By STEVE GILLILAND
Explore Kansas Outdoors
Well, it’s time again for both the largest and the smallest birds in Kansas to make their spring appearances.
Turkey Vultures, being of course the largest, are here already. There are probably more yet to come as they make their way back from their winter digs in South America.
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, being the smallest, also winter in South America and are due back in Kansas around the middle of April; the earliest sighting last spring was on April 14 in Wichita.
I have written about turkey vultures in Kansas numerous times over the years, and about their importance as God’s cleanup-crew; with digestive enzymes that can safely digest even the sourest and rankest roadkill, they provide a necessary service to our environment. They are also mesmerizing to watch as they soar and float on the Kansas winds.
But today I want to concentrate more on the smallest birds among us, the hummingbirds.
At the annual McPherson Spring Garden Show a couple years back, Mike Daniels, owner of Brook’s Landscape LLC spoke about “Gardening for Friends,” and his main topic was hummingbirds and gardening to attract them.
With wings that beat over 50 times per second, hummingbirds can make the trip across the Gulf of Mexico back to the US in 18 – 22 hours, resting on boats and oil derricks if necessary. It’s always been said that hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, but Daniels said that because of the way they see colors, any color using red in its spectrum will attract them, so orange, yellow and purple should all work as well.
We often design our entire back yards foliage to attract hummingbirds and hang nectar feeders to cater to their “sweet tooth,” and are sometimes rewarded with “close encounters” as the little blighters become comfortable with our presence.
Hummingbirds were much more prevalent in Ohio where I grew up, and we often saw three or four at once at our feeders. One feeder hung in front of a back porch near our kitchen, and the little hummers learned to hover outside a nearby window to get our attention when the feeder was empty. Once after filling the feeder, I slipped quietly out onto the porch and one hungry little hummer actually drank from it as I stood there motionless, holding the feeder at arm’s length.
Hummingbirds also have a voracious appetite for insects and have actually been observed robbing trapped bugs from spider webs. They make nests from thistle down and dandelion leaves and weave it all together with spider silk from spider webs. The female usually sits on two jellybean-sized eggs and they can have two broods a year.
Daniels suggests trying to attract them with plants and using feeders as a backup. He says to keep the feeders clean and free from mold and dirt, and when mixing the nectar, boil the water and add sugar at the rate of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water to make a syrup that does not sour as quickly as thicker sugar water.
Hang feeders in partial shade several feet apart to help keep the males from fighting and hang them where cats can’t get to them. We’ve all heard it said that keeping feeders out too late in the fall might encourage hummingbirds to stay later than they should and miss their fall migration. Daniels told us that is not a problem, as the little guys’ God-given instinct and the absence of insects will send them on their way south right on time.
Hummingbirds love petunias and trumpet vine, and salvia, angelonia, morning glory, beard tongue, coral bells and bee balm are also very attractive to them; these plants will all attract butterflies as well.
Stay away from insecticides and pesticides if possible and use herbicides sparingly.
Yes, it’s time for the greatest and the smallest in the Kansas skies to appear once again from their winter homes far to the south.
Look to the sky as the air warms on spring mornings and you’re bound to spot vultures effortlessly soaring above as they ride the rising columns of warm air known as thermals.
Get your hummingbird feeders cleaned and ready and spruce up your lawn with a few new plants, and prepare to be entertained by the buzzing sound of little wings and the chattering of jousting hummingbirds as they chase each other across your back yard.
What a great time to Explore Kansas Outdoors!
Steve can be contacted by email at [email protected].