Watch Hummingbirds Feed At Bob Evans' Brewer Backyard

Bob Evans of Brewer had seen videos online of hummingbirds gathering around feeders for a tasty treat, but until recently, he'd never actually experienced the frenzy of a feed himself.

That all changed on the evening of May 18th, right around 7 PM, when he went to go put his hummingbird feeder up on a hook next to his house. Evans noticed an instant uptick in activity, almost as though someone had rung a dinner bell!

Feeding The Hummingbirds, Bob Evans

So the former multimedia journalist and videographer with WLBZ 2 decided to just hold out the feeder and try to stand in frame, realizing there was a good chance what he was seeing was also being picked up by a nearby security camera.

When he went to check, what he saw was really quite incredible!

A couple of weeks later, right around lunchtime, Evans thought he'd try his luck again, this time sitting down in a chair, with his iPhone recording as he simply held out the feeder and held himself still.

The result was the same...but way closer this time.

"The wind that they generate from their wings really amazed me. I had never experienced that before. It's like a strong fan."

Evans says he uses a simple mixture of 1/4 of a cup of sugar to one cup of water.

"I don't use the food coloring. I don't think it's needed...We always keep our feeders clean, and that's important to these guys."
He says he sees the greatest number of hummingbird activity at the beginning of springtime.

"...it seems to slow down as we get into the heat of the summer. I’m not sure if they continue north because of the heat or not."

According to the folks at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the birds Bob's been feeding are likely Ruby-throated hummingbirds, as they are the "only hummingbird regularly found from May into September east of the Mississippi," and they typically show up in Maine around May.

These tiny birds have an enormous metabolism, with hearts that beat more than 600 times a minute, and wings that beat over 70 times a second. They're also incredibly agile.

"This maneuverability in flight helps them obtain nectar, which they do while hovering in position, and catch insects. Ruby-throated hummingbirds eat 5-6 times each hour to maintain their high metabolic rate. They prefer tubular flowers that are red or orange in color. When nectar is not available, they may eat tree sap."

That's good news for Evans. It means he can expect other encounters like this one for at least a few more months, fingers crossed!