2021-06-24

Sometimes Hummingbirds are a Priority

Perky Pet my best hummingbird feeder 32 oz    
Each year I have a couple of 32 ounce hummingbird feeders I dutifully clean thoroughly then fill repeating this process every week to week and a half or so.

This ritual stems from long ago when I began to notice the decline of my dear old late daddy and wanted to try and bring a little enjoyment into his life. I got a couple of these same feeders which we suspended from a large oak tree in his front yard. I must say there were times when hundreds of hummingbirds circled the feeders immediately prior to most rain showers.

I remember him telling me how hummingbirds would sit there on the porch rail looking at him for hours on end ... and how he never thought he would ever see a hummingbird at a distance, much less up close and personal on a daily basis for years. It was a very gratifying experience for me personally and is one of those fond memories that sometimes make me cry because he's gone these long years.

I try to keep a fresh, clean hummingbird feeder with ample fresh clean colorless 25% nectar for these neighborhood birds and even in the presence of poor soil and less in the way of attractive natural vegetation I have hungry birds showing up throughout the day. I lost the need for adding food coloring long ago opting for as few additives as possible.

I now have a few hummingbirds which I recognize from years past and indeed, to my surprise the skiddishness has diminished among some of the younger ones.

I place each feeder in front of one of the webcams I have positioned in most of the windows of my home so that I may check things out remotely on demand. Sometimes I catch a hummer feeding. I was glad to note that some of them don't fly away just because they see me through the window as they did in the beginning.

Individuals among those feeding at my house will sit there and look at me on occasion then continue their meal flitting away at their leisure.