hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. However if you feel that there''s not enough of red on your hummingbird feeder then you can tie a red colored ribbon around the feeder.

Besides the red color, hummingbirds love to have nectar from different flowers, shrubs, vines and trees. By placing your feeder amongst the garden flowers, you''ll get the double pleasure of feeding hummingbirds even if there aren''t any flowers blooming in your garden.

Now even though hummingbirds love the color of red they will visit your garden if their favorite plants are there. Flowering plants like Columbine, Begonias and Holly Hocks, as well as Fuchsias, Coral Bells and Lantana are some of these. Impatiens, Penstemen, and Petunias along with Geraniums and Flowering Tobacco are also favorites of hummingbirds.

They also love Azaleas, Flowering Quince, Honeysuckle, Weigela and the Butterfly Bush. Flowering trees like Morning Glory, Trumpet Creeper and Trumpet Honeysuckle may also see visitors of feeding hummingbirds. Others include Tulip Poplars, Honeysuckle Vines and Flowering Crab trees.

As hummingbirds are very territorial birds you''ll need to place other feeders where the hummingbirds won''t see their rivals. Should you place the feeders near each other the hummingbirds will fight each other; sometimes to the death just to protect their favorite flowering plants and feeder.

The best time to place your hummingbird feeder is about 5 to 10 days before the hummingbird season begins. This way should any passing migratory hummingbirds see the feeder they may stop in your garden. There may be a chance of your feeding hummingbirds from another country even.

The season for hummingbirds begins when the weather starts turning warmer, therefore it''s best that you know their traveling times. This way you''ll attract hummingbirds to your garden even if there aren''t any fragrant flowers blooming. A way to keep feeding hummingbirds even when you don''t have flowers in your garden is to put in an instant hummingbird food mix, or prepare your own mixture.

This mixture has been found to be a favorite of feeding hummingbirds. Take 1 part sugar, 4 parts water, and boil together for 1 to 2 minutes so as to kill bacteria and slow down spoilage. Cool the mixture and store in the refrigerator until you''re ready to begin feeding them. Once you''ve started feeding hummingbirds you''ll be amazed at how many will come to your garden and just how colorful your garden will become.

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