Neighborhood Hummingbird Habitat!

Well, I wanted to say that over the last 5 seasons of putting together an environment that makes hummingbirds interested, this is what I have offered:

1.  Plants, plants, plants......fuscias in the spring, lithadora, daphne, freesia, violets, daffodils, tulips, color and a promise of more to come.  Right after that, blossoms on the early fruits and the kiwi leaves start to grow. The clematis blooms and the first wisteria. We haven't hit summer yet. I do this in the fall also.....I make sure that I have pineapple sage all over the place until it hard freezes and turns into slop.

2. I keep my feeders up and running all year round. They stay busy, so I do it. I know mothers like the nectar when they are on nests nearby. I know that during really cold times, I am really careful about keeping the nectar from freezing (I just bring it in at night and put it back out in the early light). I see the males enjoy a big drink after doing that crazy mating fast flying they do. It seems to me that sugar water is just back up all the time around my place.

3.  I have a few bird baths around that are shallow. One is actually deep, but I keep it mostly empty. I also have a fountain that I keep running now all year. And on occasion, some hummingbird is dunking his head in it. I have actually seen a hummingbird take a bath in a sunflower leaf while my sprinkler was on.....I have pictures, they are blurry, but they are very very cool.

4.  There are lots of trellis rails and branches around for hummigbirds to perch and watch from.

5.  I am not in control of this, but there are lots of conifers and places for hummingbirds to nest nearby and willows and moss to get nest materials.


Below, I am showing you the basic feeder I like to use and the easy way I can attach to deck rails. Also, a trellis I like to stick in planters and grow clematis on. Also shown are a couple of bird baths and my fountain. I am also trying out the copper cover for when it snows so I am not running out and brushing off the feeders for the hummingbirds all the time. I am such a softy....

This picture was submitted by a hummingbird lover that wrote me after the Register Guard Article came out a couple months ago. What a hilarious picture. 

The next two pictures are from my garden a couple summers ago and a Rufous female is taking a bath in a sunflower with the sprinkler on full blast!

My Yard And The Hummingbirds That Enjoy It

Hummingbird Yard

This is a list of plants, trees, shrubs, bulbs, and flowers that I have planted at my house. The hummingbirds seem to really enjoy them. After I list them, I will try to include some pictures of them. I also try to have something blooming for them from early spring into late fall.....wave after wave.

Shrubs:

Hibiscus/Rose of Sharon

Lonicera/Honeysuckle

Rhododendron

Rosa/Rose

Rosmarinus Officianlis/Rosemary

Syringa/Lilac

Perennials & Bulbs:

Achillea/Yarrow

Aquilegia/Columbine

Coreopisis/Tickseed

Crocosmia

Delpinium

Echinacea purpurea

Coneflower

Erysimum/Wallflower

Fuscia

Hyssop

Iberis/Candytuft

Lavandula/Lavender

Lithadora

Lilium/Lily

Monarda/Bee Balm

Nastursium

Origanum/Oregano

Penstamon/Beard Tongue

Rudbeckia/Black Eyed Susan

Salvia/Sage (red sages, purple mammoth, pineapple)

Veronica/Speedwell

Annuals:

Snapdragon

Cosmos

Lathyrus odoratus/Sweet Peas

Targetes/Marigold

Trees:

Cornus/Dogwood

Willow

Betula/Birch

Pictures:

Rufous Hummingbird Enjoying The Fuscia

Rufous Hummingbird At The Bee Balm

Red Sage

Purple Dephiniums

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Making sugar nectar for hummingbirds

Anna's Summer 2012 in the purple sage

 Young Anna's Spring 2012 on the Kiwi

My name is Paula Fleitell. This is my first post, although I have been working on hummingbird support in Eugene Oregon for 5 seasons. I wanted to find a way to share information with people that want to support the hummingbird population in Eugene. Tonight I would like to start with the most basic information about making sugar nectar for feeders.

4 Cups Water

1 Cup Sugar (no agave or honey)

Bring to a boil for 1 minute (to kill bacteria), cool, and put into feeder

No food coloring is necessary and actually could be harmful to birds

You can store this mixture in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a month, so you don't have to make it every time you change the feeder.

When it is cold out, clean and change the feeder weekly and when it is really hot, clean and change every 4 days. Look for cloudy water, mold or fungus growth, bad smelling water. clean with really hot water. I have an assortment of scrubby brushes I use to help me, but I don't ever use soap. 

I tend to make up about 24 cups at a time, but I have 8 feeders.