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Hummingbirds … Attracting Those Little Flying Powerhouses

It’s early in May a beautiful fairly warm day so I’ve decided to enjoy it and sit on the front porch.

While relaxing in a rocking chair with my eyes closed, just enjoying the sun and early warmth I begin to hear a sound off in the distance. At first it’s not recognizable, sounds almost like a hum from a model airplane.

As it begins to get louder I’m beginning to think I know what the source of this strange noise is.

I open my eyes and sure enough just as I thought there is a small green colored Hummer hovering right at the edge of the porch – coincidentally right where a feeder normally hangs – now I’m not certain but he appears to be looking right at me like he’s trying to tell me “Hey, I’m back, where’s the food”.

Every year it’s the same, they show up around Mothers Day and every year I’m always a little surprised to see them and of course not prepared. Well so much for my relaxing afternoon, it’s time to get out the feeders, clean them and make up some food then get them hung. And so begins another season with these marvelous entertaining little birds.

Attracting Hummingbirds:

Hummers have a good memory they can remember where to find food sources from previous years. However, in order for them to remember your home you will first need to let them know about it.

There are two ways to accomplish this, first by planting or hanging flowers that will attract them, second is to have an additional food source such as a hanging feeder that you keep filled with a syrup solution.

Flowers that have red to orange blossom colors are known to attract them but they will visit any color if they discover sufficient nectar.

Blossom shape is also important as this little birds beak is long and tapered, so downward-hanging blossom – Honeysuckle is a good example – are a favorite.

Several other varieties are as follows. These particular flowers are geared for the Northeast – where I happen to live – so you will want to check within your region for appropriate blooms.

Perennials:

· Bee Balm
· Salvia
· Foxglove
· Lilac
· Hollyhock
· Forsythia

There are several Annuals that will also satisfy their little palettes.

· Fuchsia
· Impatiens
· Petunia

As these are favorites in the use of hanging baskets each summer try hanging several around your home. The most common place of course is on your front porch or on hooks around a deck or patio; another idea is to hang some right from tree branches. I’ve done this and not only do the Hummers like them; it also adds color and interest out in the yard.

Putting Up A Feeder:

From elaborately decorated glass to simple plastic there are numerous types of feeders to choose from.

I will tell you from experience, I’ve used both – the decorated one just because it was pretty, the Hummers really didn’t care – and I ended up with a simple teardrop shaped clear glass container with perches around the base, it was easy to tell when the solution was low and simple to take apart.

Where to hang your feeder or feeders – once you start, guaranteed you’ll have to have more than one – is up to you and the layout of your home and yard. If you have an open porch this is a great place or from tree branches. Most people look for spots where the birds can be seen; after all half the fun comes from watching these little dynamites. Feeders that mount to windows with suction cups are another alternative.

What To Fill Them With:

Two choices here, pre-made solution or hand made, the choice is up to you. I personally have done both but if you prefer to make your own the following is the standard recipe.

· One part ordinary white cane sugar to four parts water
· Boil the water is you wish however it is not really necessary
· Store unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

If you choose to make your own solution, do not add honey as it ferments very rapidly and can be fatal to the birds. Also the addition of red food coloring is not necessary, they will find the food without it.

Maintenance of Feeder:

Sugar and water mixed together will ferment – not good for the birds – which limits it’s usability, this can happen very quickly during hot summer months.

Therefore, when temperatures range between 60-85 degrees – or higher – the mixture really should be changed about every three days, of course if you happen to have a few Hummingbirds visiting your outdoor diner then you will be refilling about this amount of time anyway. If you should notice any cloudiness in the mixture change it right away.

Before refilling feeder be sure to thoroughly clean the feeder with warm soapy water and rinse very thoroughly. This is where having a feeder that comes apart easily is important.

Attracting these wonderful little birds is not only entertaining it’s also beneficial as they also eat insects.

Plant some Bee Balm, hang a container filled with a beautiful Fuchsia plant and last but not least put up a feeder. You’ll find that having your peaceful afternoon snooze on the porch interrupted is worth it.

If you would like to learn more about the Hummingbird the following web site are filled with lots of great information.

· The Hummingbird Society – www.hummingbirdsociety.org
· The Hummingbird Web Site – www.portalproductions.com

This is a share ware article. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article is left intact including this notice. Copyright © 2005 bonnie carrier.

Bonnie P. Carrier is the creator of Savvy Home Decorating & Savvy Outdoor Decorating. She is the mother to two grown daughters and a very spoiled 4yr old Blue Merle Sheltie named Toby. Stop by for information and ideas for both inside and outside your home.

Social Robotic MAVs To Divert Migratory Birds With H5N1 Virus

We need to develop robotic unmanned MAVs; Micro-air Vehicles to stay within the bird populations. As the migratory birds contract the H5N1 Bird Flu Virus stain and travel they will introduce this to the mosquito population and to local birds. Once this occurs we will have a problem with our chicken populations. Recently China admitted over 160 people died and will eventually admit it was actually nearly 800 people. 13,000 birds have been incinerated and this is only in the Western Province of Qinghai; there is also an outbreak in Southern China too. Quinghai Lake is a stopping point for birds from all over heading North for winter, some came from Vietnam but birds are known to stop at this point from all over Asia. China is not as concerned as the rest of the world and they believe 160 people is not significant as they still have 1.3 Billion more where they came from.

The birds will migrate with the disease both North and West and mix with livestock birds too. When the birds are done they will return to places all throughout Asia.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/English/doc/2005-05/24/content_445342.htm

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/English/doc/2005-06/09/content_450027.htm

It is only a matter of time until one bird in North America gets the strain and gives it to another and then people it’s here and it will kill people. Europe is really worried and boy should they be, birds are known to migrate to Eastern Europe too.

The H5N1 strain rarely kills waterfowl in the wild. This means things have gotten way out of hand in the Lake at Qinghai. The die off of waterfowl appears to be 8,000 plus and that is just the waterfowl.

By introducing Micro Air Vehicles to migrate with the populations we can get the birds to steer around major cities and areas with Chicken farms. By developing and social robot MAV we can prevent the Canadian Geese and Northern migratory birds from delivering the disease in the United States or from taking an outbreak here to our Canadian neighbors. A robotic MAV can serve as a useful tool to interact with the birds to prevent the spread of the disease by modifying their behavior. If not we will end up killing these migratory birds and culling and/or incinerating almost our entire chicken population like the did in Vietnam. Think about it, this strain kills people too. We will have no choice when it comes. The time to work on this is now. We have the technology and we need to get flying on it.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

Birds In The Room Alter Sleep Patterns Of Humans

Birds have always been considered good pets of modern day humans. It seems our living in proximity may have given us a closer bond than we know. There are many reports, which have been collected of birds having a psychic connection with their owners. Others poo poo the idea as utter non-sense, but the studies done scientifically seem to prove that there are connections between humans and birds with regards to the normal and natural telepathy abilities of both species.

Studies have been done video taping flocks of birds where 1000 birds all turn at the same time. Some naturalists believed they do this by seeing the bird next to them slightly move, thus triggering their movement as well. On problem is the movements appear to take place at a rate of 50,000 thousandths of a second, which is faster than even the nerve firing rates of birds or at least right at it. One naturalist Craig Reynolds held that each impulse broken into “boids” where sensed by the other bird to help them steer to avoid the other birds in the formation, steer towards the average direction and position of the neighboring birds. Although on more careful review we see that in fact the birds cannot be responding by sight and then changing flight because the reaction time is delayed and could not be within 50,000 thousandths of a second. Also the birds seem to respond from birds behind them as well; birds, which are not even in their field of vision. How is this done? Are birds psychic? No it appears however they are at close ranges to each other telepathic.

My theory holds that they connect with each other using telepathy under extremely low frequencies and use the beak as an antenna to unite the entire flock in a group. A book worthy of mention on this subject is:

“The Sense of Being Stared At and other aspects of the human mind” By Rupert Sheldrake.

On page 111 to 114 he goes into great detail the proof of telepathy in birds and the proof that birds can sense human intention. As modern scientists attempt to refute this, I myself have had dream states altered by birds, which camp outside my window during periods of sleep in REM. People who have parrots and birds as pets also can vouch for the telepathy abilities. Wild birds also have been known to come to food sources from miles away which they could not have seen rather quickly after food is discovered, which has been well documented by Naturalist William Long.

In my experiments I have determined that pigeons in the wild can alter the dream states of humans as well as read thoughts of human intent. I believe this is from our many hundreds of thousands if not millions of years of co-evolution. Perhaps humans at one time were more in tune with the bird’s view and collected information this way about directions and food as they hunted. Perhaps humans also were able to use the birds movements and alarm bells simultaneously by thought before the bird calls of warning? Birds also would have an advantage of being about to know of a kill by humans to take advantage of the left overs. Some contend that birds in captivity might develop bonds with their humans and with multiple years and generations have done this in recent evolution. I disagree because there are many reports of African Greys being caught and made pets and they seem to develop the bond instantly. It appears that the birds even from a distance can communicate with their human counterparts on a collective consciousness level. Thus it stands to reason that when the human mind is working at a lower frequency in a dream state that it is communicating with the local birds. So if someone calls you a bird brain, take it as a compliment; think on this.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/

A Beginner’s Guide To Lovebirds

Lovebirds are so named from the way they sit close to each other, not because they are in love with each other. Lovebirds can and do mate for life, but it doesn’t happen every time.

Lovebirds are social birds and should be kept in pairs.

They are very active and curious birds and can even be quite aggressive at times. They can chatter all day long with a sometimes very shrill sound.

Lovebirds are native to Africa and a few nearby islands. In their native habitat, they are found usually in small flocks of 10 to 20 pairs.

Lovebirds are of the class Aves, the genus Agapornis and members of the Psittaciformes, or family of parrots.

Agapornis comes from the Greek words: Agape meaning love, and ornis meaning bird.

Lovebirds typically live from 10 to 15 years depending a great deal on the care they are given, some lovebirds have been known to live to be 20 in captivity.

There are 9 species of lovebirds, of which 8 are available as pets. They are not related to the South American parrotlets.

Sexually Dimorphic

1. Abyssinian Lovebird
2. Redfaced Lovebird
3. Madagascar Lovebird (Grayheaded)

Sexually Monomorphic (Similar)

1. Black cheeked Lovebired (Blackfaced)
2. Fischer’s Lovebird
3. Masked Lovebird (Black Masked or Yellow collared)
4. Nyasa Lovebird (Lilian’s)
5. Peachfaced Lovebird (Rosyfaced)

Characterized by Eye Rings:

Without Eye Rings:

1. Madagascar
2. Redfaced
3. Peachfaced
4. Abyssinian

With Eye Rings

1. Masked
2. Fischers
3. Nyasa
4. Black cheeked

What To Look For In A Healthy Lovebird

1. Active, alert and curious disposition
2. 4 well formed toes, 2 forward and 2 backward, nails must be complete
3. Bright, round eyes
4. Nostrils clear of discharge
5. Feathers lay tight against the body
6. Smooth beak that closes completely

What To Avoid In A Healthy Lovebird

1. A bird that sits huddled in a corner or on the floor
2. A bird with feathers fluffed up
3. Deformed toes
4. Vent fouled with feces or badly stained
5. Signs of weeping or runny eyes
6. Excessive plucking or excessive missing of feathers
7. Bald spots
8. A squeak, wheezing or other abnormality when breathing
9. Nervous behavior
10. Lethargic behavior
11. Dull or lifeless feathers
12. A bird too large for it’s normal size (birds can and do get fat)
13. Nasal discharge

If you are a first time or novice lovebird owner, don’t choose a bird that you think may be sick, choose the healthiest bird you can find. Many sicknesses can be cured, but better to leave these birds for experienced owners. Don’t buy a sick lovebird because you feel sorry for it.

If possible get a certificate of health from the breeder or pet shop guaranteeing that a replacement will be made if the lovebird becomes sick or won’t breed.

Lovebirds are not rare, there are a lot of them around to choose from. So take your time and select only birds that you really like the coloring and personality of.

Keeping Lovebirds as Pets

Lovebirds should be kept in pairs, one female and one male. They very much enjoy each others company, although don’t be alarmed if they have occasional spats with each other.

If a pair of lovebirds constantly fight, then it’s best to find each of them another mate. If you’re buying birds from a breeder, make sure the breeder will exchange birds if they are not compatable.

As a general rule, only one pair of birds should be kept per cage. Keep one or more cages far enough apart from each other so they do not allow birds to be able to peck at each other.

When introducing new birds to a home with pre-existing birds, the new birds may not always be welcomed readily.

Lovebird Behavior

Lovebirds need exercise out of their cages daily.

Remember: Birds Love to Fly

Being cooped up in a cage all the time is not healthy for them, physically or emotionally. Birds kept in a cage will often sit on a perch and flap their wings incessantly.

Lovebirds need between 10 to 12 hours of rest a night. Do not keep your birds in rooms with televisions or other noisy devices when it’s time for the birds to roost. Total darkness is not advised either, use a small 7 watt bulb in the room to provide enough night light for the bird to find it’s perch and drink or feed if needed.

Keep all electrical wires, extension cords, etc., completely hidden and unavailable to the birds.

Never use Kerosene or similar type heaters that give off fumes. Coal and wood stoves are no nos. No matter how hard you may’ try, a wood burner will emit fumes and smoke into your home that may kill your lovebird. If you have a home with a wood burner completely isolate a room only for your birds and use an infrared or electric heater.

A fairly constant 80 degrees Farenheit temperature is about right for lovebirds.

It’s not a good idea to keep finches, cockatiels, rosellas, or budgies with lovebirds.

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For more really cool info on all aspects of Pet & Wild Bird Care: visit Petey, Petunia & Tweet Tweet’s site and take advantage of their extensive library of f r e e avian care tips & fun info.

http://petcaretips.net/bird_care.html