I can't verify this, but I believe that Hummingbirds are made of magic. And not some hokey Apple unicorn magic, but real, hocus-pocus magic. I love them.

Yesterday I spotted my first Hummingbird of the season! It was a Black-chinned Hummingbird, and the male's coloration is actually quite beautiful. That means it's time to make nectar and hang the feeders!

I highly recommend hanging a Hummingbird Feeder outside your home. Hummingbird Nectar is super simple to make (and way less expensive than the store bought kind). The Nectar is four parts water, one part sugar, and food coloring for effect (four cups of water, one cup of sugar).

DIY Hummingbird Nectar

  1. Bring Four parts water to a boil.
  2. Stir in one part sugar, and then remove from heat.
  3. Add color (any will work... I think I've tried every color with no change in success).
  4. Allow the nectar to cool, then place it in the feeder.

The birds will love it and it provides hours of entertainment.

I love watching their aerial maneuvers as they dive, hover, and race around the front of our house as they jockey for position on the feeder. Last year my wife and I had two males and two females that fought over our feeders. Our first Hummingbird, a little male we named "Petey," was so comfortable with us that he fed with us standing right next to him!

His nemesis, a chubby, angry little bird we dubbed "Re-Petey," likes to buzz Petey off and is identified by a bright white stripe on his breast.

The two females, "Starbuck" and "Boomer," locked in combat the same way Petey and Re-Petey do, but was often more aggressive. It is interesting to note that Petey will allow Starbuck to drink with him but none of the rest will share.

My six year old son Jack asked me how the birds could hover, and fly backward--seemingly defying gravity and the very laws of physics. The only thing I could come up with was "magic."

They certainly look like they're made of magic to me.

And yes, I named my Hummingbirds after 'Battlestar Galactica' Viper pilots. Quiet you.

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