These are for kc dyer who asked if I had any hummingbird photos. The photos are from last summer, but I'm pretty sure the same hummers are back this year. They are very familiar.
If I wear red, they'll buzz right up into my face.
Needless to say, I don't wear red. It's like swatting away very large insects.
9 comments:
Wow! So cool.
Hi Pam!
Wonderful photos. They're tricky little things to photograph. By the time I get my hands around my camera, they're usually gone.
What do you put in your feeder?
Cheers!
Sara
Ahhh. You've made kc dyer very happy. And -- the rest of you out there? You're welcome!
~kc
Thanks!
Sara, it's a sugar water solution. You use four parts boiling water to one part sugar (so 4 c water and 1 c sugar) which you dissolve and store in the fridge. It's important to change it frequently and wash the feeder, especially in hot weather. And also, don't ever buy the ready made solution with red dye in it. Very toxic for the birds. I also plant butterfly bushes, honeysuckle and other flowering plants they like. We get a lot of butterflies too.
Thank you! I've used the hibiscus nectar stuff. They seem to like that. So do the orioles. But I just ran out. I wasn't sure about the sugar water ratio and didn't want to poison the little dears.
I have phlox, and they seem to like that, too, but I need more plants for them to get them to linger.
I do a quarter cup sugar to a cup and a half of plain tap water. I have the same half dozen or so birds back every year and they fight over the feeder all day long.
I can sit on the back deck and they'll strafe me, but won't come so close that I can swat them LOL
And the only pics I can get are from at least 15 feet away and I have to sit with the camera at my face forever so they don't see any movement.
I'm so jealous because the pics are awesome!
We only have the ruby throated hummingbirds here. What is the name of the other kind?
Nightsmusic, that's a high sugar to water ratio. The 4/1 ratio is more like what nature provides. No wonder they fight over your feeder.
Sara, there are websites that discuss butterfly and hummingbird friendly gardens. I remember one in PEI that had as many hummers as bees. It was amazing!
Deb, if that is another species, I don't know what it is. I thought the others were either females or juveniles. For example, in one photo you can see the first spot of red just developing on the throat of a young male.
And if anyone has any tips on how to get my photos a tad sharper, I'd appreciate it. I don't know how to boost the shutter speed and compensate how much light gets in. I really should take a course...
Post a Comment