Watch the Birdie
Hummingbirdie, that is

Don't be surprised if you find yourself becoming more and more interested in watching hummingbirds here in Tucson (or anyplace else you live, for that matter). Tucson has several varieties of hummingbirds that spend their northern season time (from early spring) right here in the Little Pueblo. In fact, Tucson is one of the few places in the United States where you can observe these fascinating winged creatures year around.

Now don't get me wrong, hummingbirds are fun to watch anywhere they live and play. I just happen to live in Tucson, Arizona, so I am writing this article accordingly. But all of the feeding instructions, feeder selection information, and so forth is applicable anywhere. So please, no matter where you live, dive in!

If you do find yourself taken by the startlingly colorful, beautiful appearance, alluring sounds, and amazing aerobatics of the hummingbird, then you're going to want to watch them more often. Fortunately, unlike most other types of bird watching (a.k.a. birding), you can not only take action to see hummingbirds more often, but you can actually control where you see them. So, you'll be able to see hummingbirds from first light until complete darkness, 365 days a year. Now, you're probably asking yourself how you're going to accomplish this amazing feat? Simple, just feed them!

Feeding humming birds is easy, inexpensive, and great fun. Follow just a couple of simple guidelines, and within a week of hanging a new feeder in Tucson, you'll have hummingbirds aplenty to watch, photograph, listen to, and observe.

The first thing you're going to need is a hummingbird feeder – at least one. These feeders are available at garden stores, hardware stores, and discount stores. They range in price from around $7 for the simple, plastic and glass, utilitarian models, up to well over $100 for the more ornate models. Almost any feeder will do, though some of the more ornate types seem to sacrifice appearance that appeals to hummers, out of deference to appealing to the humans who buy them.

All feeders are essentially the same in the way they work. It's a very simple system. Gravity allows the food to flow down into the reservoir, where the birds stick their beaks and feed on it.

Living in Tucson, though, if you're inclined to the more ornate and expensive feeders I'd suggest avoiding a couple of things. Don't get a feeder that has metal used for the birds' perches. I have seen some very attractive units that use brass or stainless steel for the perches, but in the blazing desert sun, these are hardly nice places for the birds to wrap their tiny feet and feed. Brass or stainless steel hangers or hanger wires are fine, as is any type of metal hanging apparatus. Units with raw (very attractive) woods on them don't fair well in the Tucson sun either. The wood will quickly dry out, and crack without regular maintenance.

If you go with the simple, plastic and glass units, you can buy three – which is the perfect number to have. By using three feeders, you can have two hanging at all times, and use the third when servicing or refilling the other two. These units, such as the one pictured, cost less than ten dollars (I bought mine at a discount store for seven dollars), have bright red, hummer-attracting parts that don't fade in the sun, are lightweight and easy to hang, and wash very easily. You just can't go wrong with this type of unit!

Now, where should you hang your feeder(s)?
•Avoid hanging feeders in high traffic areas such as under patio covers, or right over the pool or spa walkways.
•The feeder can get sun, but avoid exposing it to the sun all day. This will not only help attract birds, it will also slow the inexorable process of evaporation, and pressure draining. This occurs when the air between the level of feed and the top of the feeder heats and consequently expands. As the air expands, it pushes minute amounts of feed out the feeding holes and onto the ground. This can also attract undesirable ants.
•Hummers like to have a nearby bush or tree to perch in.
•If just one hummer takes over a feeder, add another feeder. Hummingbirds are territorial. They are also aggressive with each other. They'll sometimes even 'buzz' you if you try to change the feeder while they're around. (Don't be concerned. I change my feeders at night, about an hour after full dark, to avoid this.) The point is, sometimes one dominant bird will 'take control' of a feeder. If your second feeder is too close, he will take control of that one as well...........

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