AUGUST (^) I SEPTEMBER 2020 birdsandblooms.com 47
BACKYARD CHAT
Ask the Experts
Learn what’s ailing your plants and how to keep backyard birds healthy.
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Q Should I add
anything to the
sugar water for
my hummingbirds
to make it more
nutritious?
Roger Emerick
SOUTH GLASTONBURY, CONNECTICUT
Kenn and Kimberly:
Hummingbirds drink nectar and
sugar water for energy. When
you’re feeding them pure sugar
water, there’s no need to put in
additives. These birds forage at
other sources besides feeders,
getting plenty of nutrition from
eating small insects like flies
and gnats. They even eat small
spiders. And hummingbirds are so
resourceful that they often forage
for insects in the sap wells drilled
in trees by sapsuckers.
Female
ruby-throated
hummingbirds
antfer
(Antfer)
#1