By Jim Wright

Special to The Record | USA TODAY NETWORK - NEW JERSEY

   The hummingbirds are coming.  

   For backyard birders who love these little dynamos, that might be the best four-word sentence they’ve heard in a while.

   What’s not to love? Hummingbirds are signs of spring that stick around to fall. They may be petite – they weigh about as much as a dime – but they are relatively easy to attract and inexpensive to feed. And once they’ve found your feeders, you’re likely to have repeat customers.

   In North Jersey, almost every hummingbird you see will be a ruby-throat. And every ruby-throat you see that has an iridescent ruby throat, also called a “gorget,” will be a male. If you are miffed about the lack of variety, think again. Folks in the Eastern Hemisphere almost never get to see hummingbirds at all. 

   If you want to learn more about all things hummingbird, including checking on their progress as they travel from their wintering grounds in Central America and southern Mexico, Journey North (journeynorth.org) is an excellent web resource. The migration sometimes includes a 500-mile non-stop flight across that huge body of water to the west of Florida.

  The website features migration updates, maps and other resources for nature lovers of all ages. I love the website’s close-up photo of a hummingbird wing next to a penny. It’s breathtaking. (https://journeynorth.org/hummingbirds/featured/flight-feathers)

   According to the group's Jacob Swanson, a staffer with a fondness for these tiny bundles of energy, "They're not typically afraid of people, so a lot of people have had close encounters with hummingbirds right from their home or garden ..."

   Swanson says the best way to attract them is  “a yard full of native, flowering plants that provide nectar for birds.,” with red or orange tubular flowers the best bets.

  His other advice: “Hummingbirds require adequate cover from predators, such as trees and bushes. Eliminating pesticide usage is also important because insects make up a significant portion of a hummingbird's diet.”

   Hummingbird feeders are also a great way to attract hummers. The basic red-plastic feeders are inexpensive, and all you have to do is fill them every few days with fresh sugar water. Put up more than one and you’ll cut down on the turf battles.

    I’m told the best ratio is four parts water to one part sugar, and skip the red dye. It's worthless at best. Some experts recommend boiling the water first to remove bacteria and mold that might prove harmful, but I recommend using distilled water. It's inexpensive, and refilling is less cumbersome because you needn’t take that extra step to boil it.

   Here’s a final suggestion for North Jerseyans: If you’re getting reports of bears in your neighborhood, take down all your bird feeders – including your hummingbird feeders – at night. If a bear does come to one of your feeders, take them down for at least two weeks. Bears tend to return to the scene of their previous picnics in the short term.

The Bird Watcher column appears every other Thursday.  Email Jim at [email protected].