Recipe for Hummingbird Food

Just for the record, we only serve up home cooking at our Hummingbird Buffet. I wouldn't normally give out secret family recipes, but the little guys like this stuff so much I felt like I should share it with the world. The secret recipe is as follows:

1 part sugar
4 parts water
Red food coloring

It's really simple. I usually make up about 1/2 gallon at a time when they start feeding on a regular basis. I use one of the empty Cool Whip containers for measure. One full container of sugar, then four full containers of water in a big pot. Add about 14 drops of red food coloring for a batch this size. Then put on high heat on the stove and stir until all the sugar disolves. I don't bring it to a full boil, just to where bubbles start to form on the bottom of the pot.

Be sure and let it cool off before serving. I simply store it in empty half-gallon milk jugs and use it as needed.

Season of the Hummingbirds

This blog is dedicated to the pack of hummingbirds that my family adopts each Summer. Here you will find pictures of the little rascals as well as my observations of their habits this season. I'm actually a little late in the season getting this started, but they should be around for at least another month or so, so I can follow them along until they decide to head south for the Winter.

I started putting out feeders two years ago. At first, I started with one of the small Perky Pet feeders and, as the birds started showing up and feeding, decided to add another since they were emptying the single feeder each day. I must be right on a main North/South interstate for hummingbirds since over the past two seasons I have had to expand to four feeders and during peak season (August to mid-September) fill them all up each morning and find them empty by the time I get home in the early evening.

The little guys are a real hoot to observe as they are always up to something. My wife and I have counted as many as twelve birds at the feeders at one time. We really believe that there are more than twelve that frequent our "lounge", but it's really hard to get a good count since they are so active.