Yes, we stock a good selection of Hummingbird feeders
So Much to Know About Hummingbirds!
Spring is a much anticipated time for our smallest backyard-winged visitors. Hummingbirds may be the most anticipated bird to visit our yards. And why not? These littlest jewels of the backyard have some of the biggest personalities.
Hummingbirds are indeed small, weighing 1/10th of an ounce; about the weight of a penny. They also lay the world’s smallest bird egg; about the size of a blueberry.
For such a little bird, hummingbirds can be very feisty and aggressive when defending their territories; which includes nectar feeders. Multiple feeders, spread throughout your yard, will encourage more hummingbirds to visit and keep bullies at bay. The more feeders you offer and the more spread out they are, the more difficult it is for a protective hummingbird to defend all the feeders. Others, like females or even juveniles, will be able to eat more often, perhaps staying longer to feed or rest at feeders.
Speaking of feeders, these little birds have big appetites. Hummingbirds eat about every ten minutes and their diet is not made up entirely of nectar. They spend more than 25% of their time foraging for small spiders and insects to obtain essential amino acids and other nutrients.
Hummingbirds use their bill and not their tongue to catch prey while they forage near the ground and in trees. They love spiders and spider eggs and keep an eye out for small flying insects like midges, fruit flies and gnats. They also check leaves and branches for leaf hoppers, aphids and even the occasional small caterpillar.
Our little hummingbirds are deceptively big on speed. They often seem to explode away from a feeder like a dragster. They typically fly at 30-45 miles per hour (48-72 kph), but can fly up to 60 mph (96 kph). They can even hover and are the only birds able to regularly fly backwards and even occasionally upside down. They can do this because of an extremely mobile shoulder joint.
Be a seasonally savvy bird feeder by installing multiple hummingbird nectar feeders around your yard to draw in these little birds with the big personalities. Visit our store and we'll help you pick out everything you need to attract hummingbirds to your backyard.
Make Your Backyard Part of Nature's Best Hope
Dr. Tallamy's books, Including "The Nature of Oaks", are available in our store and online.
For decades, most strategies for promoting conservation have been negative, gloomy and depressing…full of recommendations that required sacrifices to our quality of life. They demand drastic behavior changes now for some unforeseen long-term benefit in the future.
In his book, Nature’s Best Hope, Dr. Tallamy shares his revolutionary approach to making our planet a better place…while instantaneously adding to our quality of life…without sacrificing anything!
As illustrated in his book, Dr. Tallamy’s vision is based on using native landscaping to create “Homegrown National Parks” in our own yards, around our offices, in our parks and along our roadways. These beautiful new landscapes will immediately enrich our quality of life with gorgeous scenery, singing birds, beautiful butterflies and the ever present sights and sound of nature.
The key to having a vibrant homegrown habitat starts with a diverse and native landscape, and Nature’s Best Hope is the handbook that provides the motivation and information to empower every landowner to take action.
North America has over 44 million acres of turf grass waiting to be re-born into a wonderland of natural beauty and life. It will require lots of action…but as one of the most persuasive voices in conservation, Dr. Tallamy and his book are sure to rally an army of volunteers ready to carry out one of the great conservation projects of our time.
If you’re concerned about doing something good for the environment, Nature’s Best Hope is the blueprint you need. Shop now for your copy of this powerful book!
Dr. Douglas Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored over 100 research articles and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology other courses for forty years.