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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,035
Registered: ‎06-29-2015

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS

OP, I too agree with @Pezzie . Get more feeders.

I live in AZ, so have year 'round hummers. Feeders are always busy!

 

@Pezzie, as far as woodpeckers go, what I did was get them their own feeder, so now they leave the others alone.

The hummers use the top-feeding type: like a cup w/ a lid, holes on top.

Woodpeckers far prefer the large upside-down bottle type of feeders.

 

Happy bird watching!

Muddling through...
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Honored Contributor
Posts: 15,522
Registered: ‎09-01-2010

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS

You don't do anything about their behavior, they do what they do, and you watch. Hummers know exactly what to do, and they know exactly how to get to the food.
Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,798
Registered: ‎07-24-2013

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS

i tried to fix this once because there was always a hummingbird floating around the feeder i called "The Sentry". He chased all the other poor hummingbirds away. he was so agressive.

 

so, i placed a 2nd feeder on a shepherds hook in the back yard. that seemed to work for a minute.

 

One day i walked ouside on the driveway and lo and behold The Sentry hovering like a chopper above the top peak of the roof.  he had both front and back feeders in his line of sight and was divebombing the "intruders" at both feeders.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,040
Registered: ‎09-12-2010

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS

That's just the way hummingbirds are....very territorial. That little guy likes your feeder and he's determined to make it his own! The best option is to hang another feeder in another location that you can still see. They generally don't "claim" more than one feeder, although that doesn't mean they won't try!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,411
Registered: ‎05-02-2017

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS

 

 

Many birds are territorial (even more so if nests are involved)!  I have blueberry bushes in my yard and all birds want to eat from them, especially in hot weather.

 

Every once in a while I see a fight between blue jays and cardinals.

 

The little hummingbirds like the honeysuckle flowers.

 

The morning doves are pretty calm and share, and so do the little sparrows, but many come at different times of the day.

 

When the hawks come in our area, the crows band together and chase them away.

 

I have pet birds (parakeets),  so I really enjoy all bird antics.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,775
Registered: ‎07-09-2011

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS

@FancyPhillyshopper 

 

Curious to know if YOU get any blueberries?

 

We have blueberry, blackberry bushes, and a fig tree.  Between the birds, and the Labradors standing all the way on their tippy toes to reach as many as possible, we are left to forage in the middle range.  Not much left!

 

No problems, glad to share, and it is so funny when the dogs come in with purple stains around their mouths!

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras
Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,458
Registered: ‎06-10-2015

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS

Try giving  him a tiny hug.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,409
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS


@geezerette wrote:

That's the nature of hummingbirds.  And if it wasn't this guy, it would be another one doing the same thing.  Or a female, since they can be just as aggressive.

 

There isn't anything you can, or should, do.  Except keep the feeder(s) filled.  The other birds will either get enough to eat or they'll go elsewhere.  

This is one reason I keep more than one feeder.


I have feeders all over our property. Only one on the east and south. In the front I have 7 spaced out under the eves and hanging from pine and oak trees.   No matter how far I space them out, they still quable over which ones they want to feed on.  I'm sure they all get their fill. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 39,562
Registered: ‎08-23-2010

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS

@Kachina624 

 

 

LOL ... good point!    

 

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Honored Contributor
Posts: 39,562
Registered: ‎08-23-2010

Re: DEALING WITH "BULLY" HUMMINGBIRDS


@noodleann wrote:

Try giving  him a tiny hug.


 

@noodleann 

 

Awww ....   Heart