What Varieties of Hummingbirds Can You See in Las Vegas? Hang a feeding net from a tree or on your patio, and you’ll be surprised how soon you’ll find beautiful hummingbirds.
Varieties
In Las Vegas we have the largest variety of hummingbirds, the black hummingbird, which has green wings and back, and a purple-black beak. Violet can only be seen in certain lights. When you see one of these at the right corner, the sun shining on it, the violet color stands out like a beautiful beacon. Males have a black head, appearing as a black cap. The females are not so useful in appearance, without a purple throat, and no black cap on the head. The female often crawls and flips her tail while feeding.
The broad-tailed hummingbird is similar in appearance to the black-bellied bird, which is difficult to distinguish when feeding. When seen in proper light, the male broad-tailed hummingbird will have an iridescent rose red throat. Hear the high-pitched whirring sound that the male’s wings make when he flies.
Both types of hummingbirds have metallic green feathers that glisten in the sun. The females appear brown when viewed in the shade, but in the sun it is revealed that the green color is the same in the metallic feathers.
These hummingbirds depend on frequent feeding. It is recommended that you have two shepherds placed apart from each other. The male will sit in a tree or on a high one, and will keep the feed in his sight.
Federa
A hummingbird feeder is relatively cheap and easy to use. I recommend that you get enough that the base separates for easier cleaning. You can make your own hummingbird-nectar from any store that sells bird supplies or nothing more than sugar and water.
For nectar, use one part sugar to four parts water. Boil the water to dissolve the sugar and allow to cool. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into your sauce and hang. Do not add the red hair color mixture to food, it is not even harmful, although there is no solid evidence of this. It is not necessary to store bought hummingbird nectar. A concentration of one part granulated white sugar to three parts water closely approximates the nectar flow that hummingbirds feed on from flowers. Do not use honey, which is composed of fructose and glucose, and it quickly spoils. Do not use artificial sweeteners because they contain no calories and do not provide any energy to hummingbirds.
Hummingbird watching
If you regularly sit on your patio to watch the humming birds, they will be used to your presence. I have a pond in my backyard and two hummingbird feeders hanging from my patio cover. In the summer, children playing in the pool and creating noise did not deter the hummingbirds from visiting my feeders. If you are wearing a red shirt, they will sometimes even approach you to examine you. It will take several weeks for the hummingbirds in your area to get used to the presence of people feeding them around. They might be shy at first, shaking at the first sign of movement or noise. They will behave themselves and learn to ignore your presence.
Sources
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-chinned_Hummingbird/id/ac
http://www.hummingbirds.net/broadtailed.html
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/hummingbird-food.shtml
More from R. E. Roe
http://voices.yahoo.com/preserving-tomatoes-garden-11020800.html?cat=32
http://voices.yahoo.com/backyard-cucumbers-grown-container-10915587.html?cat=32
http://voices.yahoo.com/moving-day-dogs-point-view-10889657.html?cat=44
