Bertie Stith said she first saw her hummingbirds arrive on April 29 of this year. They came in great numbers, sometimes hovering in stacks of several layers — as many as 30 birds — at her hummingbird feeders, before they left in October. Bertie lives in the country northeast of Gallatin.
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Hummingbirds with their iridescent shimmering colors are the smallest of the birds. They are found only in the Americas. Bertie’s birds were Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s.
According to Tim Baker of the Daviess County Extension Office, these feisty little creatures have a length of three inches, weigh 1/8 ounce (less than half the weight of the next smallest bird), a heart rate of 1,200 beats per minutes, and a breathing rate of 205 per minutes. Their tiny wing beat 55 to 75 per second, and they have a flight speed of up to 60 miles per hour. The wing rotation of the hummers is unique among birds. Their life span can be up to nine years, but more often it is three years
When they’re not feeding at flowers, they are defending their territory and food sources – from each other and other birds and insects. They defend their young – from other birds, snakes and squirrels.
Hummers lay two eggs per nest. The eggs are peanut-sized, white, and incubated by the female. They hatch in 12 to 14 days. The young are tended by the mother alone. They fledge in 18 to 22 days.
Red flowers are visited most often by hummingbirds. They like flowers that are tubular in shape. Aroma does not attract hummers. They will visit any available flowers with nectar. Native hummingbird flowers are the red buckeye, trumpet creeper, columbine, native honeysuckles, cardinal flower, jewel weed, wild bergamot and fire ping.
If you want hummingbirds next spring remember to start feeding them in early April. Late summer draws the most hummers. Keep feeders filled through mid-October.
Home-made nectar – four parts water, one part sugar; boil the solution two to three minutes, store in refrigerator, change every two to three days to weekly, clean thoroughly each time. Food coloring and other supplements are not needed or recommended. Never use honey!