Nature Crafts

Hummingbirds and Orioles

Spotting the first hummingbird of the spring season is always cause for excitement in my southern Ontario backyard.  Bird lovers throughout the northern United States also await the first sighting of these colorful, attractive birds.  You can track the migration, and add your own first sighting, to this online hummingbird migration map. 

According to http://www.hummingbirds.net, “if you hang a feeder, sooner or later a hummingbird will come to investigate; it has been conjectured that, in a given year, not a square meter of the U.S. or southern Canada goes unchecked by hummers in their relentless quest for food.”

We have a simple recipe for homemade hummingbird food along with suggestions on flower plantings that will also attract these lovely little birds.  Providing a place for the hummers to perch is also a good idea – I have one of my feeders hanging from the outside branches of a large lilac bush which I can see from my kitchen window.  Nothing delights me more than seeing the hummers fly in for nectar, then settle on the lilac branches for a brief rest before refueling once again.

Orioles are also a long-awaited sign of spring for many of us, and a colorful addition to any backyard bird feeding station.  You can entice orioles with a variety of fruits, but also by offering homemade oriole food made from a simple, inexpensive combination of sugar and water.