Hummer talk

Get out of here - this place is mine. I don't care how much redder your chest is!

Hey! Listen! I said IT'S MINE! Cut it out!

They claim that a Hummingbird's territorial area is a 1/4 of an acre, or just over 10,000 square feet. These two kinda skipped that rule for a little bite to eat and let me tell you, a full fledged fight ensued immediately following this photograph. It's not really a good idea to place feeders near each other for this particular reason, no sense in causing a street fight in your backyard over a snack. I put one off the back porch and another in the front yard off to the side - but the side feeder isn't up yet. Maybe it's time to do it now.

Anyway, you'll notice my feeder has clear liquid in it. That's because I make my own out of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water - aka 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water. You have to mix it well so the sugar disolves and most of the time I'll nuke (microwave) 1/2 cup water just to a boil and add the sugar to it (careful it doesn't blow over!) to make sure the sugar incorporates and then I'll add the rest of the liquid as cold water. No coloration - it's been proven that Hummingbirds don't really care what color it is. It's the location of where you place your feeder that attracts them.

The male and females only come together to mate and then it's the female's responsibility to build the nest and take care of the kids. Talk about your deadbeat dads. The males are also known to start migrating south around August, leaving mom and the kids behind to tag along with the little ones are ready. Jeez! And to think that they only weigh as much as two and a half paperclips. Amazing.