Garden

[devababy]

Hello everyone.  I live in central Texas and the weather has been unseasonably warm, but no hummingbirds yet.  I live way out in the country and have a covered porch with wrap around deck.  I usually see a "scout" checking out the area before they start showing up.  So far nothing.  

[x Hedge]

Zone 5, snow & cold, to sunny 70's, to ice & snow, going back to 50's next week. BUT I've shoveled out blizzards in April here, so even tho my chives are up over an inch I know more ice and snow is coming. Had slate colored juncos at the feeder yesterday. When they go north to Canada I know the cold is really gone.
The juncos go and the robins show up.

[zanna]

Charlotte, NC, here.  I always put my feeders out on April 15 and usually see hummers within 10 days. Whenever I've been later than that, I got reminded by one of my "regulars",  hovering outside the kitchen window, glaring at me indignantly as if to say, "Hey!  Where's the food already?"  

[esmeraldagooch]

I bought a feeder last fall and mine never left.  I have a pair.  I am hoping more show up this year to drink off the bush and the feeder.  I took advise from you ladies and now this bush is dark green and has lots of buds ready to bloom.

[pattypeep]

@Nataliesgramma Here in the PNW we have the Anna species that stays all year, so I have the feeders out year around.

[pattypeep]

@NataliesgrammaThis is one of their favorite plants in my garden. As soon as it blooms they will be on it. This was an earlier year.

[violann]

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@Harpa wrote:

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@violann wrote:

I'll put out my feeders and big red bows, but it may take a couple years in my new surroundings before the hummies trust me to be faithful to them.

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You're not really serious about those bows, are you violann? Plant some trumpet vine; they'll show up sure 'nuff.

Forgive another Yankee responding...my hums always come in early May.

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Hi Harpa- I put out the bows early in the season, and since they seem to work, I plan to do it this year as a little extra incentive.

They loved my neighbor's trumpet vines at my old home, but you do know that they draw ants 🐜 don't you?

We had awful ant problems until we realized that the trumpet vines were growing over an air conditioner installed in one of our windows.

You HAVE given me a terrific idea though. I have a little patch on my back lawn where a trellis would fit perfectly, and with a bird a bath and a couple little bushes? 

Hummer Heaven!

[wagirl]

I've been filling up my feeder a couple times a week lately. have 2 males and 1 female buzz bombing the feeder. they are year round fr me tho. should be 2 more showing up soon. i'm in western WA.

[gacat123]

RED BOWS!  I have always placed a new bright red Christmas Bow on top of my hummer feeders when I put them out in the early Spring.  I also place a long thin perch stick near the top of the feeder and they seem to enjoy these accomodations.   (smile)

I read somewhere that the birds and hummers too appreciate  NESTING MATERIAL.  I have been collecting some and storing in a plastic container. I will place it in the double bin suet feeder. One bin for suet and one bin for nesting material.  

I have a ROOMBA vacuum with a collect/discard bin on board. I took this  fuzzy stuff out to store  in a plastic container.  I have a cat brush and cleaned that out along with my own brush.  It Adds Up!  I thought laundry lint was OK? but it is NOT...too many chemicals in it.  

Consider collecting some nesting material for your birds.  I saw one idea about putting it into an old kitchen WISK and hanging near a bird feeder.  

Still  looiking for the humming birds  in SW GA . I am putting my feeders out Sunday 3/5.

Keep Calm and Hummer On, 

CAT

[tototwo]

Our hummers should be about 2 weeks early here this year.  I've got my feeders all scrubbed and ready to go!  I'll hang them about April 1.

At a seminar on hummingbirds this week, I learned that we shouldn't use machine softened water in hummer feeders.  Who knew?  If you have hard water where you live and use a water-softener system in your home (like we do), it's recommended you buy bottled water to make sugar water for the hummers.  Also, the color yellow attracts bees and wasps -- if your feeder has any yellow on it, you can remove the yellow parts so the bees will stay away. 

BTW, in some areas of the country, trumpet vine is considered an invasive plant. They are hummer magnets, tho...........