The Morongo Basin boasts several species of hummingbirds, including year-round residents the Costa’s and the Anna’s. Hummingbirds are valued pollinators, just like bees and bats, but they are omnivorous and are often seen sipping sugar water from backyard birdfeeders.
A daily dose of man-made nectar, however, can lead to a raft of health issues, including kidney and liver disease.
Instead of sugar water, Conni Chaffin from Feathers n’ Fur Wildlife Rehab Team recommends “giv[ing] them real fruit juice, and only a couple of times a week.”
Another way to attract hummingbirds to your yard is to plant native flowering plants like penstemon or purple sage. The bees and butterflies will love it, too.
