Article by Steven White

As long as there have been test tube hummingbird feeders, the most commonly question asked is; “Should I use glass or plastic test tubes?” Is there a difference in attracting hummingbirds? Does one material last longer than the other and is one easier to clean?

The most obviously difference in test tube hummingbird feeders is that glass will break easier than plastic. If you drop a glass test tube versus a plastic tube, it will probably shatter. However, a plastic tube scratches very easily. Under normal outside elements such as sun and rain, a plastic tube will turn a dingy yellow, whereas glass test tubes are more resilient to weather conditions.

Cleaning the two different tubes can also pose a challenge. The sugar/water hummingbird nectar solution turns rapidly into a sticky, molasses-type composite. Removing this sticky nectar is more difficult with plastic test tubes than glass. Many people use specifically designed brushes or pipe cleaners in order to get inside test tubes to clean them. These same brushes with stiff bristles are needed to get to the bottom of the test tube hummingbird feeders but tend to scratch the softer, plastic test tubes. Glass tubes are clinically developed products that can withstand the constant cleaning necessary for all hummingbird feeders.

Even the red caps on the ends of test tube hummingbird feeders must be taken into consideration when purchasing your gifts. Red caps that fit inside the rim of test tubes are easily to install, but harder to remove than red caps that are designed to go on the outside of the test tube ends. After the nectar solution grips onto the inside surface of test tube hummingbird feeders, it also forms a glue-like bonding on the red caps. If you purchase only the red caps that fit on the outside of the test tubes, you do not have that sticky, bonding problem. Simply run warm water over any stubborn test tubes and the properly designed red caps come right off the test tube hummingbird feeders.

The most overlooked part of any test tube hummingbird feeder is the copper. Many crafters, or anyone wishing to make their own feeder, use the wrong thickness. Copper is extremely flexible which makes it prone to weaknesses in weather conditions. If you use the thinner copper wire to hold the test tubes in place, you will discover your test tubes on the ground in a very short time frame.

Having served our customers for over two decades, we have sold the same line of high quality, test tube hummingbird feeders that have been featured in Birds N’ Bloom magazines for years. Our unique line can be used as strong plant hangars as well as hummingbird feeders. Most designs contain sparkling, red marble danglers beneath each test tube for superior hummingbird attractiveness. Suction cup window models are popular gift ideas. Be sure to visit http://www.wildbirddepot.com for proven test tube hummingbird feeders that withstand time and weather.

About the Author

Steve White is the owner of Wild Bird Depot, New Hampshire’s largest variety of wild bird products for over 16 years and www.wildbirddepot.com He was on the Board of Directors for the National Bird Feeding Society, guest lecturer for national conventions in St. Louis and Atlanta. Wild Bird Depot has donated over ,000 to the local nature centers for rehabilitation.

Article by Steve Peek

Important diet supplement

Hummingbird feeders dispense liquid, not seeds. The mainstay of a hummingbird?s diet is made up of insects and spiders. The liquid in your feeder is more like ?emergency rations? to your birds. During a typical day a hummingbird will collect nectar from about 100 different flowers. They avoid flowers with nectar containing less than 25% sugar.

History of hummingbird feeders

No one knows for certain how long people have been trying to attract hummingbirds to their gardens. Perhaps for as long as mankind has had an appreciation for beauty. The hummingbird has definitely been around for a long while. Fossilized humming bird remains recently found in Germany date back 30 million years! Today, hummingbirds only exist in the new world. With their lightning speed and jewel like iridescent feathers they have always captured man?s imagination. One of the mysterious geoglyphs, (huge pictures etched into the silt on the Nazca Plain of Peru), is a hummingbird. So vast that it is only visible from the air, this hummingbird dates back to 200BC -600AD and is surely the world?s largest hummingbird.

The first commercial hummingbird feeder was introduced in 1950 by the Audubon Novelty Company of Medina, New York. It was a glass tube type of feeder and immediately became popular in the U.S. It was designed by Laurence J. Webster of Boston, as a gift for his wife, who had read an article in a 1928 edition of The National Geographic Magazine. The story mentioned that it was possible to feed hummingbirds from a small glass bottle. Webster designed a feeder and had it produced by a glassblower at MIT. The August, 1947 edition of National Geographic Magazine featured an article by Harold Edgerton who, using his newly invented strobe flash, photographed hummingbirds at Webster?s feeder. The rest, as they say, is history. Considering Webster?s success, men should listen more closely to their wives!

Modern hummingbird feeders

During the 50 plus years that have followed the introduction of that first feeder, many styles and designs have come and gone. Today, feeders are usually made of ceramic, glass, plastic, or a combination of these materials. For the most part, they are divided into two types, bowl feeders and bottle feeders.

Here are some important considerations when selecting a hummingbird feeder;

Color is important. Red is the color of choice. Most of the flowers that are the hummingbird?s natural source of nectar are red, pink, or coral colored. Do not use a feeder with yellow parts, yellow attracts bees.

Select a feeder designed to be bee-proof unless you want to attract bees instead of hummingbirds..

Select a feeder that offers the hummingbird a perch. While hummingbirds normally hover in front of a flower during feeding, they much prefer to rest as they feed. While they stay at an individual flower for mere seconds, gathering the little nectar that is there, they will stay at the feeder until they have drunk their fill. Treat them to a sit-down meal.

A feeder with a bottle reservoir protects the nectar from bacterial infection, contamination from insects and spoilage. This is important to protect the hummingbird?s health.

Select a feeder that is easy to disassemble, clean and refill. Maintaining a supply of fresh, clean nectar is vitally important to the well being of your hummingbirds.

Choose a feeder that has an ant moat, or similar device to keep insects from contaminating the nectar in your feeder.

Fancy glass and ceramic feeders are attractive, but due to their design they are difficult to clean and tend to drip, which attracts bees, ants and wasps. These insects can become trapped in the feeder, contaminating the nectar.

The National Audubon Society recommends cleaning your feeder once a week. To clean your feeder use ¼ cup of white vinegar to 1 cup of water. After cleaning, rinse the feeder 3 times with fresh water.

Placement of your Feeder

Where you hang your feeder is almost as important as which feeder you choose. Here are some tips about hummingbird feeder placement.

Put your feeder where it will be noticed by the hummingbirds and will be easily accessible to them. Do not be concerned if the birds don?t show up immediately. Hummingbirds are extremely inquisitive. They will find it.

If possible, do not put your feeder close to your window. They may injure themselves by flying into the glass. If you have no other option, place pictures, or decals, of larger birds on your window to prevent the hummingbirds from getting too close.

Definitely place your feeder where you can see it. The antics of these tiny miracles of nature are better than anything you will see on cable TV ? unless you are watching a show about hummingbirds.

If you replace your old feeder with a new one leave the old one hanging empty next to the new feeder for a while, until the hummingbirds recognize it as a new source of food.

About the Author

Steve Peek is an ardent nature lover and a tinkerer. This combination has resulted in a unique hummingbird feeder design ensuring that bees do not ruin your hummingbird watching experience. Learn more about hummingbirds and our hummingbird feeder at our website.

I can remember sitting on the calico apron of my grandmother’s lap watching the Ruby-throated hummingbird feed on the brightly colored flowers in her garden. I felt safe and secure; together we were so enchanted by the tiny bird stopping briefly to sip the nectar. Its wings moved so fast they seemed almost magically to disappear. The warm softness of my grandmother’s voice still echoes each time I watch the many hummingbirds visiting my own garden and feeders today. “The tiny hummingbird needs to go a long way south for the winter to live where it is warm. Then it comes back here to the north to live in my garden in the summer. It is so small and needs to hitchhike a ride on a bigger bird called a Canadian goose”, she would explain. Each summer my grandmother enjoyed telling me this marvelous tale as much as I adored the woman who told it. Perhaps, she was only repeating a story that had been told by someone close to her. I didn’t care. The hummingbird was a wonder to watch as I snuggled close to my dear grandmother.

As I matured, the tale of the Ruby-throated hummingbird migration became just as much of an amazement as the incredible creature itself. Was this a merely persistent folklore but why did it originate?

Did hummingbirds really migrate on the backs of geese? Wouldn’t they need to fly low in order to obtain food sources for the trip? By now, I thought, scientists must have tracked the migration.  Perhaps, fishermen and hummingbird enthusiasts had personal observation accounts that would be more reliable.

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As it turns out, the Ruby-throated hummingbird migration is not documented very well. Scientists do not have radio transmitters small enough for the tiny hummingbird to wear. Efforts are made to track the migration by banding (wrapping a strip of aluminum around a leg.) Fishermen and others have reported seeing hummingbirds skimming lowly over ocean waves. Many people have observed hummingbirds. We know that they do not fly very high during migration. Canadian geese fly a much as 20,000 feet high in the air. Besides, it is a well known fact that Canadian geese do not end up in the tropics. They migrate only as far south as the shores of the Carolinas. So there flies the myth that these tiny birds hitchhike south on the backs of Canadian Geese. Ruby-throated hummingbirds need to be able to see food sources along the land route stopping along the way for a good meal at our feeders and flowers. You are lucky if you live along a migration route. So don’t take down your feeders too soon. A poor hungry hummingbird might be disappointed. Usually, they do not fly higher than many rooftops and trees. Over water, such as the ocean, these iridescent birds fly extremely low, often flying just above the waves. Canadian gees fly as high as 20,000 feet.Besides that, hummingbirds migrate alone not in flocks. To add to this, the male hummingbird begins his migration several weeks ahead of the female or young males.This enables him the best choice of territory to attract the female soon to follow. In addition, the females and younger males will find more food during the later flight.

The Ruby-throated hummingbird flies from as far north as Southern Canada all the way to southern Mexico and Central America, including the remarkable 300 mile and 20 hour non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico.

The persistence of this folktale has never been explained. Perhaps some tender-hearted hummingbird lovers, like my sweet grandmother had hoped for a softer  Aride for these miniature wonders of nature. Maybe, the remarkable journey seemed too difficult for this delicate bird. So the story of the migration on the backs of geese was probably invented to solve a mystery. It continues today, if only in the hearts of those like myself who hold dear precious memories of afternoons spent watching the pretty little hummingbird on the laps of our dear sweet grandmothers.

The construction of oriole bird feeders and humming bird feeders are closely similar. Majority of the oriole bird feeders and humming bird feeders that you will see are very much alike in design. The content is actually nectar instead of bird seeds. You might be wondering why every oriole bird feeder you see is orange in color and there is a reason for this. They say the color orange resembles the fruit so it is enticing for orioles. With that, several bird feeder owners normally put halved orange fruits on the feeder so that the orioles and humming birds will identify the feeder as the place to get their food. In the event that oranges cannot be provided, grape jellies or berries are also good for oriole bird feeders. Around this time, you may first buy bottled nectars from the retailers or you can make your own blend with sugar and water. However, unlike humming birds, orioles need to have a bigger perching area in their feeding station. That explains the circular shape of the oriole bird feeders or their wide flat surfaces at the bottom which is to give birds wider areas for rest as they feed. Meanwhile, humming birds can dance around the feeder as they pick some sweet nectars.

See to it that you pick an elevated spot for your feeders. Rather than eating on the ground, you will frequently see these wonderful birds on treetops. Choose the area near fruit trees for the orioles to see them faster. You will sometimes not get the best spot for the feeder at once so feel free to move the feeders around until you hit the right area. You may find success by putting it under sunlight or it can be adorned with silver coins near the feeder. A bird bath may also be attractive for birds. Orioles are very attractive birds to look at. Male orioles sport bright yellow or brilliant orange feathers on their bodies. A favorite hobby of the birds is to sing and the whistling is better appreciated up close.

It is not a big deal if your oriole feeders have lesser area compared to the other ordinary feeders. Available are some bird feeders that also serve as bird containers such that they can house a greater number of bird seeds for the wild birds. The last thing you need is for the huge birds to occupy your oriole feeders and shoo the small orioles and humming birds away. It is important to have bird feeders to balance the ecological system of the birds. This means you give them an alternative source of feeds when the place is not a natural source of rich food supply. This is your way of making sure they are properly geared for the long flight they are to take for the day. To cut it short, oriole bird feeders give recharges the nutrients of these tiny birds. Their next flight may be so soon, but their song of appreciation will definitely linger. So go and have a bird feeder now if you still do not have one and enjoy the benefits that come with it.

Solar Hummingbirds are lovely clear color during the day. Then as the sun sets, they begin to glow in reds, greens, and blues for up to 8 hours. The ever changing colors add beauty to your porch or patio.
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This is my version of a DIY ant moat for a hummingbird feeder. I looked them up, and those question-mark-shaped screws are called either ‘crown bolts’ or ‘cup hooks’. Very cheap at a hardware store or Target, etc. www.homedepot.com
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buybirdbrainproductswholesale.com Click Link for Super Sale Items Now. We are having a Super Sale on select home and garden decor items such as: ceramic decorative and functional bird feeders, ceramic garden statuary, hand blown glass hummingbird feeders, ceramic glazed bird houses and more. To view and purchase these items at below wholesale pricing while supplies last, you will need to click here on this link: buybirdbrainproductswholesale.com See you soon! This sale is officially open to the public. All sales are final and available for immediate delivery while supplies last. These garden decor items will not last long at these prices. View today and check out easily with PayPal or any major credit card. You can also visit our ecommerce retail store at: www.CoolGardenThings.com for additional home and garden decor.

Article by CC&A Website Development

Make your very own do-it-yourself Oriole chook food items to bring much more Orioles.Most Orioles invest their winters in Florida, the Caribbean, central Mexico, Central The usa and the northern half of South The usa. Whilst there, they enjoy a steady eating habits of fruit, caterpillars, bugs, spiders and nectar.They return to the United States in the spring for their summer breeding season. When they arrive, they are trying for their favourite food. While it could possibly be tricky to bring them with caterpillars and insects, you can unquestionably bring orioles with nectar, nuts, suet, and fruits this type of as oranges, cherries, apples, pears or bananas and even grape jelly.Platform or tray feeders usually get the job done finest when offering food this kind of as nuts, oranges, cherries, apples, pears or bananas to orioles. But they ought to be hung from a tree department or placed on your deck rail as an alternative of on the ground.Check out employing a variety of meals right up until you determine which foodstuff performs ideal.I typically set the food out as if it were on a plate:

50 percent of a grapefruitApple slicesCherriesLittle dish of grape jellyClearly you will have to have to keep an eye on the diet to make positive that it doesn’t go undesirable. Most birds feed in the morning and in the night, so there is no explanation to leave it out for the duration of the warmth of the day. You should really modify the fruits usually to retain them fresh.There are oriole feeders on the market place that dispense nectar (see formula beneath). They are extremely comparable to hummingbird feeders. They are typically orange rather of red. Given that orioles don’t hover while they consume, the oriole feeders are sturdier and ought to have a perch.If you are heading to use an oriole feeder, take into consideration generating your very own do-it-yourself Oriole fowl foodstuff.Right here is an simple recipe:Do-it-yourself Oriole fowl diet Formula1 portion sugar/six elements watersProduce the drinking water to a boil and then increase the sugar. Boil until the sugar has dissolved. one component sugar to 6 areas normal water means that that if you boil 2 cups of drinking water you will desire one/three cup of glucose.Let the mix awesome earlier than filling your feeder. Shop any excess meals in your fridge until such time as prepared to use. There is no desire to add food items coloring.It is considered that Orioles are attracted to the shade orange (the shade of quite a few kinds of fruit). Strive tying orange cloth or ribbon on the feeder to catch their consideration. By no means use honey (which ferments), or artificial sweetener to this home made oriole chicken foodstuff recipe.You can encourage a breeding pair of orioles to establish their nest close by by earning some nest creating components out there. Hang a suet basket, close to your feeding station, stuffed with cat or canine fur, dryer lint, or short pieces (three-four inches) of natural fiber twine and yarn.This article is sponsored by Oven Fresh Bites bird food. A gourmet bird food straight from the oven to your avian pet. This nutritious bird food is baked to achieve the highest nutritious value in a natural bird food. Oven Fresh Bites is the only baked bird food on the market. Be sure to visit our website to learn more.


About the Author

This article I sponsored by CC&A Website Development, a Baltimore based website design and online marketing company. CC&A utilizes SEO, Social Media, and many other internet and online marketing techniques to bolster their client’s unique brand. You can learn more about us at http://www.ccawebdesign.com

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First, it’s important to note that hummers are migratory birds. Where you live will determine what time of year you’ll see the birds. Humming birds are migratory birds, so you will not be able to see them all year round, even if you have nectar in your Humming bird feeder. You will generally start to see humming birds in the spring once the weather is warm and then through out the summer.

Want to know how to attract beautiful Hummingbirds to your garden? Give them the food they like nectar. Nectar placed into a Humming bird feeder will draw Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds will eat more than twice their bodyweight in nectar, so having Humming bird feeders placed throughout your garden will help in their search for more food. There are a large variety of Humming bird feeders that you can choose from, that will decorate your garden nicely.

Essentially Hummingbirds need the nectar to power the insect eating machine that they are. The nectar provides the calories that they need, while the soft-bodied insects and spiders provide the protein. Banana peels that are overripe are good to set out to attract the flies for your Hummingbirds. I have a box of bananas and within a short period of time, I am inundated with flies.

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Now back to the Hummingbird feeders.

Perky Pet Humming bird feeders offer endless designs for you to choose from. Some models come in the shape of strawberries or apples. Their body shape is bright red, which helps to attract the birds attention as Hummingbirds love the color red. Its shatterproof and holds about 48oz. of nectar. If your Hummingbirds prefer one style over another, its probably simply a matter of familiarity. If you change feeders, it may be in your best interest to hang the old one empty alongside the new one. I would recommend the HummZinger and similar well-designed basin feeders for their ruggedness as well as their ease of maintenance.

You then have the Hummingbird Oasis feeder varieties from Perky Pet. These Humming bird feeders have a built-in ant moat that is between the feeding ports and the rod. With 6 feeding stations each has an individual perch and yellow flower feeding port.

Where to hang your feeder? A new humming bird feeder may be found sooner by hummingbirds if it is hung over or near a garden of hummingbird plants. My feeders are near windows, where I can watch and enjoy them: one is in a living room window, another outside the kitchen. But, as a word of caution, ensure that your window has a blind or drawn curtain behind it to prevent your Hummingbirds from flying into the window.

Here’s the recipe for artificial nectar (syrup):

Use one part ordinary white cane sugar to four parts water.

Store unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The fastest recorded wing beat rate was about 80 per second, on a tiny Amethyst Woodstar, and the slightly smaller Bee Hummingbird – the world’s smallest bird – may have an even faster rate. Truly a remarkable bird of creation.

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Before you create a hummingbird habitat in your backyard, there are several important things you must know, and do, to attract these beautiful creatures and to protect them. The selection of a good hummingbird feeder, placement of the feeder, maintenance of the hummingbird feeder and choice of food can be critical, both to your enjoyment of the hummingbirds and to their survival. I will cover each of these points, but first, allow me to give you a little information about the hummingbirds themselves.

How many types of hummingbirds are there?

There are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world. About 925 of those species have been counted in the U. S. and Canada. Of all the birds living in our part of the world, few are as interesting, as fascinating, or as beautiful as the hummingbird. There are 16 species of hummingbirds breeding regularly in the United States and another half dozen Mexican or Caribbean species that have been reported here.

A typical North American hummingbird like the Rufous hummingbird measures between 3.5 to 4 inches and weighs in at about 3 grams (1/10 of an ounce). This makes him/her a heavyweight compared to the Bee hummingbird which is typically 2 inches long and normally weighs 1.8 grams (6/100 of an ounce). The Bee hummingbird is frequently mistaken for an insect by casual viewers.

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How much do hummingbirds eat?

What is not small about hummingbirds is their appetite. Hummingbirds consume between 3 1/8 and 7 ½ calories a day. To put it into human terms, that equates to roughly 155,000 calories per day. Just imagine pulling up to the drive-in window at McDonalds and ordering 278 Big Macs just to get you through the day.

Hummingbirds require this awesome intake of food because of their metabolism. The Ruby throated hummingbird, for example, is about 3 ½ inches long and weighs 1/8 of an ounce. His body temperature ranges between 105 degrees and 108 degrees, F. In flight, his wings beat an average of 52 times per second. His respiration is 250 breaths per minute and his heart rate is an incredible 1200 beats a minute when he is feeding. Hummingbird’s lives are spent on the very edge of survival. One day of bad weather or difficulty finding food can mean the end for them.

How important is your hummingbird feeder?

With this information in mind you can see how important your backyard hummingbird feeder can be. The growth of cities and urban development is constantly reducing the hummingbird’s natural habitat. A well designed, well placed feeder improves their chances of survival and provides you with countless hours of entertainment.

As small and fragile as hummingbirds are, they have surprisingly long life spans. Many hummingbirds do not survive their first year, but those that do, live an average of 3 to 4 years. One female broadtailed hummingbird was tagged, released, and recaptured 12 years later. A Rufous hummingbird was banded and reported alive after 8 years and 1 month. As these migratory birds tend to return year after year, they will soon become old friends.