Perhaps you’ve noticed the glitter of wings around your late-summer flowers and thought it was a big bug. Maybe you’ve heard a whirr and again thought a large insect had come to visit.

Maybe you were wrong. It might pay off to take a second look at that “big bug.”

It could be a hummingbird. Yes, the tiny birds visit southern Alabama, and many are around right now, fueling up for that big push over the Gulf of Mexico so they can reach their winter quarters. According to experts, the migration begins around mid-July and continues for a few months. This is a great time to attract hummingbirds.

The brightly colored, hovering birds around your flowers are not only pretty, they could also be devouring their share of insects, says Bob Sargent, founder of the Hummer/Bird Study Group in Clay, Ala. The group’s Web site is at hummingbirdsplus.org.

Pretty and useful? Time to hang some feeders.

“In my opinion, the birds need nectar as a fuel source so they can fly around the yard and get bugs,” said Sargent.

“They are looking for soft-bodied insects,” continued Sargent. “Hummers (aficionado’s affectionate term for the birds) are looking for fruit flies, gnats, mosquitoes, aphids, spiders, caterpillars and insect eggs.”

That list includes some of the bugs that plague people trying to enjoy the outdoors, so perhaps luring a few “hummers” to your yard is in order.

That’s not hard, says Lanny Chambers of Fenton, Mo. Chambers runs the hummingbirds.net Web site

“Since hummingbirds feed by sight on regularly followed routes — called trap lining — their inquisitive nature will quickly lead them to investigate any possible new source of food,” said Chambers in a telephone interview. He added that the birds also help pollinate some types of flowers.

That means they will look for and investigate any new splash of color in your yard, agreed Sargent. The birds are attracted to the color red.

“A lot of people have humming bird feeders,” said Sargent. While just about any garden-store feeder will do, he recommended feeders made by “Perky Pet” and “Dr. JB's”

While hanging a feeder or two in the yard is a good way to attract the birds, and watching their antics is enjoyable, it’s important to remember that these are wild creatures, capable of taking care of themselves.

“We feed them because we enjoy them and they are fun to watch,” said Summers.

The most important thing in the feeders, is the kind of food. Sargent says.

“All they need is sugar water,” said Sargent, adding that things like food coloring or honey could sicken the birds.

The best is four parts water to one part common, ordinary, table sugar,” said Sargent. “You don’t need to boil (the mixture). The most important thing is to keep the feeder clean. And you don’t need anything other than common table sugar.”

It’s most important, added Sargent, to make sure that the feeders don’t get messy and disgusting. People don’t like that and more importantly, the birds don’t either.

“When the temperature is above 80 degrees, then you want to clean the feeders every fourth day,” said Sargent. “If you see stuff in it, you want to clean it. Just flush with hot tap water and mix a quarter-cup of bleach with a gallon of water and submerge the parts, Make sure the bleach solution touches all parts of the feeder. Let it dry, fill it and hang it back out.”

While the region had a brush with Tropical Storm Fay, that (or a stronger storm) should have little effect on hummingbirds in the region.

“Don’t worry about those birds,” said Sargent. “We really don’t have to help them They are very adept at handling all kinds of weather.”