Wild Birds Unlimited, in Lakewood on Wadsworth Boulevard, is a wonderful shop of all things birding. There are books and videos, birdhouses and feeders. The shop has a resident cat, Oliver, and as you wander the aisles, the happy chirping of recorded bird sounds help sooth your stresses away.

It’s no wonder, then, that when we write a blog post about birds of all kinds, our first stop is to Wild Birds and owner, Scott Menough. Recently, we talked with Scott about the hummingbird season, which is full on at this point.

Hummingbird Season

“April 15^th,” said Scott on a chuckle. “Years ago I wrote an article for the Denver Post and I said April 15 is hummingbird day. Of course the first hummingbirds we usually hear about arrive closer to April 8, but nobody remembers that date. Everyone remembers April 15. It’s much more fun to get your hummingbird feeder out on that date than to think about paying your taxes.”

Scott said that hummingbirds are one of the most popular first birds to watch for amateurs. Their delicate size and speed make them particularly attractive and the hummingbird family is easy to tell apart from other species.

Of course, there has been some confusion between Hummingbirds and a species of moth called the Sphinx or hummingbird moth, whose size, wing flapping, and proboscis very closely resemble the small bird.

Different Hummingbird Species

“It’s so commonly mistaken,” said Scott, “that the Peterson’s Guide has a picture of a Sphinx moth in the Hummingbird section. Chances are, if you see a brown Hummingbird, you’re really looking at a moth.”

Scott said that here in Colorado we have four main types of hummingbird:

• The broad-tailed hummingbird – This is the most common hummingbird around, and it looks like a ruby-throated hummingbird, but the male of this species has a wing trill or grasshopper type of sound as it flies. This is the classic green-colored bird with (for the males) a red chin.
• The black-chinned hummingbird – This hummingbird is easily identified by its conspicuous white-collar, and has a violet lower throat that only truly shows in special light conditions.
• The rufous hummingbird – Scott said that this is a more aggressive bird that shows up in Colorado in July. It will claim some bird feeders for itself. “Of course this isn’t all bad for us,” Scott glanced around his store and grinned. “It means people have to come in and buy a second feeder.”
• The Calliope hummingbird – This is the smallest hummingbird that nests in the United States. “Yes, occasionally you’ll get the bee hummingbird that blows in from the Caribbean,” said Scott, “but the Calliope actually nests here, in Colorado.” This tiny creature is only about three and a quarter inches from head to tail.

Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Yard

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your yard, Scott mentioned that you could grow a hummingbird or butterfly garden. These tiny birds are looking both for nectar from your plants and the spiders and insects that are a part of almost any pesticide-free garden. You can obtain a starter list of plants free at Wild Birds, but some of the most common plants may already be growing in your garden:

• Annuals like larkspur, snap dragons and sunflowers
• Perennials such as Salvia, bleeding heart and Rocky Mountain columbine
• Bulb examples include dahlias, gladiolus, and lilies
• Shrubs that attract hummingbirds include butterfly bushes, honeysuckles and lilacs
• Vines hummingbirds like are trumpet vines and climbing honeysuckle

Scott explained that hummingbird feeders don’t provide all the protein and other nutrients the birds need, but do give them the energy they need for the next fifteen minutes, and will lure them into your yard where they will hopefully find the spiders, insects, and nectars they need for their overall health.

“They have to eat every ten to fifteen minutes during the day to survive, because their heart rate is up around 1200 beats per minute,” said Scott. “At night the go into a state of torpor, which is like suspended animation. They can slow their heartbeats to about 60 beats per minute.”

We asked about all the red people use to attract hummingbirds. “Red is important, but it is a learned mechanism,” said Scott. “They learn that red means food. It is not an innate part of their make-up. It seems to me that the hummingbirds can see red at a greater distance.” He said you don’t need to worry about putting any food coloring into your person-made nectar that fills a hummingbird feeder.

“Regular table sugar is what we use,” said Scott. “We don’t know what red dye does to humans. We don’t need to use it on the birds.” Also, if you’re looking to attract the hummingbird to your yard, try to hang your feeder away from trees and deck covers. “You have to thing from a bird’s eye perspective. They’re flying about 50 feet above your house. Leave the red in the open for them to see,” said Scott. You may want to put a pole in the ground near your deck, but in the open, so you can watch in comfort while still attracting these birds to your yard.

Dangers to Hummingbirds

A few people at the store mentioned the bravery of hummingbirds. They seem to have little fear of humans. But occasionally, a hummingbird will fall prey to cats. “They estimate that between 600 million and one billion birds in North America are killed each year by cats.” Scott referenced the American Bird Conservancy for these figures.

“We have cats in our stores, but they’re kept indoors,” he said. “It’s safer for the cat, safer for the birds.”

Looks like Oliver will keep his eye on the bird feeders outside of Wild Birds Unlimited, but only through the store windows.

(Photo by jeffreyw)