Thursday, July 21, 2011

Hummingbird Heaven...

All critters and birds are welcome in our little backyard...

...and that definitely includes the tiniest visitors, our hummingbird friends.

I have four feeders in all. Two of the feeders hang from our swing set deck, one on each side.

I love sitting out here in the evenings because our little hummer(s) always hit at least one, if not both, of these feeders as they rotate around the yard about every 15 minutes or so.

It's a bit hard to see this little guy in the photos so I really cropped them.

But if you look close, you can see him enjoying his sugar water.

From the swing set deck, you can see across the yard to another hummingbird feeder that hangs from the mulberry tree.

And just look at that Lucifer Crocosmia in the foreground, now in full bloom. I have some very lazy hummers this year because they choose to fly right over those beautiful hummer flowers, preferring instead to plunk down at the various feeders!

(So far my Sammy Squirrels have left this window box alone. Remember last year when they dug out all my flowers so they could lay in the cool soil during an oppressive heat wave? Well, we're having another one of those heat waves, so the flowers may not last much longer!)

The white metal 'thing' that the feeder hangs from was a freebie from the dump several years ago. I had no idea what I was going to do with it when I brought it home, but it's the perfect place to hang the mulberry tree feeder.
I was able to get a picture of the female hummer at the mulberry feeder, but it was taken from over on the swing set deck with my zoom on, so again, I'm afraid the quality isn't so hot.

The last hummingbird feeder hangs from the old oak tree next to our deck.

This photo was actually taken last year. I was sitting on the deck right next to the feeder when this little gal came to eat so I was able to get some pretty decent photos of her.

I find myself changing the sugar water every other day in this oppressive weather. I found this great way to speed up the sugar water preparation (which is always 1 part sugar to 4 parts water).

Quick Hummer Solution: Put 1 cup water in saucepan. Put 1 cup sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. As soon as it starts to boil turn off the burner. Add 3 cups very cold water to the sugar solution and stir. And that's it!  Now it still might need to cool down before you fill your feeders (I always check it with my finger to make sure it has cooled enough), but it's just ready so much quicker than having to boil the entire 4 parts of water and then having to wait for all 4 parts of water to cool!

Speaking of cool, I hope you are all taking it nice and slow. So much of the country is suffering from such extremely hot temperatures, as we are here in the northeast. So take it easy, everyone!

I'm linking up to Cindy (My Romantic Home) for Show & Tell Friday so be sure to stop by and visit her and everyone else!

Donna

14 comments:

Susan said...

Ohhh, loved seeing your little hummer, Donna. So sweet. Your backyard is charming.Susan

Barb said...

Your yard is really lovely! The birds add to it!

Brenda Pruitt said...

This year was the first year I really noticed the hummers visiting regularly. They love my bee balm. Your yard is looking so lovely!
Brenda

Fishtail Cottage said...

So cute & darling garden! Would love to have you share at Cottage Flora Thursdays garden party! oxox, tracie

Heaven's Walk said...

Those little hummers are so entertaining, aren't they, Donna? We have them buzzing back and forth across the deck while hubby and I have happy hour every evening. What fun!!! Love your creature-friendly back yard! :)

xoxo laurie

Linda said...

Hello! I am from the Pacific NW and I have hummingbirds year round to my feeders. We have gotten smart through the yrs. and we bring them in during the cold nights. Boy are they anxious the next morning for the feeders to go up. I was at a thrift store one yr. and there was these 3 red capped glass egg shaped containers. I knew right away what they were , feeders :) I nabbed them up. the company does not make that style anymore. My hummers prefer it over the others I had. They are pertty tame but we can not get them to come to our hands to hold or feed after all these yrs. But it is so much fun to see them and enjoy them in our garden. Thank you for the fun pictures. Mine likes to play peek a boo when I get out the camera.

Elaine said...

You have such a lovely backyard. I can see why all creatures feel welcome there. You have created a safe haven for them.

A New England Life said...

Donna, you have a lovely cottage garden, and a real haven for Hummingbirds. We don't seem to have many hummers this year, but then again we never do. We live in a fairly open area with not a lot of places for them to hide. I don't think they like that.

Do you have Trumpet Vine growing in your backyard? We planted seeds but they never grew.

Donna said...

I love looking at your yard ~ so many wonderful creative little things going on. What a happy place, no wonder the hummingbirds love it!

Hugs,
Donna

marj said...

oh, how cute those hummingbirds are!!!! i love, love , love your garden and all your makeover stuff. i'm so inspired by you! thanks for sharing your sugar water recipe. i might make one. i haven't seen a hummingbird yet, from where i live, but do you think if i put out those sugar feed for them i can start attracting some hummingbird?

Anonymous said...

You certainly have a very beautiful backyard and garden! :)

Stan and Jody Gabara said...

I love all the hummingbird feeders. There's something about how magical it is to have hummingbirds flying around your garden. I think it's so creative how you've decorated your backyard. Waiting for your next post...

Love,
Jody

rootedinthyme.blogspot.com
thymeforhome.blogspot.com

Annabelle said...

Thank you for the lovely enchanted evening ; ) truly a wonderful place to visit.


Annabelle

Donna said...

Thanks for the tip about only heating up one cup of water first! Duh, now why didn't I think of that sooner??? Our hummers missed us mightily while we were gone for three weeks. But hubby put out fresh solution yesterday and they are coming back! These creatures are such a joy to watch!