The hummingbird nesting platform (Hummingbird House ™) was concieved by Dan and Diane True in Clovis New Mexico in 1998. We are the original Hummingbird House ™, and we are the only manufacturer of the original nesting platform. Our "factory" is our garage. I bend, drill, and weld the platform's foundation. Diane puts finishing touches on the platforms before lovingly boxing them for hummingbird moms-to-be. Our children help when necessary. We pack two (2) platforms per box, because attracting a hummingbird to nest is like fishing...the more hooks you have in the water, the better your chance for success. Years of testing different designs on live mom-to-be hummingbirds has yielded a "hummingbird house" approved by female hummingbirds. Our Hummingbird house kit includes:

• 2 nesting platforms
• 2 large foamy maple leaf "roofs"
• 1 cotton nesting material dispenser
• Mounting screws
• Instructions

$29.95 for 2 hummingbird nesting platforms packed in an attractive box. Same day shipping via first class or priority mail is $6 for up to 3 boxes (6 nesting platforms). We accept check, Visa & Master card.

Our DVD video, "A Mother Hummingbird's Life" is $19.95 plus $6 shipping. This extraordinary video includes:

Her 5 days of nest building (compressed)

Actual egg laying (a first ever, which took three years to capture on film)

Baby hummingbirds hatching (another first)

Witness a young hummingbird's first flight from it's nest out into the big world.

See how, and why, a hummingbird mom raises her family alone, with no help from daddy bird.

There is much more on this fascinating 26 minute DVD. When ordered with our Hummingbird house kit, shipping remains $6.

We are author of Hummingbirds of North America, University of New Mexico press.

Order from Amazon.com for $16. Or order an autographed copy from us for $19.95.

Happy humming,

Dan & Diane True

1332 Stratford

Clovis New Mexico

505-769-1638

fx 505-762-0660

dantrue@msn.com

Dealer Inquiries are welcome

 Sunday

April 1, 2007

 

Dear Mr. True,

Both Barbara and I are birders from way back and were trulu amazed at the degree of accomplishment you received in filming these beautiful creatures.

 

Very truly yours,

Reid P. Bice

A mom-to-be hummingbird's top priority for nest location seems to be: Find a place out of the wind. Her priority probably stems from the fact that hummingbird eggs, and sometimes chicks, are thrown out of nests built on tree branches that gyrate and sway in high winds. This concept was emphasized when we found hummingbirds nesting in barns and open garages in windy West Texas and eastern New Mexico. On Dave Dunagan's ranch near Animas, New Mexico, half a dozen of the little hens get out of the wind by nesting in open tool sheds, and a doorless, windowless, abandoned house.

A hummingbird's desire to nest out-of-the-wind may also explain why the birds nest in odd places, such as on sheltered porch/patio fixtures,sheltered electrical wiring, sheltered chain link fence, etc. Invariably, when we find a nest in an "odd" place, it is sheltered from wind (and rain). Placing a Hummingbird House out of the wind at your house makes it easier for your hummingbirds to nest, out of the wind.

Author's note: Diane and I believe that the more wind/rain you have during nest selection time, the better our Hummingbird House seems to "work".

The hummingbird also wants anchor points for her nest. Note in the "before" and "after" photo how the hummingbird placed her nest on the fork, at the same time anchoring her nest around both the vertical spine and the small stub.The Hummingbird House™ provides both a fork and anchor points. The fork's angle, it's distance from the spine, and placement of the stub on the Hummingbird House spine are precisely set to match the bird's nest site search image.

• Superior protection from ants, snakes, and predatory birds.
  
• Location of the Hummingbird House gives the mother hummingbird a place to raise her chicks out of the rain, sun, and wind.

Our observations indicate that younger, first nesting hens are less not as smart about finding a nest site that is out of the wind/rain as second and third year hens with previous wind and rain nesting experience. It also appears that female chick hatched and raised in Hummingbird House nest return next year and look for a Hummingbird House to build their first nest.

"Dear Mr. & Mrs. True: I love these little birds. So, when I saw your Hummingbird House I had to have one. May 16th we noticed some spider webbing on the house, and lo and behold, a Black-chinned hummingbird was building her nest, right there on my patio. When she laid her first egg I was so excited!!! Watching her raise her little family was a high point. Thank you for inventing a Hummingbird House.

Jane Grabiel, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Author's note: During the winter, Jane brought the Hummingbird House™ inside, and placed it back out in the spring. Again, a hummingbird raised a family, and then raised a third family in the same nest.

The Hummingbird House kit includes two nesting platforms, mounting screws for each, foamie maple leaves that are the "roof", a small wad of cotton on a dispenser for nesting material, and instructions.

Order from:

 

Hummingbird House

1332 Stratford

Clovis, New Mexico 88101

To order via Visa/Mastercard phone 505-769-1638

fax 505-762-0660

dantrue@msn.com

"Dan & Diane: Amazing video. A tremendous effort, and so well done. Her egg laying sequence is incredible...Disney (or better) quality. Congratulations."

John & Anna Mae Berwick; Kansas

To get an answer to that often asked question, check out the "Hummingbird Counter" feeder by Best-1 of Poteet, Texas. Their 32 ounce glass feeder is calibrated and marked to measure how many hummers you are feeding within a 24 hour period. Price is around $13.00. You can find the Best-1 "Hummingbird Counter" feeder in most wild bird supply stores, or call them at 1-800-772-3604