Hummingbird Haven
Of all the birds, the hummingbird is the favorite of many birders.
Their dazzling colors, petite size, unbounded energy and extreme migratory patterns provide endless hours of fascination.
We know this because we have created what is truly a "Hummingbird Haven.
"This was even declared to be so on the front page of our local newspaper when they got word of the hundreds of hummingbirds that we feed at our remote property tucked away in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Northern New Mexico.
Our hummingbird experience began innocently enough about 14 years ago when we decided to hang a couple of hummingbird feeders in the hopes of maybe attracting a few to our home.
We hung 2 from the eaves in front of our large solar windows and one in a tree on the other side of the house.
It wasn't long before we had enough hummers that we decided that we had better add another feeder.
We also noticed that the feeder hanging by itself was getting very little action so we moved it over with the others.
This seemed to suit the birds just fine and their numbers started increasing.
As their numbers increased, so did the number of feeders.
We moved them from where they were to a spot under an overhang that was easy to get to - both for the hummingbirds and us, as we were soon filling these feeders on a daily basis.
This spot also adds protection from the direct sunlight and from the spring snows and summer rains.
We now have 19 feeders! As unbelievable as it seems, our first tropical visitors arrive before the winter is over and they endure freezing temperatures and snow storms.
Luckily for them, my wife is vigilant in making sure that these early arrivals have all the food they need, bringing in the feeders at night and getting up early enough to put them back out in time for their dawn arrival.
Now, that is love! One spring, before we were expecting our first hummingbird, I was dozing off in front of the window after a hard day of work.
All of a sudden I heard a tapping on the window and the shrill voice of a hummingbird!I looked out and there was the "scout", the first hummingbird of the season tapping on the window, demanding to know where his chow was!Of course I was on my feet and headed for the closet to dig out a feeder when my wife came home.
She immediately made a batch of fresh food (1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water) and put it out for our hungry friend.
They have been arriving earlier each year, this year arriving on March 25th.
We used to count on seeing them no earlier than April 15th.
Kristin, my wife, takes care of the early season duties of making sure that the feeders are full and cleaned as needed.
Her dedication is something to see.
I call her the Hummingbird lady, of course, and she just smiles.
As the season heats up, it becomes incumbent upon me to pitch in and keep the food coming.
Because I work from home, it's easy enough for me to stay on top of the little sugar water factory that takes over the top of the stove for the rest of the summer.
As soon as each pot is drained, we make another so that it will have cooled down enough for use later in the day.
Eyebrows raise at the checkout stand when we purchase our 100 to 150 pounds of sugar at a time.
I guess most people figure we are bakers but on occasion, some wise person will look at us and say "Hummingbirds?" or "¿Colibris?" if Spanish is their native tongue.
We dine outside on our deck most evenings just feet away from our humming collection of feeders.
It's a favorite place throughout the summer to entertain guests as most have never witnessed even a fraction of the hummingbirds we play host to each year.
Their dazzling colors, petite size, unbounded energy and extreme migratory patterns provide endless hours of fascination.
We know this because we have created what is truly a "Hummingbird Haven.
"This was even declared to be so on the front page of our local newspaper when they got word of the hundreds of hummingbirds that we feed at our remote property tucked away in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Northern New Mexico.
Our hummingbird experience began innocently enough about 14 years ago when we decided to hang a couple of hummingbird feeders in the hopes of maybe attracting a few to our home.
We hung 2 from the eaves in front of our large solar windows and one in a tree on the other side of the house.
It wasn't long before we had enough hummers that we decided that we had better add another feeder.
We also noticed that the feeder hanging by itself was getting very little action so we moved it over with the others.
This seemed to suit the birds just fine and their numbers started increasing.
As their numbers increased, so did the number of feeders.
We moved them from where they were to a spot under an overhang that was easy to get to - both for the hummingbirds and us, as we were soon filling these feeders on a daily basis.
This spot also adds protection from the direct sunlight and from the spring snows and summer rains.
We now have 19 feeders! As unbelievable as it seems, our first tropical visitors arrive before the winter is over and they endure freezing temperatures and snow storms.
Luckily for them, my wife is vigilant in making sure that these early arrivals have all the food they need, bringing in the feeders at night and getting up early enough to put them back out in time for their dawn arrival.
Now, that is love! One spring, before we were expecting our first hummingbird, I was dozing off in front of the window after a hard day of work.
All of a sudden I heard a tapping on the window and the shrill voice of a hummingbird!I looked out and there was the "scout", the first hummingbird of the season tapping on the window, demanding to know where his chow was!Of course I was on my feet and headed for the closet to dig out a feeder when my wife came home.
She immediately made a batch of fresh food (1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water) and put it out for our hungry friend.
They have been arriving earlier each year, this year arriving on March 25th.
We used to count on seeing them no earlier than April 15th.
Kristin, my wife, takes care of the early season duties of making sure that the feeders are full and cleaned as needed.
Her dedication is something to see.
I call her the Hummingbird lady, of course, and she just smiles.
As the season heats up, it becomes incumbent upon me to pitch in and keep the food coming.
Because I work from home, it's easy enough for me to stay on top of the little sugar water factory that takes over the top of the stove for the rest of the summer.
As soon as each pot is drained, we make another so that it will have cooled down enough for use later in the day.
Eyebrows raise at the checkout stand when we purchase our 100 to 150 pounds of sugar at a time.
I guess most people figure we are bakers but on occasion, some wise person will look at us and say "Hummingbirds?" or "¿Colibris?" if Spanish is their native tongue.
We dine outside on our deck most evenings just feet away from our humming collection of feeders.
It's a favorite place throughout the summer to entertain guests as most have never witnessed even a fraction of the hummingbirds we play host to each year.
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