A Fascination with Hummingbirds

This time of year, I think and talk a lot about hummingbirds. Northern Arizona is cooling down for Fall, and those cute but fierce little pollinators have started leaving us for warmer temperatures.

The journey to their overwintering spot can be exceed 2000 miles (18 – 22 hours) so I’ve refilled their feeder one last time for the few stragglers still here. I’m always surprised to see them after our nightly lows dip into the mid 30s. During cold snaps, I’ve learned, they have the ability to slow their heart rate and hang upside down like bats in a state resembling hibernation.😳

During migrations, they can eat up to 8 times their body weight, visiting and pollinating thousands of flowers along the way. They also eat tiny spiders, insects, and sugary tree sap. In fact, they sometimes follow sapsuckers during migration to enjoy the fruits of the larger bird’s tree-drilling labors.

If you’ve ever seen them up close, I don’t have to tell you they are territorial little creatures. This could be a result of their size, or the fact that they need to eat about every 15 minutes to sustain their energy. With wings that flap about 80 times per second, flying speeds up to 50 mph and diving speeds up to 60 mph, you can imagine their incredible energy needs!

There are well over 300 species of hummingbirds in existence, but less than 10 species visit the US, and none venture outside of the Western Hemisphere. Global warming is altering their habitat and migration patterns, so they are depending more and more on us to supplement their food supply.

If you want to make sure the liquid in your hummingbird feeder is beneficial and not harmful, don’t use red dye in your sugar water. (It’s bad for us, so can you imagine how adversely it affects a creature 3 inches long weighing about the same as a penny?!) I buy a powder from Amazon that contains crushed carmine and hibiscus for color. Alternatively, you can just mix up some plain sugar water, but make sure your feeder displays plenty of red.

If you live in an area that stays warm all year, like Southern Arizona, Southern Texas, or South Florida, you can leave your feeders out year-round. Otherwise, check out this site to learn when to put your feeders out and when to take them down for winter. Hummingbirds also love tubular-shaped flowers, and a pollinator garden is always a welcome sight. This webpage has specific suggestions, along with the climates in which each flower can thrive.

If you’ve never seen hummingbirds or you would like to see more of them, the National Parks Service reports that their domains are ideal refuges for breeding and nesting. I’ve never seen one of their nests, but I’ve read they are about 1 – 2 inches wide, an inch deep, have spider web silk layering the tops, with eggs about the size of jellybeans. The referenced site gives info on when to expect which hummers in various National Parks.

If you weren’t already enamored of them, I hope this post has sparked your interest in hummingbirds. Maybe you, too, will think more about them and help support the well-being of these tiny but mighty pollinators.

Blessings for Pollinators,

Lisa

The content of this article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care professional before acting on any information presented herein. Any statements about the possible health benefits of any subject discussed have not been evaluated by medical professionals or the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.