Hummingbirds Have Been Sighted!
Prepare for our county to be abuzz, because hummingbirds are arriving. These miniature marvels have been migrating between North and Central America for hundreds of years, a round trip in which millions of hummingbirds instinctively travel.
For the next several months, backyards around the area will play host to these amazing, food-frenzied birds. They possess the fastest metabolism of any animal on the planet, burning between one to two times their body weight in food every day.
Hummingbirds are found only in North and South America. There are 18 hummingbird species in North America, with most of them being found in the southwest United States. Most areas in the U.S. and Canada have only one or two species during the summer months, but in Dona Ana County, up to 5 species may be sighted. Most will migrate through, but the Black-chinned Hummingbird stays and nests here.
Hummingbirds eat about every ten minutes. Despite popular belief, hummingbirds do not suck up nectar with their bills. They actually lap it up with their tongues, drawing nectar from its source up and into their mouths almost 12 times a second.
Offer nectar solution (four parts water, one part sugar) in a WBU Hummingbird Feeder now as a fuel-stop for the migrants and for resident hummingbirds so they have a reliable, consistent source of energy, no matter what is happening with the natural food supply.
Enjoy the hummingbirds while they're here, because they will head back to Mexico and Central America starting in late summer, early fall.
Please visit the store or call us to learn more about hummingbirds and how to attract them to your backyard.
Wild Birds Unlimited
2001 E. Lohman Ave., Suite 130
Las Cruces, NM 88001
(575) 523-5489