Gardening for Hummingbirds

It’s estimated that hummingbirds need to consume the nectar from between 1,000 to 2,000 flowers each day, taking up around 1½ times their body mass in water each day as they feed.  Unfortunately, development and urban sprawl across the country and across hummingbirds’ migratory routes have destroyed a lot of the natural habitat containing these nectar-producing plants.

Planting a hummingbird-friendly garden can help reduce the impact of disappearing habitat.  It’s easy and provides hours of enjoyment as you welcome these ever-active, diminutive visitors to your garden.

A hummingbird-friendly garden requires just three key elements:

(1)       Nectar-producing flowers

(2)       Insects

(3)       Water

Nectar-producing flowers

Natural nectar provides hummingbirds with a steady supply of fast energy and a balanced source of micro-nutrients.  Native plants and species that occur naturally in the wild may provide significantly more nectar than modern hybrids that have been cultivated by plant breeders.

Choose plants that hummingbirds prefer.  These are generally odorless with tubular flowers.  Red flowers are especially attractive to them, followed by oranges and pinks, purples, blues and yellows.  Beware of plants like bougainvillea, which only trick hummingbirds into wasting precious energy trying to drink from empty blossoms.

Group similar plants together and choose annuals and perennials with different blooming periods.  With a little planning, you’ll be able to provide a steady supply of flowers and nectar almost year round.  Fill as much of your yard as possible with flowering plants, vines, shrubs, and trees.

Don't worry if you don’t have a garden!  Even a window box or hanging basket on your balcony can attract hummingbirds!  

Encourage your neighbors to make their yards hummingbird friendly too.  An entire corridor of habitat is so much more valuable than scattered patches.

Insects

Hummingbirds need protein from pollen and insects to maintain their bodies and grow new feathers.  They have specialized neck muscles that help them take insects from the air.  They also catch insects from leaves and spider webs.  In this way they can also help control some of the bugs in your garden!

Attract insects for the hummingbirds by maintaining a healthy ecosystem in your yard.  You can do this by:

·         Eliminating pesticides.  Spiders and insects like mosquitoes, aphids, and gnats are an important part of an adult bird's diet, and young hummers still in the nest feed on them almost exclusively.

·         Planting insect-pollinated flowers as well as plants that hummingbirds pollinate.

Water

Hummingbirds like to bathe frequently, even in the pools of droplets that collect on leaves. Provide your yard with a constant source of water from a drip fountain attachment or a fine misting device.

Hummingbirds in the Monterey Bay

In the Monterey Bay, we have four species of hummingbirds.

Anna’s hummingbird is a year-round resident in the Monterey Bay.  The male is dark green with a red head and throat.  The female may have a few iridescent feathers on her throat, but is much less showy.

We also have three migratory hummingbirds – the black-chinned hummingbird, the rufous hummingbird and Allen’s hummingbird.  These all visit the Monterey Bay from early spring through summer.

Further Information Sources

• Audubon Society:  http://www.audubon.org
• The Hummingbird Society :           www.hummingbirdsociety.org 
• National Wildlife Federation:         www.nwf.org

Bauer Nancy, 2001, The Habitat Garden Book – Wildlife Landscaping for the San Francisco Bay Region, Coyote Ridge Press

Merilees Bill, 2000, The New Gardening for Wildlife, Whitecap Books

Carroll S and Salt SD, 2004, Ecology for Gardeners, Timber Press