I have enjoyed watching hummers for years such a small bird , such a joy to watch.I sit last night for hours watching these two hummers as they love to fight as well !
I do think that they come back year to year to the same location as one year I had not put my feeders out and my husband and I was sitting on our steps the hummer came right in front of my face and then flew to the spot I kept the feeder then back to me as if to say please put the feeder up I am wanting to drink .
I go get the feeder and put it up the little hummer goes and drinks for a while comes back to where I am right in front of my face again as if to say THANK YOU for the food !!
Someone said they didn't think they lived a long life as this couldn't be as I have researched they do live long life's .
Hummingbirds have long lifespans for organisms with such rapid metabolisms. Though many die during their first year of life, especially in the vulnerable period between hatching and leaving the nest (fledging), those that survive may live a decade or more. Among the better-known North American species, the average lifespan is 3 to 5 years. By comparison, the smaller shrews, among the smallest of all mammals, seldom live more than 2 years. The longest recorded lifespan in the wild is that of a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird that was banded (ringed) as an adult at least one year old then recaptured 11 years later, making her at least 12 years old. Other longevity records for banded hummingbirds include an estimated minimum age of 10 years 1 month for a female Black-chinned similar in size to Broad-tailed, and at least 11 years 2 months for a much larger Buff-bellied Hummingbird.
Only white granulated sugar is proven safe to use in hummingbird feeders. A ratio of 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water is a common recipe. Boiling and then cooling this mixture before use has been recommended to help deter the growth of bacteria and yeasts. Powdered sugars contain corn starch as an anti-caking agent; this additive can contribute to premature fermentation of the solution. Brown, turbinado, and "raw" sugars contain iron, which can be deadly to hummingbirds if consumed over long periods. Honey is made by bees from the nectar of flowers, but it contains sugars that are less palatable to hummingbirds and promotes the growth of microorganisms that may be dangerous to their health.
Red food dye is often added to homemade solutions. Commercial products sold as "instant nectar" or "hummingbird food" may also contain preservatives and/or artificial flavors as well as dyes. The long-term effects of these additives on hummingbirds have not been studied, but studies on laboratory animals indicate the potential to cause disease and premature mortality at high consumption rates.Although some commercial products contain small amounts of nutritional additives, hummingbirds obtain all necessary nutrients from the insects they eat. This renders the added nutrients unnecessary.
Hummingbird hovering to feed at a red feeder with yellow "flowers"Other animals also visit hummingbird feeders. Bees, wasps, and ants are attracted to the sugar-water and may crawl into the feeder, where they may become trapped and drown. Orioles, woodpeckers, bananaquits, and other larger animals are known to drink from hummingbird feeders, sometimes tipping them and draining the liquid In the southwestern United States, two species of nectar-drinking bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae and Choeronycteris mexicana) visit hummingbird feeders to supplement their natural diet of nectar and pollen from saguaro cacti and agaves.
Fall is the perfect time to enjoy these winged wonders. As days shorten and nights begin to cool, hummingbirds begin their yearly trek south from their summer breeding grounds in the northern half of the country to the warmer regions of Mexico and Central America. Attracting these fascinating birds to your garden isn't difficult.
Flowering plants, selected for their nectar-rich blossoms, provide hummingbirds with much-needed fuel for their long and arduous trip; including a few in your garden is a sure-fire way to encourage them to make a quick pit stop.
Hummingbirds are constantly on the move in search of food. They prefer high-octane meals to fuel their fast metabolisms. Their food of choice is the calorie-rich nectar found in flowers. Tubular-shaped flowers often contain more nectar than flat or shallow-shaped flowers, and so the birds tend to prefer them.
Please if you are feeding the hummers keep your feeders clean and fresh as they need more fuel for their flight south this time of year
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