My Hummingbirds

Mar

15th

2008

Filed Under Outdoors, Photography
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Seems like at least someone in my family has been sick for several weeks now (thus the lack of posting here), but things are looking brighter now, especially since Spring seems to be right around the corner.

One of the “smallest” joys in my life during the summertime is sitting on the swing in my backyard with a cold beer and watching my hummingbirds. They are amazing creatures to watch in flight while they feed. And once they find your feeder, they’ll hang around all year until the daylight starts diminishing.

I usually have two feeders in operation during the summer. Hummers can be very territorial, so multiple feeders offer opportunity for the smaller ones to get a drink too. My mom has at least five feeders, and literally has the birds swarming around the back deck so much that it’s difficult to walk across the deck without hitting them.

Hummingbirds.net offers a sighting map that shows the movement of the birds during their trip north each year. My estimation is that they’ll be here (Memphis, TN) in the next week or two. The site also offers some good tips on how to attract them (plants, feeders, nectar, etc).

Personally, I’m a fan of the Hummzinger feeders. Other feeders I’ve used are similar to the one in the picture that are an inverted-bottle type. These are harder to clean (a weekly chore) and fill (depends on how many birds you have eating). The Hummzinger feeders are just a simple flat basin that you can fill without touching and clean with a damp cloth. I’m ordering another one this week to replace an old feeder…

The hummers also present a great photo opportunity for this aspiring photographer. With the right shutter speed and lighting, you can freeze a bird in flight and catch the wings flapping and a drop of nectar on their long beaks.