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A Charm of Hummingbirds

    Paul Kemp Administrator
    By Paul Kemp Administrator
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    A Charm of Hummingbirds Intro Because these tiny and beautiful creatures are so rarely seen in 1986 I decided to attempt to attract them to our location in Salt Springs, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada.  Starting off the first year with a few birds the video below will show my success in creating several large Charms of Hummingbirds. (A large number of Hummingbirds is known as a Charm of Hummingbirds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dla1WbeDoYc

    Hummingbirds are BIG eaters. No animal on earth has a faster metabolism-roughly 100 times that of an elephant. Hummingbirds burn food so fast they often eat 1.5 to 3 times their body weight in food per day! In order to gather enough nectar, hummingbirds must visit hundreds of flowers every day. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird weighs about 3 gram, or 1/10 an ounce. If you assume the bird eats twice its weight a day in nectar, and that it gets all its food from the feeder, that's 2/10 an ounce per day per bird. A 16-ounce feeder could thus feed 80 birds a day, assuming no leakage and no other entities are also feeding. Our Hummingbirds this year are consuming two and sometimes three liters a day. The Secret of Attracting Hummingbirds  1. You must be consistent and dependable. 2. You must provide a mix similar to nectar. 3. Your food supply must be available from early spring to the time they leave you in the fall. 4. Your feeders must always be clean and fresh.     The Mixture of sugar and water Your mixture of sugar and water must be the highest concentration possible before crystallization occurs.  To achieve this fill a jar ¾ full of dry sugar and then add hot water and stir until the crystal content is absorbed into the liquid.  This mix is similar to the texture and nutritional value of nectar.  If you mix weaker mixes the birds must feed every 10 to 15 minutes and while you may be enjoying their company the birds have less time to hunt for insects and nectar and to build their nests and raise their young.   I began to feed the hummingbirds in 1986 by this method. Never were the feeders empty or dirty.  Each year their numbers increased until I was feeding them four liters of solution every day. Topping out at around 800 birds at my feeders.  A delightful adventure to see so many of these tiny, beautiful but rarely seen creatures we share life with all at once and every day.   Here are the 21 Hummingbirds found in the U.S. and Canada. All are western birds with the exception of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the Bahama Woodstar: Common Hummingbirds:
    Ruby-throated Hummingbird  (east)

    Black-chinned Hummingbird  (low mountains)
    Costa's Hummingbird  (dry areas)
    Anna's Hummingbird (west coast)
    Broad-tailed Hummingbird (mountains)
    Calliope Hummingbird (mountains)
    Rufous Hummingbird (pacific northwest to Alaska)
    Allen's Hummingbird (California coast) Southwest Arizona Specialties:
    Berylline Hummingbird (very rare)
    Violet-crowned Hummingbird
    Lucifer Hummingbird
    Broad-billed Hummingbird
    White-eared Hummingbird (very rare)
    Blue-throated Hummingbird
    Magnificent Hummingbird
    Plain-capped Starthroat (very rare) Texas Specialties:
    Green Violet-ear (very rare)
    Green-breasted Mango (very rare)
    Buff-bellied Hummingbird California and Florida Specialties:
    Xantus's Hummingbird (CA - very, very rare)
    Bahama Woodstar (FL - very, very rare)

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    Creatures ● Because We Share Life

    Creatures ● Because We Share Life