Tuesday, August 28, 2001

The early birds get the nectar

First on my "to do" list today is clean the hummingbird feeders and refill them.
   Early arrivals are here. Every day this week I have seen several, sometimes several at once, competing for food. I leave my feeders up over the summer for a few drop ins and a couple of regulars.
   The latter are probably breeders in the neighborhood. They are buff-bellies. One splendid description of the species was written by John James Audubon: "glittering fragment of the rainbow... lovely little creature moving on luminous winglets through the air, suspended as if by magic in it, flitting from one flower to another, with motions as graceful as they are light and airy, pursuing its course...and yielding new delights wherever it is seen."
   Hummingbirds are native to this continent, with 16 species found in the United States. There are none in Europe or Asia. The commonest species here, and in all of the eastern half of the United States, is the ruby-throated, a few of which may breed here, though most go farther north.
   Another species that probably breeds here is the black-chinned. Female hummers are difficult to identify because they are similar. All are a rather undistinguished green on the back and light in front, and all have large white spots on the underside of their tails. Adult males are more distinctly marked. Female ducks are easily identified by the company they keep. Not so hummingbirds. The only part of reproduction in which the male participates is egg fertilization. After that, they are off.
   Almost all hummingbirds migrate, following food supply. Don't be afraid you will cause them to stay when they shouldn't. They have inside clocks, set by the sun and the length of the days. In migration males go first, females several weeks later and last go the year's young. Besides nectar of flowers, hummingbirds also eat insects, for protein. Baby birds are fed on maternally regurgitated elixir of adult diet.
   Make the nectar for the feeder by bringing to a boil one-cup of sugar and four cups of water. Sometimes I double or triple this when business is good. The feeder should always be clean. If the customers are infrequent, as in winter, empty contents out after about 3 days, clean and refill. No food coloring should be used. The red on the feeder is enough to attract the birds. Try to hang your feeder where you will be able to see what comes to it. Place it near blooming flowers.
   Two interesting internet sites about hummingbirds are: www.mschloe.com/hummer/huminfo.htm and www.rubythroat.org.
   One of these has the address for a group called humnet. Don't subscribe to it unless you are a fanatical hummer lover.
  
   Phyllis Yochem, a Corpus Christi resident, has studied birds in Texas since 1960.
  
  

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Phyllis Yochem, a Corpus Christi resident, has studied birds in Texas since 1960.

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