This is BirdNode.

Here they come.

Rufus hummingbirds, ruby throats and others are migrating north after a hot dry winter

in sunny Mexico or Central America.

And they're ready for a drink.

Rufus hummingbirds need to consume several times their body weight each day, so they're

looking for flowering plants to quench that mighty thirst.

If a worrying puffball is hovering at your window, consider becoming a hummingbird bartender.

To help feed them, select a hummingbird feeder that you can easily clean on the inside and

one that has plenty of red to attract the birds.

One fillet with sugar water made by dissolving one part sugar in four parts water.

No honey or sugar substitutes allowed, and please, no red food coloring.

There's no need to feel guilty that feeding hummers will lure them away from their natural

sources of nourishment.

The birds will continue to consume a healthy balance of plant nectar, small insects, and

sap.

So set out a feeder, and before long, you may be hearing a hummingbird hovering around

your watering hall.

You can learn a lot more about hummingbirds and what attracts them.

Begin at our website, birdnote.org.

I'm Mary McCann.