Making your backyard a hummingbird garden. Hummingbirds are a favorite with many bird watchers. This article will help you to bring hummingbirds to your own backyard.
Hummingbirds are a favorite with many bird watchers. And it's easy to see why with their tiny size, aerial acrobatics, and friendliness. And, anyone can enjoy them in their own backyard by providing the most basic necessities.
The first thing you can do to entice them into stopping for a visit is to plant some "hummer friendly" trees and flowers. Some good choices are plants that are colorful and rich in nectar. My favorites are Azaleas and the Mimosa tree. Both have brilliantly colored blooms and hummingbirds love them. For a faster growing choice, I like the Morning Glory vine. It can cover a trellis in no time and give you a fountain of color in the mornings. And, Four-O-Clocks make beautiful bushes for foundation or border plants, which will be covered in both blooms and hummingbirds in no time.
If you have trees and plants in your yard, you probably already have the next thing needed to make hummingbirds feel at home: shelter. They need places to perch, since they use so much energy gathering food. They also need to feel protected and have a place to hide if they feel threatened. A yard with no trees can make them feel too vulnerable and they may not hang around.
Water also is a plus if you want these little bundles of energy to visit your yard. Hummingbirds love water and especially enjoy the misters that hook up to your garden hose. If you don't have one, or want a cheaper way to furnish water for them, you can fill a milk jug or some other bottle with water, hang it from a limb, poke a tiny hole in the bottom and let the water slowly drip into a dish or onto a flat rock. Moving water of some kind will attract all kinds of birds and wildlife to your backyard.
And, don't forget the feeder as a way of attracting hummers. Hang it and they will come! Sooner or later they will stumble onto your offering and will come back again and again. There are several kinds to choose from, but I like the smaller ones best. They hold less food, so there is less chance of it spoiling before they eat it. And, I can hang several around the yard so that these little territorial creatures can each have a feeder to "guard." Since you can make your own feed, (one part sugar to four parts water that you bring to a boil and then let cool), you can fill many feeders and keep them all happy.
And, you will no doubt be happy too. Hummingbird watching is one of the most enjoyable pastimes, and the most relaxing. Invite them to your back yard, and you will be glad you did!
