My friend Hummingway...

You might remember my hummingbird... Just before Christmas last year, we had snow, and LOTS of ice. Ice that killed all the flowers that stick around here on the coast most of the winter. There are a couple of species of hummingbirds that don't migrate here in our area. The Anna's Hummingbird is one such species. I think that's what I have. With all the flowers dead, he came to my feeders that I still had hanging around. The stuff in them was NASTY old... but he kept trying them... I made new sugar water as fast as I could and he's never left. I caught him on video here... It's hard to tell in the video, but I'm really only about 4 feet from the feeder at the beginning.



He is SO SO SO sweet!!
He's pretty dependable, as you can see in the video!! That was about my bazzilionth trip out of the house after a trip to get groceries. He buzzed down each time, and chattered at me!! I can't even express how happy he makes my heart.
You can listen to what they sound like HERE... that's pretty much what he does every time I come out the door!! He buzzes down to the Butterfly Bush, and sits there, singing to me, and talking. When I talk to him, he turns his little head like this:

and looks at me...
He likes to ruffle himself and fluff up for me a lot too! :) I love it. I accidentally caught him doing that in this photo...

Here's a not so great photo of HIM, but you can see the beautiful glow of his rosy head.

Interested in feeding Hummingbirds where you live? It's so easy... first, I should say, that I am whole heartedly against putting red dye into or using products with red dye in hummingbird food. There is opinion out there that states red dye in hummingbird water has stunted reproduction, and in some cases, created infertility. The only reason for adding the colorant to hummer food is because they are attracted to the color red in nature. HOWEVER. If your food is kept fresh, and you have red on your feeder, they will come. Sometimes, you have to change the water a few times before they start coming. You can also tie red ribbons around your feeder to help them notice it. I recomend wide mouthed feeders, so that you can easily scrub the feeder with hot soapy water between feedings. (I've bought mine cheaper than the one I linked to at my local WalMart) It's imperitive that you keep your feeder clean, so that you don't introduce bacteria into your hummingbird populations. Use the hottest water you can, with soap to scrub the inside AND outside of the feeder between EVERY feeding. Bleach is acceptable too, and both should be rinsed off WELL. In warm weather, food should not sit out for more than one or two days. In cool weather, you can go a day or two longer. If you notice an oder when you open a feeder, you should shorten the time between changes.
Making Nectar is simple. Use 1 part sugar for every 4 parts water. Using regular tap water, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. (this may not be necessary, according to some, but I do it anyway, as it also can't hurt) Pour in 1 cup of regular granulated sugar, and stir until dissolved. remove from heat, and let cool. Pour into clean feeders, and you're set! Some people recommend a sweeter solution. This solution, is as near as I can tell from research I've on line, the closest to what nature makes through nectar. There's no need to make it sweeter. Doing so can cause digestion issues. Likewise, you should not use honey, or artificial sweeteners for making your hummingbird's water. These ingredients don't have the nutritional value that hummingbirds NEED to provide the energy to fly and search for food. HERE is some good info on taking down your feeders... in fact, that whole SITE is good... lol Happy HUMMING!!