I have been looking and looking and waiting for my hummingbirds to be back and this morning I finally got my wish. I spotted the first male at around 9. He enjoyed a very long drink from my feeder, filled with freshly made nectar.
(I make this with regular white sugar and water. Mix 4 parts water with one part sugar. Please DO NOT use red food coloring as this may be bad for the birds and is totally unnecessary in attracting them.)
I felt like an old friend had returned, making me want to have a party celebrating his migration success. Wouldn’t it be great to be with him on his long journey? What obstacles did he overcome and what challenges did he conquer on his flight from Central America, crossing the Gulf of Mexico without stopping. This alone is an astonishing fact! For such a small bird, this feat seems impossible. And yet, the ruby-throated hummingbirds do it every year, once in the spring and then again in the fall.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of red and orange flowers and also on insects, spiders and other small invertebrates. They can be attracted to your yards with special feeders and/or by planting red and orange flowers in your yard like cardinal flower, honeysuckle, jewelweed, trumpet creeper and others. They beat their wings up to 53 times per second as they dart here and there, chasing insects and looking for flowers.
Read more about feeding hummingbirds Here, including a map showing when you can expect them in your neck of the woods. They are so easy to attract to your yard! The pleasure you get from watching them will surely bring a smile to your face.