Two Frugal Chicks

Hummingbirds excite me; they really do.  We have a feeder hanging on our front porch. I don’t know why, but I feel compelled to announce, “Look, a hummingbird!” every time they land on it. We had a hummingbird fly into the house one summer.  It got caught up behind the blinds on the window and I actually had to catch it and cradle it in my hands to take it back outside.  It felt like I was holding a cotton ball.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in those store bought nectar packets?  Sucrose (sugar), a preservative, and food coloring…that’s it.  Here’s how to make your own:

2 C. boiling water
1/2 C. granulated sugar

Dissolve the sugar completely in the boiling water. Let cool. Fill feeder. The kind of feeders I like are the ones that have a large opening so it can be cleaned easily. If you are putting out a feeder for the first time, or even in a new spot, a drop of red food coloring may help attract the hummingbirds, but once they know the feeder is there, you no longer need the coloring..