By a show of hands, how many of you have hung a bird feeder in your backyard, filled it with that high quality (read expensive) seed only to have it hang there all alone without nary a bird in site? I have had that happen to me more times than I can count and it still doesn’t bother me. Just the thought that I am doing something nice for Mother Nature and that maybe one day, just maybe, a hungry bird will show up and I’ll be ready. Well, my wait has finally ended!
Just recently, I hung a hummingbird feeder outside the window in our garden. It was one of those bright, colorful ones that has this brass sort of material and looks sort of steam punk. Then, I proceeded to fill it with that sugary syrup they like so much (no wonder they are so fast and jittery!) and went inside, not expecting too much for my endeavors. I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Just a little while later the same day, I noticed what looked like a very large bee outside my window which I normally wouldn’t have given a second thought to, although I love bees, but something seemed different about it. I decided to get a closer look and, low and behold, it was my very first hummingbird sighting! I had barely gotten the feeder hung and I already had a visitor. I was in awe; this tiny little bird flapping its wings at an insane speed and sipping nectar from our new hummingbird feeder! What are the odds of that! I was elated and I couldn’t wait to get a picture of it to show off to my readers, but that fast little bird was gone before I could even get my iPhone out.
As you may recall from a previous post about hummingbirds, the hummingbird has a very high metabolism and can flap their wings at an astounding 50-70 times per second. Hummingbirds can fly backwards, sideways and forwards at speeds up to 34 mph. Do you wonder why they are called hummingbirds? It’s not because they can hum a tune, the name came from the humming sound created by their beating wings which flap at high frequencies barely audible to humans and sounding like a slight hum. The more you know!
I’m not saying that everyone that hangs a hummingbird feeder will see one the very same day, but why not give it a try? These are some really cool little birds and they are a lot of fun to watch.
Do you have a hummingbird feeder at your home? How many hummingbirds come round? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.
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Check out this Avant Garden Looking Glass Hummingbird Feeder.
It looks absolutely beautiful in your garden or on your patio.