If you take a few simple steps to attract them, you can enjoy hummers in your own backyard.

(ARA) – If the birding world had a rock star, it would be the hummingbird. Swift, tiny, secretive and simply amazing to watch, “hummers” are so hard to spot that catching a glimpse of one can be a summer experience you’ll long remember. But you don’t have to be an avid birder to be thrilled by the sight of a hummingbird.

Hummingbirds can be found across the country, with ruby-throated hummingbirds common east of the Rocky Mountains and a dozen or more species common in western regions. To maximize your chances of seeing a hummingbird this summer, take a few simple steps to attract them to your backyard, where you can enjoy them at your leisure.

Hummingbirds travel a long distance from their tropical winter retreats in Central and South America. Like all wild birds, hummers have three basic requirements to make a place their home – access to food, water and a good nesting spot.

Offering nectar-rich flowers and feeders is a good start. But you also need suitable habitat that provides sheltered perches and good nesting places, encouraging females to raise their young.

Research shows that these tiny birds have a remarkable memory and frequently return to the same hospitable sites on the same day of each year. If you feed consistently, you may have return visitors, especially during spring and fall migrations. If you can get them to nest nearby, too, you’ll have fledglings who also may remember your address in years to come.

You can help hummers build their homes with a new nesting material that's endorsed by the Hummingbird Society.

Female hummers typically settle in deciduous trees over a clearing or stream. They fashion their nests from sticky spider webbing, using lichen to camouflage the exterior and soft plant fibers to cushion the interior. It’s probably not practical for the average hummingbird fan to stock spider webs and lichens in their yard. But there is a man-made alternative.

Hummer Helper is the first commercially available product that has proven appealing to hummingbirds. Introduced by Songbird Essentials, the all-natural material (specially processed with oil left in) is contained in a wire frame painted red to attract a hummingbird’s eye.

The product is endorsed by the Hummingbird Society (hummingbirdsociety.org), an Arizona-based advocacy group. In the March 2009 edition of the society’s journal, Executive Director Ross Hawkins reported watching females at work gathering the material. “We recommend ‘Hummer Helper,’” he wrote. “It has the potential to help bring in more hummers, close by where you can observe them, and to increase the odds that they will nest near you.”

To start attracting hummers, hang a small feeder. Nectar mixes are available, but it’s easy to make your own. Use four parts tap water to one part ordinary table sugar, heated until dissolved. Red coloring isn’t necessary.

Increase the visibility of new feeders by hanging red ribbons nearby. The hummingbird’s high metabolism drives it to feed about every 10 minutes, and it examines every square yard in its range for food, experts say.

Keeping the feeder clean and the nectar refreshed is critical. Spoiled solutions can turn to alcohol and support mold, both harmful to the tiny birds. In cool weather, fluid can be left for five to seven days, but during hot spells it should be replaced every two days.

For easy cleaning, pick up a specialized brush like Songbird’s “Best Hummer Brush.” Don’t use soap or detergents, which can be hard to rinse thoroughly. A solution of ordinary white vinegar is a good non-toxic cleaner.

Two other handy accessories are a water-filled nectar protector ant moat, hung above feeders to keep ants at bay, and an overhead protector like Songbird’s Hummer Helmet to keep rain water from diluting nectar solutions. While its shade helps keep nectar fresh longer, the red color acts as a big red “Food Here” sign. Songbird products are sold through outlets catering to birders. The Web site www.songbirdessentials.com includes a “Retail Finder” directing customers to nearby locations.

To learn more about hummingbird research, visit the Hummer Bird Study Group at hummingbirdsplus.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

The feed you put out in the fall will let birds know they’ll be welcomed and fed in your back yard when serious cold weather arrives.

Humans aren’t the only ones who look forward to the autumn harvest. Fall brings a bounty of natural foods for our feathered friends, too. But while they’re feasting on fall’s cornucopia of delicacies, birds are also planning ahead, taking note of yards with bird feeders that can help them weather winter’s cold.

Many of birds’ favorite foods are actually more abundant in the fall. Summer weeds ripen with seeds by October. Many berries only begin to emerge in late summer or early winter, and insects are plentiful. You may think there’s no need to feed your feathered friends during the fall, but if you want them to find your home in the winter, start feeding them in autumn.

The birds who visit feeders in the fall are scouting, becoming familiar with feed stations and making decisions about which back yards they’ll visit this winter. The feed you put out in the fall will let birds know they’ll be welcomed and fed in your back yard when serious cold weather arrives – and they no longer have the luxury of exploring for food.

When the temperature dips below zero, easy meals at a feeder can mean the difference between life and death.

An important rule of fall and winter feeding is to be prepared. By stocking up now on premium bird seed, bird lovers can help secure a wholesome food source for birds without having to brave stormy weather.

It’s important to stock your feeder with high-quality foods that will provide birds with the most fat, nutrients and energy. Look for a feed like Cole’s that packs nutrition, preserves freshness and gives you the most feed for your dollar. Cole’s Oil Sunflower is more than 99 percent pure and cleaned four times to ensure there are more seeds and fewer sticks in each bag. The feed is also nitrogen-purge packaged, just like potato chips, to ensure freshness and insect-free feed.

In addition to seed, serve up some suet either by itself or mixed with seed. Cole’s Nutberry Suet is a seed blend mix of premium fruits, preferred nuts, nutritious insect suet kibbles, and whole kernel sunflower meats, which appeals to fruit and insect-loving songbirds. Or try Suet Pearls, which features sunflower seeds buried inside energy-rich suet. Suet Nuts is a nourishing blend of peanuts and berry suet that birds find delectable. These feed choices will provide fat and a high protein energy source to assist wild birds in weathering winter and may actually boost their chance of survival.

Just as birds need food year-round, they also look for water. This can be tricky in regions where water spends the winter as ice, but bird lovers can still help in a number of ways. Experts suggest leaving icicles on the eaves to provide a regular source of water for birds that will drink the drops as the icicles melt. Birds are drawn to running water sounds so spritzers or small fountains are also good. In the winter there are many quality bird bath heaters available to keep the water from freezing and they are more convenient than setting out water every day.

Don’t worry about the birds if you have to be gone from your home for a while in winter. Birds are used to having a food source disappear. It might take them a while to rediscover your yard when you return, but they’ll be back, grateful for your assistance.

For more ideas on how to help birds eat well through winter, and feed choices visit www.coleswildbird.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent