Last week we went to a class taught at the Master Gardeners Society about hummingbirds. The speaker was very knowledgeable and had beautiful pictures to show us. Here in Michigan there is only one species of hummingbirds and of course, hummingbirds look very different from other birds, so they are easy to identify. We have the ruby throated hummingbird here, The speaker said the hummingbird feeder should be put out by April 15th. He suggested putting out some potted flowers to attract them but you will need to take them in at night to protect them from frost. He said a good date for taking down the feeders is Halloween. He also said a 1 to 4 mix of sugar and water, but don't add red dye. He also suggested taking the bee guards off of the feeder as they become clogged with bees. Hummingbirds like the sugar but they also eat bugs. Hummingbird enemies include blue jays and spiders. The birds eat bugs caught in the spider web and make their own nests out of the spider silk. Sometimes they get caught though.
Hubby took this picture in our backyard.
1 comment:
That's a great photo! I had no idea hummingbirds eat bees.
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