NATIONAL HUMMINGBIRD MONTH 2006 Research Project
DINER DELIGHTS
Compiled by Lizz Burris (AR)
(Disclaimer:  This paper is produced using survey questions asked of the members of the HUMMINGBIRD LOVERS CLUB and can not be considered scientific.  It is based on the personal opinions and observations reported by those returning the survey)
One of the fasting growing hobbies in North America today is bird watching and feeding.  This includes hummingbirds and the best way to watch hummers is by planting their favorite flowers and setting out a hummingbird feeder.
According to the Hummingbird Lovers Club members, nearly half say that hummingbirds in their locale prefer flowers just as much as feeders.  Still a third of the members generally see the little birds at only their feeders during the peak breeding season.
However, practically every member surveyed has planted hummingbird flowers in their gardens to attract the jewels, even if they rarely saw a bird sipping from the flowers.
Some of the flowers most often planted for hummingbirds appear to be fuchsias (35% of respondents), various salvias (30%), various honeysuckles (29%), Butterfly Bush and Monarda (24% each).  Over 50 different varieties of flowers were listed by our members as ones they use in their gardens for their hummingbirds’ enjoyment.
On average the number of hummingbirds visiting a yard during July and August appears to be between 6 and 10.  Forty-four percent of our members say that they only have between 1 and 5 hummingbirds in their yards, while six percent said that they feed over 16 hummingbirds per day.  One member replied that she had just too many hummingbirds to count
With eighty-eight percent of our members living where they only see the Ruby Throat Hummingbird, the types of feeders preferred by both western hummingbirds and the Ruby Throat were generally the same.  Forty-seven percent said that they use the Artline Strawberry feeder and/or the Aspect Humzinger.  Other popular feeders included the Perky Pet 32-ounce 8-port feeder, Artline Flower Stick Feeders, various decorative glass gravity fed feeders, Perky Pet 12 ounce flat hanging feeder (similar to the Humzinger), a generic 4-port balloon-shaped feeder, Rubbermaid or Omni disc window feeder, and the Artline perchless 3-port translucent window feeder.  Of all 26 different feeders listed by our members as types they have used, nearly 30% found that their hummingbirds preferred the Artline Strawberry feeder over other feeders, with the Aspect Humzinger coming in at a respectable 23%.
However when we asked our members about the practicality of the feeders they used, we learned that there is a difference between what the hummingbirds like and what the humans like.
When we asked which were the easiest to clean, 41% said the Aspect Humzinger was the easiest with the similarly made Perky Pet 12 ounce flat hanging feeder getting 12% of the votes.  The decorative glass gravity fed feeders were approved of by 18% of our feeder cleaning responders.  However when asked which feeders were most likely to leak, 47% said the decorative glass gravity fed ones were the worst to leak with the Perky Pet 12 ounce flat hanging feeder coming in at second place. Also the decorative glass feeders were voted by 18% as the most likely to draw bees or wasps followed by just about every other style of feeder listed by our members.  The hardest feeder to clean appeared to be a tie between the Artline Flower stick feeders, an unknown glass feeder with separate removable glass flowers, the decorative glass gravity fed feeders, and plastic feeders
Some of our members have even had to modify their feeders to make them more usable for the hummingbirds.  From attaching decorative decals and stickers to the bottles to building perches or removing perches when they didn’t work properly, they did what was needed to make the feeders work.  One member found that the use of duct tape over broken or leaking feeder ports helped.  Another makes her own bee guards. Several members have built their own ant moats using various household items.  But the most surprising modification was from a member that doesn’t use a feeder at all.  He has his hummingbirds come and drink from his hand which goes to prove that a hummingbird lover will do whatever is necessary to keep their birds full of nectar.
Most of our members (47%) keep 3 to 5 feeders out during the peak season. Thirteen percent keep only 1 or 2 feeders or over 10 feeders out.  But what they put in them is very interesting.  Thirty-eight percent use only about a cup of nectar a week in their hummingbird feeders. While 25% use about a pint a week or a gallon or more nectar per week in their feeders.
Forty percent of the hummingbirds fed at the feeders during the peak season of July and August were identified as juveniles while 37% were females and the remaining 23% were easily determined to be males.
Feeder placement seemed to be another interesting aspect of our survey. Only 38% of those that responded used window feeders so that they could get a closer view of their hummingbirds. Twenty-nine percent have all of their feeders hanging out in the direct sun, while 24% have at least one feeder under a porch or eave to shade it and keep it cooler for the hummingbirds to drink.  Forty-seven percent have two or more feeders in the shade including one member that keeps 15 feeders under the eaves of her house.  Thirty-five percent of our members have all of their feeders in the same feeder zone location, while 18% use three to six different guardable feeder zones for their feeder placement allowing for more hummingbirds to slip in undetected.
This sampling of our members allows us to get a better view on how we are doing at attracting, feeding and watching our backyard hummingbirds and allows us to plan for any changes in how many feeders we set out next year.  It can also alert us to the importance of flowers in our gardens either to attract our jewels or as food for them.
We appreciate the assistance of our members that took the time to complete the survey and send it back in to the club moderators along with photos of their feeders.
A SPECIAL THANKS GOES OUT TO: Jenn (Ontario, Canada), Heather (GA), Lisa (MA), Gini (NY), Marcia (PA), Barbara (NY), Vicki (NJ), Dav (TN), Teri (CA), Sunday (LA), Julie (IN), Melody (NV), Lizz (AR), Shannon (OK), Misty (NJ), Phyllis (OK), Dolly (PA), Russ (KY), and Von (OH) for their assistance with this project.
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