When you want to feed the hummingbirds, it may be tempting to buy the red stuff in the bottle sitting next to all the bird feeders in the store. Please don't use that. What is that red liquid anyway? Some sugar, a lot of water and red coloring or dye. The dye is clearly not part of their natural diet. The only purpose of the red coloring is to attract the birds to the food. The food itself doesn't need to be red if you buy a bright red feeder that catches their eye. If you choose one with a perch you will get an extra show of the tiny hummingbird resting and staying a little longer for food.

There have been studies recently conducted that indicate the red coloring may be causing birth defects in the baby hummingbirds. Just the suggestion that this might be happening is enough for me to stop using it. I recommended that others don't feed that to them as well.

On the west coast of British Columbia you will very likely see the Anna's hummingbird, they are the only variety that sticks around all winter. It is incredibly important that we feed them during the drab wet months of the west coast winter as the flowers that they normally rely on are not blooming right now. The little birds burn up so much energy just flying they need to eat and replace thousands of calories each day. They need all the help they can get.

The best option for feeding them is to make your own sugar syrup recipe. Not to worry, it's easier than you might think. They love the crystal clear sugar syrup that you make easily on your stove in your kitchen in less than 20 minutes. The birds will definitely appreciate it through all the months that don't have their favorite flowers blooming.

Be cautious though, the sugar syrup itself is a perfect haven for bacteria. It's very important to clean the feeder and change the syrup often especially in the summer. The bacteria and molds that develop are harmful to the birds. In the summer when it's warm change it and wash the feeder every 3 days, it helps if you hang it in the shade, the syrup will last a bit longer as the sun will not warm it up and encourage bacteria growth. In the fall and winter when the temperature is less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, changing and washing it once per week is sufficient.

In winter and fall when its very cold or freezes overnight, bring in the feeder before you go to bed. Then put the feeder back out at sunrise and you will give them the treat of having room temperature syrup for breakfast which will help them get warmed up for their busy day a little quicker.

Placement of your bird feeder is an important consideration as well. Rather than in a tree, hang it under a roof over-hang or outside a second floor window. The view of the action will be spectacular. The biggest benefit to this is the ants and spiders cannot get to the feeder and clog it up. Having it several feet up off the ground is crucial as not to put the birds in unnecessary danger from cats and other ground predators.

Hummingbirds are absolutely my favorite birds to watch, they are so tiny, graceful and fast. I hope you found this helpful and are encouraged to make this easy recipe and put up a feeder to enjoy the birds as much as I do.