Feeding Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

Of all the wild birds I've had the pleasure of feeding, Ruby-throated hummingbirds have to be my all-time favorite. It's hard to beat the beauty, gracefulness & drama of watching Ruby-throated hummingbirds feed & interact with their mates, offspring & rivals.

Our Ruby-throats arrive here (central Ohio) in early May. We aren't located in a major migration path so I'm assuming it's the same hummingbirds from years past & their young. We are lucky to live in a habitat suitable for Ruby-throats. Plenty of nesting trees that line our local creek and food...both insects, that provide them protein, & flowering plants, that provide them the carbohydrates needed to live such a busy lifestyle. I have noticed more breeding pairs each successive year & would like to think that our responsible hummingbird feeding has contributed to the population increase (although I have no scientific proof to back up my claim...just wishful thinking on my part). One thing I have just learned this past summer, is that hummingbirds enjoy a daily shower. We were experiencing a rather dry spring and early summer in 2007. I had to resort to watering the seedlings in the garden with a hose. A male Ruby-throat saw an opportunity for a bath since we hadn't had rain in weeks & flew down from the tree tops for a refreshing shower. He'd flit back & forth under the fine spray, land on a tomato stake to fluff his feathers & repeat the entire process again. After about three or four flights under the hose spray (along with the feather preening), he'd shoot straight up & head back to his perch somewhere along the creek side.

I only recommend hummingbird feeding to those who are willing to provide the hummingbirds good nectar. I'm not talking the store-bought nectar that has red dye. I'm talking about providing & maintaining a reasonably bacteria, fungus & mold-free nectar source. Natural flower nectar doesn't sit around for days waiting for bacteria, fungus or mold to get a foothold. The flowers just don't produce nectar in time for this to happen. Instead they produce tiny amounts of nectar, which are readily gobbled up by all kinds of wildlife including honeybees, beetles, butterflies and hummingbirds.

I make my own nectar from 1 part white sugar (never use honey or brown sugar) & 4 parts of boiled water to duplicate natural flower nectar. The reason I use boiled water is to sterilize our well water. Yes, we also have "city water" but if I can smell the chlorine, I'm sure the hummingbirds can taste it.... call me old-fashioned. Two minutes of vigorously boiling well water will kill off any microscopic bugs plus the sugar dissolves more readily. Starting off with a bacteria-free nectar just makes it last longer...especially in the dog days of summer. Keeping your nectar source bacteria-free (as well as fungus & mold-free) is very important for the hummingbirds' health. You can't tell if bacteria are growing in a colored feeder or red-dyed nectar, which gets me to the type of feeder you, should use.

I have used a strawberry hummingbird feeder in the past. Big mistake on my part. First of all you can't see the nectar to see if it is cloudy (a sure sign of bacterial growth). Secondly it was a real pain to clean. Someone recommended a hummingbird feeder called a HummZinger. I bought one the next summer & couldn't believe how nice it was to use. It's a very simple design.... a saucer reservoir that never leaks, a bright red cover to attract the hummingbirds with feed ports (that also never leak) & wrap-around perch to allow the hummingbirds to rest while they feed. All made from a nearly unbreakable plastic called polycarbonate. The beauty of this feeder was in its simplicity. I didn't realize how nice this design was until I went to clean it for the next nectar change. After spending 15 minutes trying to clean out the strawberry feeder's reservoir & feeding ports (with a cotton swab) beforehand, the Hummzinger took less than a minute. Simply pop the cover off, swish a little dish detergent & hot water in the saucer reservoir and it's ready for a fresh batch of nectar.

The people who make the HummZinger line of hummingbird feeders have got it down to a science. A simple, no-nonsense design made with high-quality materials. The only problem I had with the HummZinger was wasps & yellow jackets drinking the nectar when I just filled it. I even saw a yellow-jacket chase a male ruby-throat from the feeder once. My HummZinger problem was quickly rectified the next year when they introduced their HummZinger Ultra model, which included Nectar Guard Tips that prevent flying insects from accessing the nectar. The Nectar Guard Tips are flexible tubes that fit over the feed ports. The hummingbird's beak is allowed to pass through the membrane but wasps, yellow jackets & bees cannot pass through to access the nectar. Another benefit of using the nectar guard tips is that small, flying insects such as gnats & small flies cannot get into the nectar reservoir thus contaminating it.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, in spite of their size, are very aggressive birds (especially when it comes to defending a good nectar source). I have seen male Ruby-throats fight over a feeder that would rival a World War II dogfight. It's not just posturing either.... they make actual contact. I have found that placing multiple hummingbird feeders around the yard (out of line of sight of the others) drastically cuts down on the fighting. One alpha-male Ruby-throat can't possibly guard all of the feeders. I think this is why we can have more than one breeding pair. Males will share a feeder with their mate. Females will share a feeder with their offspring (for a time anyhow). The real treat is watching the offspring learn to defend a feeder with their siblings. They make the weirdest maneuvers learning by trial & error. It is quite a spectacle. Speaking of offspring, mid July to the end of August is our busy season when it comes to Ruby-throated hummingbirds. I'm not sure if our females have a second brood but between, the original adults & the entire fledgling ruby-throats...its hummers all over the place.

I did have the lucky chance a few years back to find a Ruby-throat's nest. It was no bigger than a walnut made on a spindly maple twig. Unfortunately a southern gust must have tossed the eggs from the nest since she abandoned it early in the season. I have since installed a hummingbird house under the north eave of the garage. There were no takers the first season but a female did build a nest on the fork & raised two fledglings the next season. It has been used every season since.

I enjoy feeding all wild birds (except those European Starlings who gobble up all the dog food during winter). As beautiful as the Cardinals are against a snowbound backdrop, I can't help but miss our Ruby-throats hoping they had a safe journey across the gulf to Mexico. The only conciliation is that they (and their offspring) will make that long journey back to raise another generation of flying emeralds.... some studded with rubies.