Hummingbird Magnet 

Introducing the “Hummingbird Magnet.” It’s often been said that one way to attract hummingbirds is to hang a red ribbon from the hummingbird feeder. Well, we know that does work, in fact click here for a bunch of ways to help the hummers find your backyard.

Back to the Hummingbird Magnet… The makers of this little jewel finder stuck a double folded changeable 16″ special red ribbon to the bottom of their unit. Why… because we know it works, and its movement will catch the hummingbird’s eye. 

But let’s talk about those hummingbird eyes…

Humans can see the colors red, blue, and green. Each color is represented by a cone within the retina of the eye. There may be 6 or 7 million of these photoreceptor cells (“cone cells”) in each human eye. Each cone is responsible for one of the three colors, and those in-between colors. So, the red cone goes from deep red to orange then yellow. The green cone will see from orange to yellow to green to aqua. The last blue cone will go from aqua to deep blue. 

This is called “trichromatic. ” Which means non-color blind trichromatic human can see reds, green, and blues (sometimes called RGB) and they can distinguish a “purple” color by adding blue and red. Or a brown color by taking green and add red, etc.

The human visible light wave runs from a long of 700 nanometers (red), through a mid-size 500 nanometer long wavelength (green), to a short wave which ends for humans at around 400 nanometers in length (blue).  All the colors we see are in these 700 to 400 nanometer length waves. 

What about a hummingbird’s eyes?

What if I told you just because, humans as masters of the universe, can’t see beyond blue doesn’t mean other creatures can’t. Which brings us to hummingbirds. It’s well-known hummingbirds like the red trumpet vine flowers; they will flock to the blue flower of a black and blue salvia plant and have no problem getting nectar from a yellow lantana flower. 

But what else is guiding the hummingbirds to these flowers? The other hummingbird guides are these sub 400 nanometer wavelengths called ultraviolet. Humans can’t see ultraviolet but some animals like some birds can. Hummingbirds are one of those creatures with the “4th Cone” that can detect ultraviolet light. 

Where you and I see red, hummingbirds see red + UV (which is a color we not only can’t see it, but we certainly can’t describe it either.) I wonder what brown + UV looks like, I’ll never know. But take the RGB color range and add UV light color range and you have a giant bullseye for the average hummingbirds.

That’s the secret sauce of the “Hummingbird Magnet.” The clear 4 diameter circular middle section is infused with a UV reflective material that hummingbirds can’t resist. The coating to you and I is almost opaque, but to the bird it looks like a beacon of celebration. 

These Hummingbird Magnets are Handmade in NE Georgia. Each one will be slightly different. Each will feature an imbedded hummingbird and dried flowers, but the hummingbird image and the dried flower arrangement will change. 

The entire unit is approximately 21″ long.  The clear epoxy portion of the Hummingbird Magnet is coated with an exterior spar urethane to protect it. The red ribbons at the bottom can be removed and replaced by the user when they wear or fade. There could be a few bubbles of air trapped in the unit, but we are sure the hummingbirds will not care.

Total price including shipping is just $24.99. Order one today and get yourself ready for hummingbird season this spring!