The first Ruby-throated Hummingbird—a male, of course... the males always come back to the ridge first—returned from migration at the end of April, and the guy and his friends instantly brought a conundrum with them. For the holidays, we had been given a large container of what claimed to be instant hummingbird nectar, and in addition to having the proper sugar to water concentration, the liquid was also a nice shade of red, which, everyone knows, is absolutely irresistible to the amazingly agile little birds. Except, for who knows what reason, the store-bought elixir was apparently shunned by our visitors. When I mixed up my clear standard-nectar mixture, one part sugar to four parts water, the hummers came out of the woodwork to drink; when I substituted the red stuff, the feeder suddenly attracted no one. So much for commerce. Fortunately, we... and they... prefer home-made.