"The Fast & The Furious"

Spring is here, and with its blooms come the fast and the furious activities of the beloved hummingbirds and the buzzing of honeybees in pursuit of much needed nectar. 

Hummingbirds get the energy they need to maintain their astonishing metabolism primarily from flower nectar and the sugar water they find at feeders.  For protein and other nutrients, they also eat soft-bodied insects and spiders.  "Hummers need nectar to power the bug eating machine that they are."  Think of them as miniature flycatchers, and sugar is just the fuel for getting their real nourishment.  (You might try setting out some over-ripe fruit, banana peels are good, to attract flies for your hummers.)

A little history:  In 1929, Laurence Webster of Boston, after reading an article in National Geographic about feeding hummers out of small glass bottles, designed what later became the first commercially available Hummingbird feeder.  After a subsequent article in National Geographic in 1947, showing photos of hummingbirds at Webster's feeder, interest was aroused and in 1950 the Webster feeder was offered for sale by the Audubon Novelty Company of Medina, NY. 

Should you buy a feeder with perches?  Hummers live at the edge of their energy envelopes, and perching saves lots of calories.  Consider that when humingbirds feed from natural flowers, they spend very little time at any one blossom; on the other hand, they may drink from one feeder port until they are satisfied, and hovering is considerably more tiring to them than normal flight and uses a great deal more energy.  After all, many hummingbirds spend around 80% of their time perching on twigs and leaf stems.

Hanging a hummingbird feeder means assuming a certain amount of responsibility for the well-being of a fragile and trusting animal.  Remember that hummers start feeding as early as 45 minutes before sunrise, and they really need the added energy after a cool night. 

If you are not prepared to follow the maintenace involved with keeping up a feeder, perhaps you should consider planting a "Hummingbird Garden", instead.  Visit Sartin Services Lawncare & Nursery today and let one of our knowledgeable sales associates help you choose a new Hummingbird Feeder, or one of the many plants available to attract Hummingbirds to your garden.  The fast and furious activities will amaze you!

Happy Gardening!

Larry Vickers