The Hummer Helper

All right retailers, file this under "What won't they think of next?"

Don't panic, that's not a confused hummingbird trying to get nectar out of some fluff in the above photo. That is The Hummer Helper from Songbird Essentials that allows customers a chance to offer nesting material to hummingbirds.

It all started with the folks at The Hummer House, a cabin retreat many people visit in Christoval, TX in order to watch hundreds of hummingbirds. Hummer House brought the idea to Songbird Essentials and encouraged them to market the product in a manner that makes it easy for people to encourage hummingbirds to nest. As a matter of fact, all the photos in this entry were taken by Linda Gardner at The Hummer House.

Here is a photo of a hummingbird nest, the inside lined with the natural fibers of The Hummer Helper.

Part of what makes this packaging successful with hummingbirds is the red sandwich holder for the nesting material. Hummingbirds are attracted by the color red and the flat holder allows the nesting material to dry quickly after a heavy rain.

And don't worry, if you don't have a lot of hummingbirds, other species will use this as well including goldfinches, orioles, waxwings, and chickadees.