Just in case you have not visited lately, I want to let you know that ERP is host to some very rare birds. At the humming bird feeders you can see one for yourself: the Doubleday’s Hummer.

This flying jewel, or joya voladora, as the Spanish explorers called a hummingbird, is indigenous to western Guerrero and Oaxaca with a possible range into western Chiapas. Once thought to be a subspecies of Broadbill, the Doubleday’s (Cynanthus l. doubledayi), male sports an forehead of iridescent turquoise blue, the throat is deeper violet-blue, the under parts are generally more blue than the Broadbill and the under tail coverts are black.

Why not drop by and meet this jewel of Guerrero?

Here are some tips to attract hummingbirds:

1. Plant native species and plants with flowers that attract hummers.

Some possibilities for the Mexican coast are; lantana, all ixoras, caesalpinias flor de mayo, mandavilla, shrimp plants, and more to come in a later post…

2. If your garden is new or doesn’t have many flowering plants, try placing a red plastic table cloth on the ground underneath your feeder. Anchor it with flowers pots or rocks. The hummers will see it from the air and come to check it out.

3. Make sure your humming bird feeders contain clean nectar. When it is hot or when you don’t have many hungry hummers visiting, you may need to change the nectar every day.

4. Use this recipe for hummingbird nectar:

1 part sugar

4 parts water

Mix together and bring to a boil – this helps prevent fermentation of the nectar

Cool before adding to your feeder

Store extra nectar in the refrigerator

5. Want a traveling feeder to see what the hummer traffic is in your vacation destination? Fill a small wine glass with sugar water and place it on top of a red cloth on an outside ledge at your hotel room.

I am off to check out the birds!

Doña Mariposa