Tuesday, July 12, 2011

FIRST SIGHT OF MY HUMMER

When we came to this house, the previous tenants of this house told us about this hummingbird that comes to their feeder everyday. I was so engrossed in looking at the kitchen, its size, brightness, my living room, bedroom etc etc and I failed to pay attention to this feeder thing that my husband was patiently listening to. When we moved to this house and when we were settling in I saw this cute little hummingbird come to our feeder and drinking the water. I was so excited to see this bird and ran out into the patio. The cute little sweetie got scared of a giant thing running towards it and flew without been able to satiate its thirst.

This is when I was really attracted to these tiny tots. On further investigation, my husband told me what I must add in that feeder. Its an easy recipe. It was just 1/4 cup of sugar filled with a cup of water. "Thats so simple" I thought to myself and started to watch the bird every time it came to my feeder. Its really interesting to watch the bird as they are the tiniest around you and they are so fast in their movement.

If you let me talk I will go on and on about this tiny bird. Let me show you some pics of my Hummer!!!


Spot my Hummer - This is where he will first sit and analyse if his feeder is free to feed.

Second Step: He is actually figuring out the best hole to drink the nectar

Finally settled on one spot quenching his thirst

Its so much fun watching them come to your feeder. I changed the position of my feeder as the hummingbird dint return to my feeder for a while. So this is the new location of the feeder.

Interesting facts about Hummer:
  • They can move forward, backwar, sideward, upward, downward. Isn't that amazing?????
  • They get lot of energy from just normal sugar water. All they need is 1/4 cup sugar mixed in 1 cup water. This is the ratio that is best suited for them.
  • They need sugar after cold night. So they come to the feeders 45 mins before sunrise for their energy.
  • The hummingbird that come to my house is Anna's Hummingbird.
    • Male: Gorget (throat) and forehead iridescent rose red. Gorget with elongated feathers projecting to the sides. Back, rump, and sides metallic bronze green. Underside grayish, with some green spots. Small white spot or streak behind eye. Tail dark; middle pair of tail feathers green, others gray; all rounded at tip. White tufts on either side of rump.
    • Female: Back, top of head, and two central tail feathers metallic bronze-green. Forehead sometimes dark grayish brown. Three outer tail feathers on each side with broad white tips, black central portions, and bronzy green bases. Wing feathers dark. Small white spot behind eye. Auriculars dusky. Throat grayish with some rose feathers, sometimes a large patch. Underparts dull grayish white or brownish gray with some green spots. Tufts on side of rump white.
  • The male fights with the female when she comes to the feeder. The male drives her away and wins the feeder.
  • I clean the bottle once in 4 days if its too hot. Once a week in winter and refill fresh water. In summer your feeder will get empty in no time
These are some facts that I noticed but there are lots that I read about but don't remember. You can always read about them on the internet. Its fun to know about birds that come to your feeder. :-)

2 comments:

  1. hi amirtha, wow, humming birds are so cute.i saw your fresh and crisp / crunchy looking cucumbers...fun to be here
    must be so much fun to plant and reap from your own effort. congrats. i like planting chili but they dont fruit well, so i plant spinach now.

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  2. That's so beautiful!!!loved your fresh garden reaps!

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