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November 1997, Volume 31, Number 3
Contributions Pay Off in Stronger Programs Midweek Walkabout Results Through the Garden Gate: Backyard Birding |
Through the Garden Gate Backyard Birdingby Judy Brinkerhoff "Glittering fragments of the rainbow", as Audubon called them, hummingbirds are tiny aerial acrobats that look as fragile as iridescent jewels, but some are tough enough to fly all the way from Mexico to North America and back each year. Since a major food source for hummers is flower nectar, they need to be where the flowers are, which is the tropics during North America's winter. The most commonly seen hummers in Sonoma County, and the only ones in winter, are the Anna's. The males can be distinguished by their breathtaking, fuchsia-pink throat and head. The Anna's seldom migrate; perhaps the introduction of ornamental plantings that flower in winter has led to the Anna's staying through all seasons. Anna's, however, do not exist solely on flower nectar, but eat many insects and also take tree sap from sapsucker drillings. I have seen Anna's working to extract tiny spiders from the webs that form (only too often!) around the huge plate glass windows of my house. I also see the birds "flycatching" from perches on the oaks. A tiny lichen-covered cup of a nest in trees and shrubs holds two diminutive eggs. The Anna's female does the nest-building and caring of the young while the male is off and about defending territory. Beginning in late January, our other common hummingbird arrives from Mexico, just as wildflowers begin their bloom here. It's the smaller, 3 1/2", green and rust-colored Allen's Hummingbird, the males with a fiery, bright red-orange throat. Like the Anna's, they live on nectar and insects, and, like the Anna's, their courtship consists of loops and dives as they dazzle prospective mates with their aerobatic displays. Both Anna's and Allen's are attracted to feeders. Once you begin to feed them, it's important to keep the feeder filled throughout the breeding season, as the birds choose a nesting site partly for its close proximity to your feeder. As for feeder formula: Use four parts of water to one part granulated white sugar. Do not use food coloring, as the hummers find the feeder by its own red color; don't use honey, as it causes growth of a fatal fungus disease; don't use brown or artificial sugars. Stir the mixture in a pan, bring to a boil, cool, and keep in the refrigerator for a few days, no longer, as it ferments. Change the fluid every few days and keep the feeder scrupulously clean, using soap, hot water, and bleach if black mold grows. Rinse thoroughly. Feeder bottle brushes can be purchased. There are many ways to tempt hummers to visit your yard. Besides a feeder, a fountain or sprinkler will attract them, but the addition of a few nectar plants will truly solidify a love affair with these captivating birds. Since autumn is the time to plant perennials, some natives that hummingbirds and people will enjoy, and that can be found in local nurseries, might include a currant, Ribes sanguineum, and a gooseberry, Ribes speciosum. Both shrubs produce berries that will be a food supply for other birds. Sages, or salvias, especially our natives, Salvia clevelandii and Salvia sonomensis, are wonderfully fragrant and bloom for weeks into the spring with lavender, hummingbird-tempting flowers. Of course, the manzanitas and California wild lilacs (all species of Ceanothus) are early flowering favorites, as are sticky monkey flowers (Diplacus aurantiacus). There are native coral bells (Heuchera 'Santa Ana Cardinal'), and native columbines (Aguilegia formosa), which if allowed to go to seed, will be visited by small, seed-eating birds. And an autumn-blooming jewel is the bright-red California fuchsia (Zauschneria californica), which will flourish on hot, dry hillsides. |
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