Attracting, Photographing, and Observing Hummingbirds

I've spent hours watching hummingbirds wondering what I can do to get close enough to take a good picture. I spent half an hour lying on the cement under one feeder and ended up with a blur. I've put feeders on a clothesline reeling them in a little at time so the birds would get used to me. I've sat perfectly still for a tease of one hovering just inches away. As I lifted the camera it shot off into the stratosphere shrilly admonishing me for violating it's trust.

So what have I learned? First, you can put out multiple feeders filled with liquid just short of pure sugar and they will come but not all them will be happy. They are territorial and fight in a way that impalement by a 60 mph beak seems inevitable. Moving the feeders closer to get a better look was more nerve racking than it was worth. I became fearful that one would hit a window. Supposedly sticking things to your window will prevent this but one of my windows has a paint smear on it and just above that is a blood and feather smear so I'm not so sure it works.

Second observation: They are curious and if you stand still in the vicinity of the feeder you will be treated to an aerial show that shames military dog fighters. The longer you stand still the more they let down their guard eventually feeding right in front of you. Often they will stop on their way to the feeder and observe you, hovering just inches away. The sound of their wings is tremendous. The first few times you hear it up close your instinct will be to duck. They sound different than the buzz of a huge bug but sometimes I still duck.

Observation three: The feeders will attract bees and wasps. The bee's job is to collect nectar. If he can find an inexhaustible supply at your feeder he and his buddies will exploit it. A male hummingbird will protect a feeder from other birds while the bees rebuff every attempt he makes to drink. Ironically it seems the bees need the hummers to drink first because their tongues are not long enough to reach into the well of the feeder. I have seen a bee driving a bird like cattle from well to well around the feeder lapping up the drips it leaves behind. The birds seem to be afraid of the bees and if there are more than two or three they will attempt and abandon eating at that feeder every few minutes.

Birdbrain observation four: A male hummingbird will sit above or adjacent to "his personal feeders" flashing his red bib in warning. As near as I can tell any food source in a half-acre radius, whether he can see them all at one time or not, are his personal feeders. He will occasionally allow a female to drink. Not every female is welcome and the one that is, is usually on borrowed time. I have five feeders scattered around the yard and one male makes the rounds of all five chasing away any potential diners. I call him the sugar lord.

My fifth observation is that the females seem to be loyal. While the sugar lord sits over the best feeder his sometimes compensated female will drop in to get a sip. She repays his generosity by chasing the other birds when he is away. I've seen her fly in from a nearby shrub to chase a wayward diner who thought the coast was clear. Despite the apparent patriarchal society there are brief glimpses of feminism on the rise. As many as five females will eat at one feeder, usually early in the morning or late in the evening when the male isn't around. I'm guessing being a sugar lord is tiring so he goes to bed early and sleeps late.

If you want to try and get your own picture here are my tips for attraction. First get multiple feeders. Be sure to hang one or two in a place that will be comfortable for you to observe as you'll be there a while. They seem to like the shade and cover of nearby shrubs, vines, and evergreens, take this into consideration when placing your feeders. Second is to use quality nectar. Mine is 1½ cups of sugar to 4 cups of water microwaved for three minutes and stirred to make syrup. It's sweeter than I've read about but the birds love it. Third, get some natural attractants, i.e. flowers. I have hosta in the shade and honeysuckle in the sun, they like both and color doesn't seem to be an issue despite everything in print pushing for red. Now strike a pose and wait. Good luck.