On this, and all of the following Arizona Wildlife pages, hit the play button at the top of the page to hear an actual recording of one of the animals featured on that page. ( I hope WebTV users can hear these wildlife sounds, I had no way to check this out for you.)
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are our Jewels of the Desert. We often see tans and browns
for months at a time, but a hummingbird seen at just the right angle
is one of the few bright colors here. Southeastern Arizona is the
Hummingbird capitol of the USA, with good reason. Up to 17 species
have been recorded here, with 14 being somewhat regular visitors. Being
so close to Mexico, we often have Mexican Species drift across and stay
here. I live just a few miles from a canyon maintained by the Nature
Conservatory where you can sit in isolation and be surrounded by hummers.
Did you know, hummingbirds hearts beat at a rate of about 1260 beats per
minute, and their wings can beat 78 times per second during regular flight
and up to 200 times per second during a display dive? Amazing! The sound you just heard is a hummingbird in flight. Though
only one species is a regular visitor east of the Mississippi, the rest
west, here is the best way to attract these tiny birds to your yard.
If you have one, planting red flowers is a sure bet in your garden. A
proper hummingbird feeder, as seen in the picture above, is a must. The
proper ratio of sugar/water for feeding solution is as follows: 1/4 cup
cane sugar to 1 cup of water. If you aren't sure about contaminates in
your water, it's best to boil your water first. Store any unused portion
in your refridgerator, and remove old solution from feeders every day or
so in very hot weather. Don't waste your money on that expensive hummingbird powdered solution that is for sale. It's expensive and it's not known if the red dye in those products is safe for hummingbirds. Also, don't add red food coloring to the solution you make. The red coloration on the feeders is enough to attract the hummingbirds. A tip to keep unwanted ants and bees out of your
feeders is using petroleum jelly. Put some on the feeders hanger for ants
and around each feeding port for bees. Hummingbirds have a poor sense
of smell, and this doesn't seem to bother them. Good Luck, and enjoy!
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