Temperatures are starting to warm in the Northwoods and I’m seeing robins in our yard. This means other migrating birds will be following and we should be seeing hummingbirds soon. The most common hummingbird that is seen in the Northwoods is the RUBY-THROATED (male pictured). While female ruby-throated have a white throat and duller green feathers, the males have a red throat and bright green.

In March males will start their trip north Northern Panama or Southern Mexico with female ruby-throated arriving 1 to 3 weeks later. These tiny birds have great memories and will navigate back to the same feeders every year. Why? They remember where reliable food sources are and know that last year’s nesting site is a safe environment.

Ruby-Throated hummingbirds rely on their eyesight and sense of smell to find a source of nectar. These tiny birds look mostly for tubular flowers because they produce a great amount of nectar but avoid flowers that have defensive chemical odor. Ruby-throated are also able to identify certain colors which are usually red and orange. Hummingbird feeders are mostly red because they associate this color to flowers that are rich with nectar. If you would like hummingbirds around your yard, place a RED FEEDER and fill it with the nectar they need to survive.

This nectar, it’s basically simple syrup commonly used in bars and easy to produce. ADD 2 CUPS OF WHITE SUGAR TO 8 CUPS OF WATER in a pan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes while stirring. Once the sugar is dissolved, let it cool to room temperature and store it in a container that is easy to pour from. (We store ours in the refrigerator and have not had any problems). DO NOT ADD FOOD COLORING OR ANY DYES and use only WHITE CANE SUGAR. There is a high iron content in artificial sugar that hummingbirds CANNOT digest.

Believe this or not, hummingbirds consume half their body weight each day, so don’t be surprised of the amount of nectar you can go through. You will notice that they eat more during cooler mornings because their body works harder to stay warm. They are very territorial and will compete for food. Hummingbirds are probably the most aggressive of all birds and will even attack Blue Jays.

If you are considering putting up a hummingbird feeder, EARLY MAY is the best time to do so and don’t get discouraged if you don’t see them right away. With the new location, it could take 3 days or even a week for them to locate their new home and they will not only return every day, but on a yearly basis.

Here are a few cool facts on hummingbirds I thought you would like.

* Hummingbirds cannot walk or even hop.
* Their wings flap over 50 times per second.
* Their wings create humming sound, hence the name hummingbird.
* They drink the nectar by lapping (15 licks per second) up with their tongues and eat bugs for protein.
*  Because their brain size in comparison to their body is bigger than other birds, they are extremely intelligent.
* Their heart beats 1200 time a minute when flying and 250 times at rest.
* Can fly up, down, backwards and even upside-down and can reach speeds up to 30mph.