Forward: I will add to this section as time permits. Please post additional information if you have some = it is welcome!
Attracting Hummingbirds:
The best way to encourage activity (not including my tips on the solution care/handling) is to plant flowering plants AND small bushes in your garden. A great example is the purple sand cherry bush: grows quickly, beautiful leaves and great for them to perch on. Also have some others including an umbrella plant (potted, simply put outside in the summer time) and similar tree like bushes that don't grow much over 6 feet.
Flowering plants-
they can include the following - pretty much any brightly colored and/or tubular flower:
Hibiscus
Autumn Sage
Bee Balm (Bergamot)
Bleeding Heart
Day Lilies
Fuschia
Snap Dragons
Peonies
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia)
Shrubs:
Butterfly bush
Azalea
Lilac
Flowering Quince
Weigela (Cardinal Shrub)
Vines:
Morning Glory
Trumpet Creepers
Honeysuckle
Mandevalia
Trees:
Flowering Crabapple
Hawthorne
Siberian Pea Tree
Mimosa
The above is a very short list, it's just for starters....
Try this book(let): Enjoying Hummingbirds, by Nancy Newfield. There are more than a few out there.
Photographing Hummingbirds:
HPA... Hummingbird Photographing Addiction...
Seriously, they are tough little acrobats to photograph.
I am totally old school on photographing them. Minimal movement, right out in the open with them. I could and should use a blind to really nail the shots, but they are not afraid of the dummy behind the camera...
You can also use focus trap, which is presetting the lens to MF and a certain area of activity to fire the shutter. This can be done via remote or wired cable release. So long as you don't move much, it's relatively easy for them to become used to you. Hummingbirds tend to spook and flee readily when they see movement.
Feeding Hummingbirds:
Activity levels: as a reference, in front of my house we easily have 14-16 of them on just two feeders in the evening, when activity is highest. That does not include the other 3 feeders.
Normally I refill the five - 32 oz feeders every 2-3 days. We have an exceptionally high level of traffic in my front garden. Of course the garden is designed in mind with attracting the hummers. To keep the activity levels up, all that's needed is a ratio of 1 to 3 on the sugar to water mix. Once they start coming, keeping a bit below half on the ratio ensures more activity on the feeders...
I am sure people are aware of this part, but just in case someone who is not familiar with hummingbirds: it's
very, very important to monitor the clarity of the solution in the feeders -
if you see any cloudiness, change it. That means the solution is contaminated (often by dead insects); high heat + humidity levels = mold/mould and it's a problem if left unaddressed...
this is a potentially serious health risk for the birds (long term) - mold/mould can kill them. Empty the feeder, wash/scrub with soapy water and rinse it carefully, then restock the solution. If the mold/mould is bad, a bucket with a small amount of bleach+water to soak the feeder parts in will be beneficial in removing. Then do the same washing technique aforementioned.
The population of hummers has doubled in the last couple of years and they are very used to my presence moving about, etc. because I am responsible for their well being. They do return to locales they've been to before during their migrations from Mexico. I have collectively nicknamed them "my kids", because I take the hummingbird feeder duties very seriously, including rotation, washing/replenishing, etc.
I cannot imagine
not having my kids swooping around in my front garden every year...
Regards,
Marc
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