Ideas For Your Backyard

We’ve had an unusally warm spring. Beautiful as a matter of fact! That being said the last few days have been cooler and rainy. We need the rain so I’m not complaining. This morning while I was sitting on the porch looking out over the farm and watching the birds. I was surprised by a tiny little visitor. We have our first hummingbird of the year. This was one of the ruby throated. I can’t say that we’ve ever seen a ruby here until now. They are absolutely exquiste.

Every one loves a hummingbird.  It is with wonderment that we watch as this tiny bird can hover in mid air. 

Slender copper-tone flowers and colorful hummingbird figurines grace your garden with tranquil springtime beauty. A true work of art that’s sure to be admired by all! Simply place into your lawn for an instant decoration.

This past weekend we traveled to Missouri to visit with Uncle Les and his wife Rhonda.  If you’ve been following along, you know how much we love birds….especially hummingbirds.  I was so entralled I had to write again about the hummingbirds.  Everyone always seems excited when they see a hummingbird.  They are so small, and their ability to hover is a wonderment.  We sat for hours watching their feeders!!  Never have I seen so many hummingbirds at once!!!  There must have been ten or twelve and on the last evening closer to twenty.  Their feeders were hung from the patio roof so we were very close, in fact, we were able to stand within inches of the feeders watching these little guys come in for their treat.

They had 4 feeders.  They have playfully named one hummingbird Moe and he would guard “his” feeder carefully, not letting the others come close much less drink from it.  Besides the hum produced from their flying there was also some chattering which I had never before heard.  Moe actually scolded the others as they attempted to fly near his feeder.  I learned so much more about their traits as I studied them.  If you don’t have a feeder you really should get one, there are so many on the market, you will surely find one that fits into your decor.  Won’t you like to give it a try?

I’m starting to get excited!  When the weather turns colder we lose alot of our featured friends, so now that it is getting warmer and things are growing again we’ll start seeing our feathered friends again.  Namely the Hummingbirds.

Did you know that you can attract hummingbirds to your backyard?  Plant brightly colored flowers and blooming bushes, and be sure to put your hummingbird feeders out.  Hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors.

Hummingbirds are birds in the family Trochilidae, and are native to the Americas. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–90 times per second (depending on the species). They can fly backwards, and are the only group of birds able to do so.   Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their rapid wing beats. They can fly at speeds exceeding 34 mph.

Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of plants and are important pollinators, especially of deep-throated, tubular flowers. Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar which is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders, especially when feeding young.

Wouldn’t you like to start feeding hummingbirds and draw them to your backyard, it can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird

Who among us isn’t fascinated seeing a hummingbird?  They are truly miraculous.  Of course all birds are when you consider flight.

Hummingbirds can literally hover motionless in one spot while they sip the nectar from their favorite flower or from your feeder.  They are truly spectacular to view.