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Wild Bird Company Saturday Bird Walk
(Every Saturday morning for our Colorado Birders)
Bird Watchers (that's us)
From 7:30 am (promptly)
to 10:00 am (approximately)
Every Saturday year-round. No reservations required. Every last Saturday of the month we travel further afield than normal and return a little later. Bird Walk locations are determined on the morning of the walk. All ages and birding abilities are welcome! Meet at Wild Bird Company 1641 - 28th St., Boulder, CO 80301
Call for more info: 303-442-1322 Wild Bird Company Weekly Bird Walk Newsletters & Bird Counts Wild Bird Company
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Attracting Hummingbirds
by Steve Frye
Hummingbird Feeders 101
Attracting hummingbirds can be a fascinating and entertaining addition to your backyard. Here are some suggestions to give you the best results in attracting hummingbirds.
Avoid commercial mixes other than those which only contain milled refined sugar or make homemade nectar with the formula below.
Homemade Hummingbird Nectar: 4 parts water to one part sugar
Do not use honey, brown sugar, unrefined sugar, fructose, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or red dyes. All of the above can pose health risks to the hummingbirds.
Isn't feeding them sugar water bad for them? No, that is exactly what they get from plants-sugar water for energy. All their other requirements like protein, fats and vitamins they get from eating insects.
No need to "sterilize" your nectar by boiling the water. You can store nectar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
©Steve Frye
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Every 2-4 days discard the old nectar, rinse your feeder thoroughly, and then fill with fresh nectar.
If your nectar turns cloudy, then it is starting to ferment and/or mold. You need to replace it regardless of whether you have had any hummingbird activity or not. The hummingbirds will avoid spoiled nectar and will not be motivated to return.
If your feeder gets really dirty or moldy, you need to clean it well to ensure both the return of your hummingbirds and their health. Try hot water and a brush to initially clean the feeder. You can use soap also, but it may leave a residue which the hummingbirds find unappealing. Hydrogen peroxide or vinegar are very good cleaners for stubborn mold. Having a hard time reaching inside the base to clean it? Put some uncooked rice or sand inside and give the feeder a vigorous shake to scour out the feeder.
Hummingbird Feeder Problems
Leaking hummingbird feeders can be a real mess and a hornet and bee attractant. If your feeder is leaking, try moving it out of direct sunlight, especially in the afternoon. Wind can also cause feeders to leak so you may have to find a more sheltered spot for your feeder. Some hummingbird feeders are designed poorly and are prone to leaking. About the only thing you can do about that is replace your hummingbird feeder with a better one. You may want to consider a saucer-style feeder.
Bees and hornets at your hummingbird feeder will drive your hummingbirds away. Even one sting to such a tiny animal could prove fatal so the hummingbirds will avoid a feeder that is being monopolized by bees, wasps, and hornets. Your feeder may be leaking or have spilled nectar on the outside which is attracting the bees and hornets. See the above suggestions for leaking. You can try spraying a small amount of cooking oil around the feeding ports to discourage the bees and hornets.
Ants and earwigs on your hummingbird feeder will spoil the nectar when they crawl in and drown. Use an ant moat above your feeder to avoid these problems.
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Black-Chinned Hummingbird
©
Steve Frye
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Woodpeckers, orioles, and other birds may also find your hummingbird feeder attractive. This is fine, of course, unless they are tipping out all the nectar making a mess. You could give them an oriole feeder which is a more heavy duty version of a hummingbird feeder or just learn to live with it.
Squirrels on hummingbird feeders are generally not a problem, but if that is your situation try putting out a pan of water for them. This often solves the problem. They just wanted a little drink.
Raccoons can raid hummingbird feeders too. The easiest solution is to hang your hummingbird feeder from a horizontal wire. Raccoons can't walk a wire, so as long as you get it out of their reach from the side or the ground, your hummingbird feeder will be safe. A span of six feet or greater should do the trick. You can also bring your feeder in at night to solve your problem.
Bears can be rather hard on hummingbird feeders. One solution to bears raiding your hummingbird feeders is to hang them high just as you would if you were bear-proofing your food at a camp site. Another solution that works for some is to take in your hummingbird feeder at night.
Rufous hummingbirds can sometimes dominate a hummingbird feeder so much that other hummingbirds can't use the feeder. To combat this, put a small hummingbird feeder up away from the other hummingbird feeders and higher than the other feeders. Fill this small hummingbird feeder with a stronger sugar solution (3 parts water to one part sugar) and the rufous should preferentially defend this higher, sweeter feeder and leave the hummingbirds at the other feeder(s) alone.
Gardening for Hummingbirds
Your efforts to attract hummingbirds into your yard will be greatly increased by also gardening for hummingbirds. Plants attractive to hummingbirds tend to be tubular and reddish, but that is a very broad generalization. Many different plants can attract hummingbirds. Below is a partial list of some of the best (in no particular order). Check with your local nursery to find out more about local favorites.
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Calliope Hummingbird
©
Steve Frye
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Hyssops Agastache sp., salvias, trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sp., penstemons, orange carpet Zauschneria garretti, redbirds in a tree Scrophularia macrantha, scarlet hedgenettle Stachys coccinea, scarlet runner bean Phaseolus coccineus, cardinal climber Ipomoea quamoclit, butterfly bush Buddleia sp., fireweed Chamerion angustifolium, coral bells Heuchera sp., yucca Hesperaloe sp., four o'clocks Mirabilis sp., scarlet gilia Imopsis aggregate, bee balm Monarda sp., jewelweed Impatiens sp., flowering tobacco Nicotinia sp., Hollyhocks Althea sp., Lantana, and weigela.
Bird Baths and Water Features
for Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are attracted to splashing and misting water. Hummingbirds will also bathe in very shallow bird baths and in shallow water sheeting over rocks in water features.
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Hummingbird Products
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Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
©Steve Frye
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To view Hummingbird Products from Wild Bird Company
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Ask Steve
Q: Can I feed my hummingbirds raw sugar instead of refined sugar?
A:
Raw sugars (which are still refined) are off-white or brownish in color because they still contain some mineral impurities. While these impurities may be nutritionally helpful to humans, they can be a health concern for hummingbirds. The most common impurity is iron which can be found in high concentrations in raw sugar. Extra iron may benefit some humans, but it is hard on kidneys and that is the problem for hummingbirds. Hummingbirds have (and need) incredible kidney function as many of you who have sat out by your hummingbird feeder may have experienced! For some reason, getting peed on by hummingbirds doesn't seem as bad as when other animals pee on you. Anyway, because their main energy source is sugar found in plant nectar, it comes along with copious amount of water. Hummingbird kidneys work hard and fast to eliminate this excess water weight so the birds can continue to fly and find more food. So anything that might compromise their kidney function could potentially be fatal. Therefore, all hummingbird feeding experts will tell you to only use refined white sugar when feeding your hummingbirds (and nothing else).
Q: Where should I go to find blue grosbeaks?
A:
Blue grosbeaks like grassland habitat which is broken up by stands of cottonwoods and other trees and bushes. They are essentially an "edge" species meaning they prefer to live on the boundary between stands of deciduous trees and grasslands. At this time of the year, I have noticed something interesting about blue grosbeaks. My wife always points out when the corn fields are tasseling at this time of year because she is still a farm girl at heart. I always notice the corn tassels because I have seen blue grosbeaks in corn fields on numerous occasions. Corn fields are often on the boundary between grasslands and stands of trees. I believe the grosbeaks are in the corn eating the tassels. Most birders are not in the habit of looking at corn fields to find birds, but when the corn is tasseling, you might just find some blue grosbeaks there.
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Shorebird Migration
With August upon us, the bird watching world slows
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Spotted Sandpiper
©Steve Frye
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down except for the shorebirds. August is a peak time for us in Colorado to see shorebirds (something us land-locked birders don't get enough of). Here is an article to get you excited about getting out to the reservoirs and seeing some shorebirds!
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20% Off
Fruit and Nut Blend
A great blend for the end of summer in your
hopper or platform feeders. Available in per pound, 5, 15, and 5 pound amounts.
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[Note: When purchasing online, discount
will be applied during checkout]
Not to be combined with other offers.
Expires 8/31/16.
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Don't forget to pro-actively attract your favorite birds. Stop by the Wild Bird Company today or
Sincerely,
Stephen Frye
1.844.442.1322 (toll free)
Wild Bird Company Headquarters
1641- 28th Street, Boulder, CO 80301
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