The Joy of Watching Hummingbirds
Do you remember the first time you saw a hummingbird? The wonderment of how such a tiny, seemingly fragile, creature could fly so fast and then stop on a dime, to hover in mid-flight and feed?
My husband and I started feeding hummingbirds three years ago. It started with one feeder, that we hung on our privacy fence, outside the bedroom window. We enjoyed lazy Sunday mornings, drinking coffee and watching the birds come and go at the feeder. Well, we thought, having one feeder is nice, how about two? So the following year we added a second feeder to our “tropical garden.” We live in coastal Virginia. Amazingly, our climate allows us to grow banana plants, elephant ear plants and cana lilies in our small backyard. Our vegetation grows to a height of ten to fifteen feet. The second feeder was a perfect addition to this garden, allowing the hummingbirds to dart in and out of the jungle growth.
We started having our “happy hours” in our backyard after work. Happily sipping our mason jars full of wine or sangria, while watching our little friends fly back and forth between the two food sources, was a fun way to unwind from a busy day at work. The humming birds we attract in this location chirp a lot, so their song fills the air. They are also quite territorial little birds. A bird will mark a feeder as his own, and then try to keep the others from feeding. A lot of bickering takes place, with the occasional body slam. The amount of energy they expend in this continual drama is exhausting!
This year we decided to add a third feeder to our front yard. Wow. It has turned our small yard into a hummingbird-palooza. These amazing wonders of flight have taken over our yard! They are so curious. They will fly right up to my face to get a good look at me. Plus, they will check out whatever I may be drinking or eating. I have a pet turtle, named Michelangelo. (Yes, named after the teenage mutant ninja turtle!) The birds will fly down to the ground to get a good look at him, probably wondering why there is a rock walking around with legs.
My hummingbird experience has gotten me to slow down and unwind from my digital filled life. Working forty hours a week on a computer, plus hours of additional screen time spent on my phone and in front of the television has left my mind frazzled and fragmented. My backyard has been a welcoming grounding force in helping me restore my balance with the modern world and nature.
I now recommend hummingbird feeding and watching to my friends. I tell them how highly entertaining it is to observe the little birds. It’s so easy to make the food for their feeders . One fourth of a cup of sugar to one cup of water. I like to use organic cane sugar, along with filtered water. The feeders need to be changed out every few days, since hot summer days can cause the food to go manky. We have the hummingbird feeders with the ledges, so that the little birds can perch between sips of the sugar solution.
One of my coworkers said to me the other morning “guess what I did? I sat on my porch and watched hummingbirds eat at my feeder, it was great!” Yes, it is great when we can share our world with nature.
