Soon the hummingbirds will be returning to Estes Park.  These birds have become my favorite to watch in the summer.  Out of 300 species of hummingbirds that exist we have 6 that visit our area regularly.  Broad Tailed, Rufous, Black Chinned, Calliope and sometimes Ruby Throated.  The Broad Tailed are the most plentiful and spend the whole summer in our area.  

Broad Tailed hummingbirds drink nectar from our wildflowers and the occasional feeder that is available.  They can also eat small insects.  These hummingbirds can be quite entertaining as the males dive-bomb the females to get attention during mating season.  

Populations of Broad Tailed hummingbirds have been in decline of about 1.5% per year.  These hummingbirds start their migration in Southern Mexico and fly all the way to as far North as Idaho.  They beat their wings 50 times a second so it takes a lot of calories to fly that far!

I fill my hummingbird feeder with this mix of sugar and water. 

Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water) until the sugar is dissolved. Red dye is not necessary. 

It is also important to clean your feeder out regularly. 

 They do get dirty!

Bring in your feeder at night so you do not attract bears!