Hummingbirds

Yesterday as I sat on my front porch I caught the buzz of hummingbird wings. The noise was frantic, sending vibrations through the air. There were at least six hummingbirds fighting over the feeder hanging on the corner of the porch.

It was fascinating to watch them zoom about, chasing each other away from the feeder. They move so quickly it is hard to keep them in sight. While two or three were off in the trees hot in pursuit, another one would sneak up and grab a sip of nectar. It was amusing that they were so territorial about this one feeder; we have two other feeders around the house. We try to hang them out of sight of each other to keep down the fighting.

My photo isn't too clear, but you can just make out the silhouettes of three hummers, one hanging on the back of the feeder.

We make our own sugar water to fill the feeders, and put only about 1 cup in each feeder to keep it fresh. The remainder of the syrup is stored in the refrigerator until needed. I use 1 cup of sugar to 3 cups of water. Stir until sugar is suspended in the water, then cook on high in the microwave for 4 minutes. Take it out of the microwave and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool.