8/9/2023 0 Comments Cam newton auburn png![]() Provide Cover: Adding shrubs and trees to your yard will provide places for them to raise their young, as well as provide protection from potential predators. Provide Water: Add a bird bath or another water feature to your yard. Feeders with mold and bacteria can be deadly to hummingbirds. Be sure to clean your feeder, at least twice a week in the summer, with warm water and a mild vinegar solution. Skip the red dyes and, if wasps are an issue, choose feeders without yellow attachments. Avoid raw sugars and honey as both can be harmful to hummingbirds. Let it cool and then add it to your feeder. Mix ΒΌ cup of refined white sugar with a boiling cup of water until the sugar is dissolved. Provide Nectar: Another food source is a nectar feeder. Some native and non-native plant ideas are shown to the right. By planting native plants, you can provide both nectar and insects for hummingbirds to dine upon. Spiders are of particular importance as their webbing is crucial for hummingbird nest construction. In addition, hummingbirds eat insects and spiders. One of the best ways to help local hummingbirds is to provide nectar via plants. Provide Plants: Hummingbirds can flap their wings more than 50 times a second and burn a lot of energy in the process. It is also important to protect them from hazards like outdoor cats. The hummingbirds can be attracted to backyards by providing food and shelter resources. Unlike many other hummingbird populations in North America, ruby-throated hummingbird populations have steadily increased from 1966 to 2014. If successful, they will mate and she will take over the duties of nesting and caring for the young. During this dance, he prominently displays his glistening ruby throat in an effort to attract her attention. While courting, the male performs a spectacular aerial dance above females. Males are the first to arrive and they establish breeding territories as the females are heading north. To prepare for such a feat, the ruby-throated hummingbirds increase their body weight by as much as 35-40% in as little as four days! Generally, their northward migration begins in late February, but we often do not see our first hummingbirds in Maryland until April. These pint-sized birds can fly 500 miles over the Gulf of Mexico without stopping. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are migration marvels. However, adult females have white outer corners on their tails while adult, non-breeding males do not. Juveniles and non-breeding birds look similar to females. Females, in contrast, have a grayish throat with white underparts and green coloring on the upper body. Their common name refers to the brilliant reddish-orange coloring on the throat of mature males during the breeding season. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are iridescent green with white bellies. They are the only species of hummingbird known to breed in our area, though five other hummingbird species have been documented in Maryland. We are fortunate to have ruby-throated hummingbirds return to Maryland year after year. The familiar hum of its flight and the flash of green are a welcome sight in gardens. It travels from Central America back to the eastern United States in the spring to breed. Weighing just about the same as a penny, the mighty ruby-throated hummingbird makes a 1,000-plus mile journey each year. ![]()
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