When you offer hummingbirds a yard where they can thrive, they will likely come back to delight you with their entertaining antics year after year. The good news is that they require very little-just food, water and protection-and it's easy to set your yard up in a way that helps hummingbirds flourish.
Rose of Sharon, a type of hibiscus, is a well-known favorite of hummingbirds, including this ruby-throat.
OFFER SECURE PLACES TO LAND
Hummingbirds hover, fly backward and dart straight ahead at speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour-so it only makes sense that they would appreciate a spot to pause and reset. "Hummingbirds like to have a perch," says Sandy Lockerman, a federally licensed bird bander in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who estimates that she's banded some 4,000 hummingbirds in the past 12 years. "They'll sit and make sure nobody else is coming, watch for bugs and rest," she says.
A perfect perch could be a high, thin branch left to grow beyond the main growth of shrubs. Another option is purchased or homemade swings constructed from wire. Hang them on small trees or posts near nectar-producing flowers and sugar-water feeders, but high enough off the ground to protect from predators such as cats.
Also consider placing a perch near a bath to offer a preening station for wet hummingbirds. The ideal hummer bath is flat, shallow and outfitted with a mister or dripper. Or adapt a deeper traditional birdbath to better suit hummingbirds by filling it with rocks piled atop a small pump that creates a bubbling effect.
Denne historien er fra June/July 2023-utgaven av Birds & Blooms.
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Denne historien er fra June/July 2023-utgaven av Birds & Blooms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Sense or Nonsense? - Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't
Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
Maple Mania - Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Food-Focused and Fierce - Meet Canada jays and learn why they eat almost anything they can find
Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
IN GOOD COMPANY
BIRDS OF A FEATHER MAY FLOCK TOGETHER, but what about other collectives of critters-and what do you call them when they do?
YOUR OWN Perfect Prairie
Learn how to cultivate an oasis of grassland flora in your backyard
ON THE MOVE
Birds approach the challenges of migration in surprising ways. Learn about how they walk, swim or take the scenic route during their travels.
Autumn Wonders
Fall colors offer befitting backdrops for these stunning reader photos
Sparrow Look-Alikes
Distinct sounds help separate these similar species
Embracing the Darkness
From black plants to moody decor, Gothic garden elements can offer a unique outlet to express your dark side
Red-Hot Plants
Scarlet-hued berries add a pop of color to any garden
