All posts by thebestnest

Backyard Wild Bird Feeding

Bird Camera – Getting the Exposure Right

Everyone is buying their mothers and fathers these fabulous wild bird cameras. A couple of names you may have heard are #Birdbuddy or #Berdz as well as a 100 more cameras coming to a store near you. And for the most part, they are fabulous!

They do come with a small warning which is don’t put in direct sunlight. This video show why. Nothing bad is going to happen (at least in what we know now) but too much or too little sun results in bad videos. Watch and Learn

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are so… territorial

Did you know that hummingbirds don’t like each other? All summer long you will see them chasing each other away from the feeder. This typically happens within one species such as a ruby throated hummingbird vs another ruby throated. Also, if nectar is scarce and there are too many hummingbirds around to chase off that may make a difference as well.

The chasing has already begun here in NE Atlanta.

https://youtu.be/jiefyzxGeBk

Hummingbirds

How a Hummingbird “Drinks” its Nectar

This is the answer given by Grok/K AI Chat when I asked “

How does a hummingbird use its tongue to drink the nectar?”

Got to love technology now if anyone out there can prove or improve the answer, let us know! Hummingbird sticking out its tongue

A hummingbird uses its tongue in a fascinating and highly efficient way to drink nectar. Unlike humans or many other animals that rely on suction alone, hummingbirds employ a combination of capillary action and a unique tongue structure to extract nectar from flowers.
The hummingbird’s tongue is long, thin, and forked at the tip, splitting into two grooves. For years, scientists thought the tongue worked like a simple straw, using capillary action (the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without external forces) to draw nectar up into the bird’s mouth. However, more recent research has revealed a more dynamic process.
When a hummingbird extends its tongue into a flower, the forked tips spread apart and the grooves collapse. As the tongue dips into the nectar, the grooves rapidly open and close, trapping the liquid inside through a pumping mechanism. This action is powered by the elasticity of the tongue and the bird’s quick movements—hummingbirds can lick up to 10-15 times per second! The nectar is then pulled up the grooves and into the bird’s mouth, where it swallows the sweet reward.
This efficient system allows hummingbirds to consume nectar quickly, which is critical for their high-energy lifestyle. They need to eat frequently—sometimes consuming more than their body weight in nectar daily—to fuel their rapid wingbeats and hovering flight. It’s a remarkable adaptation perfectly suited to their role as pollinators and nectar feeders!
Hummingbirds

Hummingbird Camera + Feeder Combination by Berdz

As the owner of the Sugar Shaker Nectar Maker (R) I get introduced to a lot of hummingbird products. This “Berdz” camera + feeder is an excellent way to get up close and personal with your backyard hummingbirds without disturbing them in any way.

Easy to use, Easy to install, Very Robust design. Check it out here:

Hummingbird Feeders | Sugar Shaker Nectar Maker – Perfect Hummingbird and Oriole Nectar EVERY TIME!

Back Yard Birdfeeding, Backyard Wild Bird Feeding

What Happens When You Change Seed Blends

What happens when you change wild bird food blends

I get asked a lot about changing seed blends during different seasons. The answer is “Yes” but with an asterisk (*).

Yes, in the fall and winter seasons it is much easier to offer blends with fruit in them. The dehydrated fruits used in wild bird seed don’t tend to get sticky when it’s cold. And as a bonus, there aren’t any ants climbing the poles trying to get at the fruit. In the summer, it’s another story.

But we also must apply an asterisk to the statement. As the picture shows the corn I added to my sunflower/nut mix isn’t being eaten. Now there are many birds that like corn. Larger birds like woodpeckers, cardinals, doves, crows, blue jays and more will eat whole corn (pictured). Smaller birds like finches and sparrows eat cracked corn. Many people buy corn from us to feed ducks and geese.

However, when you change food or add ingredients to the food the birds “may not like it!” This feeder is a perfect example, I basically put nuts in it for the blue jays. I know they will eat corn but… what the heck.

Well to put it bluntly birds are creatures of habit. And like you and I they know what they like and where to find it. Unlike you and I they don’t have quite the number of taste buds as mammals (humans up to 10,000 taste buds vs. birds up to a few hundred). So humans rely on taste more than birds, but birds do use taste as a sense.

So, the moral of the story is yes, go ahead and change seed blends (if you wish) during the different seasons. But *** don’t be shocked if everything isn’t eaten right away. The right bird may not have found that new ingredient yet!

Hummingbirds

More Fun Facts!

Now that the hummingbirds have left our area, we want to share some fun hummingbird facts. We’ll release one video each week until we are done. A complete list is located below in this description.

#hummingbirds #hummingbird #rubythroatedhummingbird #wildbirds #backyardbirdwatchers #backyardbirds

For a complete list of all the fun hummingbird facts please visit: https://sugarshakernectarmaker.com/hummingbird-fun-facts/

https://sugarshakernectarmaker.com/hummingbird-fun-facts/This video series is brought to you by Sugar Shaker Nectar Maker, the fastest, easiest and cleanest method of making hummingbird nectar. Make your hummingbird nectar in under 30 seconds using cold water. Visit https://www.sugarshakernectarmaker.com for more information.