Welcome Spring & Hummingbirds; Time to Hang Your Feeder

And the humming-bird that hung
Like a jewel up among
The tilted honeysuckle horns
They mesmerized and swung
In the palpitating air,
Drowsed with odors strange and rare.
And, with whispered laughter, slipped away
And left him hanging there.
- James Whitcomb Riley

Hi Everyone,

HAPPY SPRING ABOUT A MONTH EARLY!! AS SOME OF YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT OR SEEN ON THE INTERNET OR IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER, THE FIRST HUMMINGBIRDS HAVE BEEN SEEN IN WISCONSIN, MINNESOTA AND MICHIGAN. THE FIRST SIGHTINGS IN WISCONSIN HAVE BEEN RECORDED ALMOST A MONTH EARLIER THAN PRIOR YEARS. OF COURSE, THESE ARE JUST THE FIRST BIRDS, PRIMARILY MALES (THE MALES ALWAYS ARRIVE FIRST, TO ESTABLISH THEIR BREEDING TERRITORIES, FOLLOWED BY THE FEMALES FOUR TO FIVE DAYS LATER) AND THE LARGE RUSH OF MIGRANTS WILL OCCUR MUCH LATER.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPRING MIGRATION OF THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, PLEASE VISIT:

http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/index.html

WE HAVE TALKED WITH SOME FOLKS IN MADISON (MOSTLY IN PRIME LOCATIONS, SUCH AS THE ARBORETUM) WHO HAVE SEEN THEIR FIRST HUMMINGBIRDS. WE’VE HAD TWO FEEDERS UP FOR ALMOST TWO WEEKS NOW, BUT NOTHING YET UNFORTUNATELY. WE ARE NOT EXPECTING TO SEE OUR FIRST HUMMINGBIRD (ESPECIALLY SINCE WE LIVE RIGHT IN THE CITY OF MADISON, SURROUNDED BY CARS, PEOPLE AND CONCRETE) FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. OUR EARLIEST HUMMINGBIRD EVER WAS APRIL 30, 2011---MAYBE WE CAN BREAK THAT RECORD THIS YEAR. IT IS TRULY AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR AND WE MUST ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL GIFT THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN!!

SO, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU PUT A FEEDER OR TWO OUT AND SOME HUMMINGBIRD BEACONS, SINCE NO GREAT FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING YET. HUMMINGBIRD BEACONS CAN BE ANYTHING RED AND SHINY, SUCH AS RIBBON, STREAMERS, BOWS OR SILK FLOWERS. A PLACE LIKE THE DOLLAR STORE IS GREAT PLACE TO FIND THESE ITEMS FOR AN INEXPENSIVE PRICE.

TO HELP YOU GET YOUR FEEDERS DUSTED OFF AND READY, WE HAVE REPRINTED FEEDER INFORMATION FROM WWW.HUMMINGBIRDS.NET:

FEEDER MAINTENANCE & CLEANING (Courtesy of Master Hummingbird Bander, Lanny Chambers, www.hummingbirds.net)

Here's the recipe for artificial nectar (syrup):

• Use one part ordinary white cane sugar to four parts water.
• It's not necessary to boil the water. The microorganisms that cause fermentation don't come from the water; they are transported to the feeder on hummingbird bills.
• Store unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

This mixture approximates the average sucrose content (about 21%) of the flowers favored by North American hummingbirds, without being so sweet it attracts too many insects.

Distilled water may be used instead of tapwater. However, some researchers are concerned that distilled water lacks minerals that hummingbirds need, and believe it would be prudent to add a pinch of sodium-free salt, which contain potassium chloride, to feeder solutions made with distilled or demineralized water. This should help bring the salt content of artificial nectar back in line with that of natural nectar and help prevent electrolyte deficiencies. Do not use table salt (sodium chloride). Adding salt is not necessary if well or tap water is used.

Any syrup solution will spoil eventually, regardless of temperature, so strict maintenance is required (see below).

For the sake of completeness: another view of syrup concentration appeared in the May 1993 article by Reed Hainsworth and Larry Wolf, both noted hummingbird researchers. However, it's not clear that the health of the birds was considered, or merely their preferences - like children, hummers may tend to eat more candy than is good for them - and there is still a suspicion that high sugar concentrations can cause liver damage in hummingbirds. When I wrote Dr. Hainsworth asking for a reference to a more rigorously-scientific treatment of his data (i.e., a published paper), his reply dodged the question. Without reflection upon anyone's reputation, I stand by the opinion of the majority of hummingbird researchers, that a 1:4 mixture has been shown to do no harm, and any other formula must remain suspect.

There are some specialized protein-added hummingbird food mixtures (e.g., Nektar Plus) that are useful in laboratory or rehabilitation settings, where no natural food is available, or possibly in emergency winter situations when hummingbirds will die without it. But realize that these mixtures are especially vulnerable to spoiling and in an ordinary feeder setting during warm weather would need to be changed every few hours.

Feeder Maintenance

Hanging a hummingbird feeder means assuming a certain amount of responsibility for the well-being of a fragile and trusting animal. If you are not prepared to follow the rigorous maintenance routine outlined below, perhaps you should consider planting a hummingbird garden, instead.

Cleaning
Experts tell me that hummingbirds will starve rather than consume spoiled feeder syrup, so a dirty feeder isn't likely to cause harm. But it may cost you the pleasure of their company if they abandon your yard for more reliable food sources elsewhere.

Every filling, flush the feeder with hot tap water; a bottle brush can be very helpful. Do not use soap - hummers apparently don't like the taste, but bleach will remove it if you have this problem. Visually inspect the entire feeder for black mold; a bleach soak (see the next paragraph) is the best way to remove mold. Discard any unconsumed sugar water. If the birds are not emptying your feeder between cleanings, it's unnecessary and wasteful to fill it completely. If the sugar solution in your feeder turns cloudy, it's spoiled and needs to be replaced. This can happen in as little as two days.

At least once a month, clean the feeder thoroughly with a solution of 1/4 cup bleach to one gallon of water. Soak the feeder in this solution for one hour, then clean with a bottle brush. Rinse well with running water and refill. Any remaining traces of bleach will be neutralized by reacting with the fresh syrup, and there's no need to air dry before refilling. Bleach is both safe and very effective.

These is evidence that bleach accelerates leaching of BPA (a chemical known to cause genetic damage in mammals) from polycarbonate plastic. No one, as far as I know, has studied its effects on birds. If you are concerned about BPA, use full-strength white vinegar instead of bleach.

When to Take Down the Feeder
Hummingbirds will not delay migration if a feeder is present; they are driven by forces more powerful than hunger. If you live in the southeastern U.S., leaving a feeder up might attract one of the western hummers that visit the region in small numbers every winter. The Pacific coast of the U.S. (and extreme southwestern Canada) has a population of non-migratory Anna's Hummingbirds; if a feeder is maintained over the winter, hummers will visit it year-round. Some other locations near the Mexican border also have winter populations of several hummingbird species. See the About Hummingbirds section for more information.

Ants
They will find your feeder, unless you take precautions. Buy a dripless feeder; they really make a difference. Some feeder models feature a built-in ant moat that may be filled with water; don't use oil, since chickadees and other small birds like to drink from ant moats. You can make your own moat by running the hang wire through a hole in a spraycan top (use a dab of silicone sealer or hot glue to seal the hole). But the best defense against ants is to paint the inside bottom of an ant moat with Tanglefoot, a very sticky goo sold at nurseries, and install the moat open side down. This is extremely effective against ants, poses no risk of a bird getting stuck or contaminated, and is low maintenance, since it keeps the goo from being compromised by rain and dust. If you use Tanglefoot, or any other sticky or oily substance, you must be absolutely sure it cannot come into contact with a bird.

I no longer recommend using duct tape or castor oil around suction cups or on hang wires. There's too much chance of a hummer brushing against it during feeder fights.

Bees, Wasps, and Yellowjackets
Bees and wasps are attracted to the color yellow. Since many hummingbird feeders have yellow plastic "flowers" or other parts, try removing such parts or painting them red before hanging your feeder in the spring - once bees learn where food is, they fly right back to the hive to tell all their friends, so avoiding their attention up front works best.

You can buy a feeder with bee guards. However, those tend to be the drippiest feeders available (Perky-Pet "Four Flowers," etc.), and once they start dripping the bee guards are useless, since puddles form in the flowers outside of the bee guards, an easy meal for insects.

Bees tell each other about good nectar sources using pheromones, so it may help to clean the feeder daily with vinegar. It may also help to rub a clove of garlic around the ports. I don't recommend using Pam or other oils or greases on hummingbird feeders.

The only sure defense against bees and wasps is to absolutely deny them access to the syrup. In June 1997 I replaced my Perky-Pet 210-P with a HummZinger, which is inherently wasp-proof because the syrup level is too low for insects to reach, but easily in range of the shortest hummingbird tongue. I also bought a Perky-Pet Oasis feeder, a copy of the HummZinger with several design flaws, but just as effective against bees. Basin feeders are also available from Opus and other companies, and all are effective in denying food to bees and wasps. All are also easy to clean.

If you choose not to try a new feeder and wasps persist, first try moving the feeder, even just a few feet; insects are not very smart, and will assume the food source is gone forever. They may never find it in its new location, while the hummers will barely notice that it was moved. If that doesn't work, take the feeder down for a day, or until you stop seeing wasps looking for it. You'll see hummers looking for it, too, but they won't give up nearly as soon as the wasps. Also, reducing the sugar concentration to 1 part sugar in 5 parts water will make it less attractive to insects, but probably won't make the hummingbirds lose interest.

THANK YOU LANNY FOR THIS GREAT INFORMATION. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE USE OR CARE OF HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS, PLEASE CONTACT US. AS A FINAL THOUGHT, IT IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT TO HANG YOUR HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS WHERE YOU CAN EASILY SEE AND ENJOY THEM!

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HUMMINGBIRDS

THIS MATERIAL COMES FROM ALMOST EDEN PLANT NURSERY IN MERRYVILLE, LOUISIANA---THEY HAVE WONDERFUL HUMMINGBIRD PLANTS AND WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CHECK THEM OUT ONLINE AT: WWW.ALMOSTEDENPLANTS.COM

The Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are just beginning to show up in the garden here and the native Coral Honeysuckles and Buckeyes are in full bloom for their arrival. If you plan to attract these amazing birds to your yard you'll want to provide them with flowers throughout the season if possible. A Hummingbird garden can be as small as a container garden on your patio or as large as you can reasonably manage. It is interesting that many of the tubular flowers that are seemingly designed just for these birds are red but they do not actually favor red as many believe and will visit practically any flower that produces a sweet reward of nectar. A good plant to start with is Coral Porterweed, it will flower from spring to fall and the Hummingbirds and Butterflies think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. There are several selections of the native Coral Honeysuckle, like our own Tangerine Princess, that make wonderful vines for the garden and in mild climates may have flowers as early as late January. Some of our other favorite plants for Hummingbird gardens include: Turks Cap, Hummingbird Bush, David Verity Cigar Plant, Firecracker Vine, Pentas, Cape Honeysuckles, Batface Cuphea, Firecracker Fern, and Red Ruellia. To see our full list of Hummingbird plants just click here.

Did you know?

· Hummingbirds typically return to the same place that they were born each year.

· Hummingbird mothers may reuse their tiny nests from year after year, after appropriate repairs.

· Hummingbirds only lay two tiny eggs per brood but may have multiple broods per year.

· Up to 50% of a Hummingbirds diet is composed of tiny insects like gnats.

· Hummingbird males do not help with raising the young.

· A recent study shows that Hummingbirds quickly learn which flowers have the most nectar and how often it's refilled.

· Hummingbirds don't use their bill like a straw to slurp up the sugar rich nectar but lap it up with a multi-forked tongue at amazing speeds.

· These tiny birds may fly up to 600 miles across open ocean during their migrations.

· Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly upside down and backwards and at the same time!

· When Hummingbirds sleep, their metabolism, heart and respiratory rates drop dramatically to conserve energy as they enter a state of near hibernation.

May your garden be graced by the beauty and wonder of these amazing little creatures year after year:)

WHAT ARE THE BEST PLANTS FOR A HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN IN THE UPPER MIDWEST?

THE MATERIAL FROM ALMOST EDEN PLANTS REFERENCED SEVERAL PLANTS THAT WOULD NOT BE IDEAL IN THE COLDER CLIMATE OF THE UPPER MIDWEST. LISTED BELOW ARE WHAT WE CALL “THE DOZEN DAZZLER” HUMMINGBIRD PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN TESTED IN OUR GARDEN FOR 12 YEARS:

THE “DOZEN DAZZLER” HUMMINGBIRD PLANTS---The Best Plants for A Northern Hummingbird Garden (adapted from The Wildlife Gardener’s Guide to Hummingbirds & Songbird from the Tropics, Susan Day, Ron Rovansek and Jack Griggs, 2003, Harper Collins)

• RED TROPICAL SAGE, TEXAS SAGE, SCARLET SAGE (SALVIA COCCINEA) annual
• RED BEE BALM, OSWEGO TEA (MONARDA DIDYMA) perennial
• AUTUMN SAGE (SALVIA GREGGII) annual
• ANISE SAGE (SALVIA GUARANITICA) annual
• STANDING CYPRESS, SPANISH LARKSPUR (IMPOMPSIS RUBRA) biennial/perennial
• RED CARDINAL FLOWER (LOBELIA CARDINALIS) perennial
• SUNSET HYSSOP, LICORICE MINT (AGASTACHE RUPESTRIS, AGASTACHE CANNA) perennial
• MEXICAN CIGAR PLANT (CUPHEA “DAVID VERITY) annual
• INDIAN SHOT (CANNA INDICA) annual (lift bulbs after first frost & replant in spring)
• HONEYSUCKLE FUCHSIA, “GARTENMEISTER BONSTEDT” FUCHSIA (FUCHSIA TRIPHYLLA) annual
• CORAL HONEYSUCKLE, TRUMPET HONEYSUCKLE (LONICERA SEMPERVIRENS) perennial vine
• NICOTIANA MUTABILIS (FLOWERING TOBACCO) Reseeding AnnualSALVIA ‘WENDY’S WISH annual

MANY OF THESE PLANTS ARE AVAILABLE IN LOCAL NURSERIES SUCH AS KLEIN’S, THE BRUCE COMPANY OR THE FLOWER FACTORY, BUT OTHERS WILL NEED TO BE ORDERED ONLINE. PLEASE GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINK FROM OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ONLINE NURSERIES FOR HUMMINGBIRD FAVORITE PLANTS:

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/mjrock/web/plants.htm

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE TO FIND HUMMINGBIRD PLANTS ONLINE OR LOCALLY, PLEASE CONTACT US. WE’D ALSO LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT NEW NURSERIES THAT YOU’VE TRIED FOR HUMMINGBIRD PLANTS.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• APRIL 14, 2012, 1:00 P.M., KETTLE MORAINE CHAPTER OF THE WILD ONES—Native Plants, Natural Landscapes, HUMMINGBIRDS AND GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS With Michael and Kathi Rock, South Kettle Moraine State Forest Headquarters, Eagle, S91W39091 Highway 59, One mile west of Eagle, on Highway 59. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT MARIETTE NOWAK AT 262-642-2352, mmnowak@wi.rr.com

ADMISSION IS FREE.

• APRIL 28, 2012, 10 A.M. WILDBIRDS UNLIMITED IN MADISON, GARDENING FOR HUMMINGBIRDS With Michael and Kathi Rock, 8402 OLD SAUK ROAD, Madison, 664-1416. Admission is free, but you must sign up in advance. Please visit: http://madison.wbu.com/content/show/26310 for more information.

• SEPTEMBER 19 & 23, 2012, MICHAEL AND KATHI ROCK’S ANNUAL COMMUNITY HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN TOUR!! PLEASE SAVE THE DATE. On Wednesday, September 19, the tour will begin at 3 p.m and end at 7 p.m. On Sunday, September 23, the tour will begin at 1 p.m and end at 5:30 p.m. Come to one or both. Look for more details in an upcoming newsletter!

IT’S TIME TO GET OUT AND ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL SPRING WEATHER, GARDENING AND HUMMINGBIRDS. EVERY DAY IS TRULY PRECIOUS AND WE ONLY HAVE SO MANY DAYS ON THIS EARTH. TIL NEXT TIME!

MICHAEL & KATHI