Growing up, my family didn’t really focus on planting flowers in our yard, or put out any type of yard décor. When I married Ron, his family focused a lot of time and effort into planting beautiful flowers every spring, and along with that they also had a hummingbird feeder near their porch. In Morgan, Utah life is a little slower and people still sit out on the porch every day, enjoying visits with family and friends. I’ve often heard it said - when you marry someone, you not only marry the man (or woman), you also marry their family. Sadly in many cases, the two don’t mix well. However, in my case, I have been extremely blessed!

Ron’s parents, John and Eileen are the perfect example of textbook parenting. John passed away 28 years ago, he would have been 102 this past March, Eileen just turned 94! She is extremely independent, still mows her own lawn, enjoys life, and the simple things bring her so much pleasure! I have learned a lot from her example, and enjoying being “Home” is one of them. We plant flowers each year, specifically Zinnias. Eileen introduced this yearly practice to me a few years ago. Each spring there is now the quest to find Zinnias for her yard as well as ours.

The other yearly practice we have adopted from Ron’s side of the family is to place two hummingbird feeders outside where we have enjoyed them for many years now.

These little birds are so intriguing to me. I marvel at the speed their tiny little wings flutter - anywhere from 10 to 80 times per second while hovering, attaining speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour, and can withstand G-forces that would make the average person black out. Hummingbirds are known for their ability to fly backward, and even upside down. A typical hummingbird weighs about three and a half grams, and daily consumes around twice its body weight in nectar. Their hearts beat up to 1,260 times a minute, except during torpor, a nocturnal state when the heartbeat slows to as little as 50 beats a minute. A group of hummingbirds is known as a “charm”. What a perfect name for them, because I think they really are “charming”!!! These little birds fill my soul with joy and LIGHT! They just seem happy!

Only 16 different hummingbirds are regularly found on the North American continent. Except for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird - all of these species breed west of the Mississippi River. In Utah, we have five species that are regular visitors, with the broad-tailed and the black-chinned hummingbirds being the most common. Females of the two species are nearly identical, however, broad-tailed males are distinguishable by their iridescent-red throats and the whistling of their tails. Both overwinter in Mexico. The calliope hummingbird is also seen in Utah. And is the smallest breeding bird in North America weighing about as much as penny. The calliope is also the smallest long distant migrant bird in the world traveling up to 5,600 miles in a single year. The rufous hummingbird is also another long distant migrant seen in Utah, traveling from as far north as Alaska all the way down to central Mexico. Hummingbirds arrive in Utah around April for the breeding season, and return to their wintering territories as far south as the West Coast of Mexico in September/October.

I’ve learned they also like to make their nests in the same place each year, and seem to recognize and remember people as well. The past couple of years, they have returned before we had our feeders out. They fly right up to the kitchen window, and hover there almost as if to say, “Hey Les!!! I’m back, where’s the food?!!!!” At first when they return, they are a little more skittish. But as the summer season progresses, they seem to settle in, and become comfortable knowing they are safe in our yard, and safe with us sitting right below them as they feed.

In Utah, we can put our feeders out in late April or early May. There is some controversy over whether or not you should continue to feed hummingbirds in fall. Some say you should quit feeding by late August or the hummingbirds won’t migrate. This is a myth - in fact many hummingbirds begin migrating when their natural food sources are still intact. According to the Audubon Society website, in the fall, you should keep your feeders up for two weeks after you see the last bird using it. The tiny birds need to double their body mass before migration, and that little bit of extra nectar can only help.

I went to a shop a few years ago that only sells bird feeders and bird seed. They recommended the disk-type feeder instead of the standard bottle feeder. These disc-type feeders don’t leak, and help to deter pesky ants and wasps, making them friendlier for the little hummers.

The recipe below is what we use for our feeders. We don’t put red food coloring in it as that is not healthy for the birds. And they don’t seem to notice it’s not red. I bought a cute glass bottle from World Market and cut a fun vinyl decal to put on the side. That way people know what’s inside the bottle. We’ve had family members think it was lemonade before and take a big swig – evidently hummingbirds prefer the taste more than humans do. 

If you’re looking for a spark of LIGHT in your life, and are looking for a reason to slow down and sit on the back porch in the shade, try putting up a hummingbird feeder, then sit back and enjoy the show! I guarantee it will make you smile.

Love Ya, Les ☺

Hummingbird Information & Nectar Recipe

**Sugar Solution:

Combine 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. Bring to a slow boil for 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature before pouring into feeder.

We like to store ours in a glass bottle which must be at room temperature before filling with room temperature cooled nectar. Excess should be stored in the refrigerator. Pouring hot nectar into a cool glass bottle with crack the glass.

Never use honey or artificial sweeteners. It is also not recommended using red dyes.

Clean feeder regularly with hot water to prevent fermentation and mold – every 3 days in hot weather, every 7 days in cool weather. Hummingbirds will reject “old” solution. If you use dish soap, be sure to rinse thoroughly to make sure the hummingbirds don’t get sick from excess dish soap.

Do not allow solution to freeze in feeder. Store inside during winter.

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Hummingbirds in Utah