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Monday, June 13, 2011

Impatient Hummer

Ahhh, the end of the work day... a time to relax... what is the first thing you do when you get home from work?  For me, I almost always check on my bird feeders (I currently have 9 feeders) that I have around my house and fill them up as necessary.  Today I noticed that my hummingbird feeder in the front needed filled.  It is right by front window that I look out of sometimes while watching TV.  The hummingbirds really seem to like it, even though I was hesitant at first because it is so small.  But it is made to go right in a potted plant, so that's what I did!  And its a hit!


So anyways, I grabbed my premade 1:4 solution from the fridge (I make a quart of it at a time and then store the rest in the fridge), and began to fill it up.  I was finishing up and about to hang the feeder back up when an impatient hummingbird (I call them hummers for short) flew up.  He (I could tell it was a male because of the bright red patch on his throat, the female's throat is white) made a buzzing sound, as if irritated, looked at me closely, and then proceeded to drink from the feeder as I held it..

Wait, did you get that last bit?  I was holding this itty bitty feeder!  The bird was inches from hand and only about a foot away from my face.  It really blew me away.  First of all, hummingbirds are amazing.  They beat their wings at 53 beats a second, seeming to just whiz by you, which in a natural setting is about all your going to get.  With specifically designed hummingbird feeders, you can get an up close and personal view.  Most hummingbirds aren't terribly shy, although it might take them awhile to get used to you.  I had been close to them before, but usually its through the glass of my window... but not today!


Today, I felt the vibrations of its wings on my fingers, which gave me a thrill.  This amazing creature that God designed was so close to me that I think I will forever feel a kinship with it.  The picture above is from a week ago, when I was impressed to have it feed 5 feet in front of me.. but today, well today I got an impression to last a lifetime!
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3 comments:

  1. Maggie CarrJune 15, 2011 at 6:46 PM

    I subscribed to your blog and I like what I see so far Linds! May I inquire why people usually add red food coloring to hummingbird feeders but you didn't and they still came?

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  2. earthlindzJune 15, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    Red food coloring is often added to commercial mixes, undoubtedly as a marketing ploy. I make my own mix, real simple actually, 1/4 cup sugar for every 1 cup of water. Then I boil it till it is in mixture, let it cool/refrigerate, and then add it to the feeders.

    The red color DOES draw the hummingbirds in, but so does the red feeder (almost all hummingbird feeders are red). Plus, once a hummingbird finds a food source, it will probably remember it and come back. I often tell people you can add a few drops of food coloring when you first put up a new feeder, but it is really unnecessary after the first weeks.

    Food coloring is considered nontoxic, but I'd prefer to just stick to the "basic" sugar and water just to be safe!

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  3. earthlindzJune 15, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    BTW thanks Maggie, glad you like my blog so far :)

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