Garden

[blueskies]

Susan Louise , lol, I enjoyed reading your comment about the hummingbirds . Yes , it's too bad they don't learn to share ! We used to put a feeder by the kitchen window & loved seeing them visit . It had 4 feeding ports , but if a 2 nd bird showed up , omg ! Lots of fluttering ! ........Even after we stopped hanging the feeder a few years ago , every Spring they'd visit that window , looking for the feeder for a few years . They have amazing memories . Unreal . ..........enjoy the Fall weather ! The weather can't make up it's mind here yet .....Summer,Fall, Summer, Fall .....lol.

[blueskies]

KJPA , wow , your yard sounds beautiful . Regarding your question , I'm wondering if your feeder solution is too sweet for them ? I make mine in a ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar . Bring it to a boil for a minute , then let it cool before pouring in feeder . I only make enough to store in the fridge for about 3 days . I change the solution 3 times a week in very hot weather . I got all this info from instructions that were with the new feeder . .......btw, I found a good way to remember the ratio I read about ( 4:1 ) by thinking of a hand ....4 fingers & 1 thumb . Otherwise , I'd have to look it up again every Spring , lol.

[Lilysmom]

Our hummers left our home in Nova Scotia, Canada around September 8th this year. That is a full week earlier than normal. I would also note that they came a few days earlier this year ... Around May 12th. I was interested to hear fthunt's comments as she is not too far from me in NY.

KJPA, our hummers don't seem to mind other birds in our yard. We do keep a fair distance (12-15') between feeders though so they are not too close together. We are big gardeners here. By far, the flower that the hummers love best in my yard is bee balm. I have deep red bee balm and they are always in it. I have lots of other red colors but they seem to go for that the most. I have four or five drifts of bee balm to keep them busy.

You should hang the feeders high enough so the hummers don't have to worry about prey also.

I hear differing recipes for food. We use half sugar and half boiling water,cooled of course. The only other thing I hear is that they don't like wasps or bees around the feeders

No expert here but those are the tips I've heard over the years. Just love to see the birds. Thanks for sharing your stories.

LM

[Susan Louise]

Thanks everyone for your responses! A few of you I think would benefit from reading info about hummingbirds...either online or in reference books. I will give some info, but I could write extremely long posts explaining everything...lol. I learned all the info I know myself doing the same thing several years ago. If you truly enjoy hummers, getting to know some of the basic facts, for example, will help give you guidelines on when to put out and bring in your feeders, let you know which hummer species is around you (with exceptions on rare visits from species who have either a misguided compass...or possibly have gone off coarse due to storms/cold fronts/etc). We have various hummingbird species in the US...although not nearly as many as in South and Central America though! Someday DH and I hope to make a trek down to Costa Rica to see all the hummer species there...it's on our bucket list!

For those of you that don't know, mainly along the west coast of the US the species of hummingbirds are Anna's, Rufus, Black-chinned, Buff-bellied, Costa's, Allen's and a few others. The mid-west, central US through to the east coast is mainly just the Ruby-throated. For us here in central US (Nebraska doesn't get anymore central...lol), 99% of the time we have just Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. We have had 3 Rufus Hummingbirds here since 2007, just to give you some idea on why I used the word 'mainly' and highlighted it.

There are many sites online to learn more info...hummingbird forums, specific sites for hummingbird info like hummingbird dot net which also has specific maps for each species and their main ranges. Some Hummingbirds migrate, others don't too...see? So much info out there for those wanting to know...HTH

Harpa: Yes, we do the Christmas Bird Counts here and I also post my sightings to E-Bird on a regular basis...especially when we have rare bird sightings like Rufus Hummingbird visitors we have had here too.

Itsmagic: It was nice of you to get a new feeder for your visitors! I don't know what state you live in, however you should still see them migrating for quite awhile yet. The migration period hasn't even peaked yet. It starts for us about mid-August til late October. You may not see as many as the migration season continues on or as often on some days...depends on the weather sometimes.

Hummers don't necessarily fly due north or south during the migrations. Their direction varies for many reasons...winds, storms, food sources they know of (if they are not juvies), etc. For example, we probably get birds from the north as far west as Washington or as far east as the Great Lakes areas...Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc...and as far north as Canada like most everyone will have visitors passing through from there...isn't that cool?!!!

Some hummers stick around for just a sip or two (if they have a full belly and the winds are in their favor), and others will stay for several days...depends on how much rest or refueling they need when they reach your home/gardens/feeders. Some may have just come from a 'fueling station' at a park with lots of flowers, or a neighbor's home just up the street from you and they just take a sip or two to 'top off the tank'...so to speak. Other migrators probably had to travel several miles (some as many as 60+) before finding your feeder/s in a single day, so they will stay longer. Sometimes a storm is about to go through, or it's rainy in your area for a few days...they will continue on their journey the next nice day if they are fueled up with a full belly

fthunt: As I mentioned to Itsmagic, you will still get hummingbirds for awhile yet. However, unless you have a camera (we have security camera on all of our feeders), it will be hard to see their infrequent visits. Early mornings and late afternoon hours are the best time to see a hummer (although you can see them anytime of the day)...they just happen to visit the feeder more often during those hours.

It sounds as if you need to look at a map of the US and view some migration maps for hummingbirds. Start with the Ruby-throated Hummingbird which is the main species in your area. They migrate as far north as Canada to breed in Spring/Summer, so no doubt you will be having several more visitors til at least mid-October for the late migrators...although the visits get more infrequent by then. A Ruby-throated hummer didn't go off coarse passing through here in Nebraska. When you get a chance...google online for maps to help you so you can see the migration range and breeding range...they are not the same

When the hummingbirds are in migration-mode, they feed an average of every 10-30 minutes...more frequently in the early morning and early evening...or from sun up...lets say 6:30 am now to about 9am...then again from say 5:30-8pm at dusk. Of coarse, remember those hours change daily since the days are getting shorter, so in a few weeks, for example, the late day hours would of coarse change to about 5:30-7:30pm dusk...see? Since we have hummers passing through here til the end of October, the last feedings wind up being about 5:45-6pm. The same changes go for the dawn hours too...getting later and later for the 1st feeding in the morning.

Additionally, unless you know the species of the hummingbird, and are also able to see it up-close or with a pair of binoculars, and pay close attention, you will have a hard time distinguishing if it is a male or female hummingbird. Female Ruby-throated hummers have a white chest and area under it's beak. Juvie male Ruby-throated hummers have varying shaded areas under the beak with anywhere from 1 red feather peaking out, to a necklace of red feathers coming in...or 3 red feathers. Some Juvie males that are migrating are from a 2nd (late brood) and unless you have a good camera or a close up pic, it is hard to tell if it's a female or Juvie male. We take hundreds of pics a day to help us keep track of them here...like today. We have 5 Juvie males, all with their own unique 'shadow' growth of their red gorget growing in. They will be in full 'beard'...lol...by Spring next year to attract a female to mate (for those that make the journey).

And one more point...with other species of hummingbirds, the females have colored feathers under their beaks...so again, for you or anyone reading this post who want to learn more about hummers, read info in books, online, in forums...be informed about your sweet visitors and which ones they are where you live!

Marshcat: Awwwww...your guys needed to be toweled dry...lol...bless their hearts! Too bad our homes weren't closer together...would be fun to visit each others yards/feeder areas with coffee

Pilateslover: Oh you are so lucky to have them breeding in your area! Oh, what fun!!! As for the male that left as you said...early. Well, most bird species that migrate, the males always leave 1st...whether it is Spring migration time (when they are the ones to establish their territories for their mate/nesting site/etc), and the females arrive as much as a month later (for example the Robins) or during the Fall migration, the males lead the way, many with the Juvie males, then the females. We have yet to have a female migrate through here yet and we have had mature males and Juvie male hummers migrating through since mid August

Capecdcat: Such fun, aren't they?!!! I get a kick out of when we'd have a whole backyard full of Sparrows and other birds and just having 2 hummers squeal at each (high pitch) other will 'clear the deck'...so to speak of other birds in our yard...HA!

Time for me to take a break...my fingers are getting numb...hehehe. I'll post to others later.

[motherinlaw]

My husband and I recently saw a documentary on the migration of hummingbirds.....it was fascinating!

[Julie928]

Susan Louise ~ I really enjoyed your post! I was just talking with a friend of mine about how many hummingbirds I've seen at our feeder recently. I typically keep the feeder up until Halloween just in case there are any stragglers, although they are usually gone by mid-October. Just in the past few days I have seen a yellow warbler, a couple American Redstarts and a Hermit Thrush in our backyard. The Hermit Thrush has been a Spring/Fall visitor for about two years now. They're all so beautiful, I consider it an honor to have them stop by my garden for a drink and snack on the elderberries! I've worked hard to make our backyard a haven for wildlife, and when I have these visitors it makes me feel as if I'm doing something right...

It's very chilly here in Illinois as well. We had a pond with a waterfall put in our backyard this past May. We have five koi and one goldfish in the pond. I'm concerned about how they will fare this winter so I am off to the pond store tomorrow morning to pick up a heater, aerator, and some cold weather fish food.

Your backyard certainly sounds like a beautiful place to relax and unwind. Thank you for always sharing such wonderful posts with us!

KJPA ~ Is there an area in the front of your house where you can place your hummingbird feeder & still be able to watch them from the house? I've heard that hummingbirds typically don't like to feel crowded, and sometimes when there are other feeders nearby that will keep them from visiting. We have nine feeders in our backyard, and LOTS of birds everyday. We keep our hummingbird feeder just outside our front window and have had the pleasure of feeding them for the past three years. Good luck with your hummingbirds! Hope this helps!

[Susan Louise]

On 9/11/2014 blueskies said: Susan Louise , lol, I enjoyed reading your comment about the hummingbirds . Yes , it's too bad they don't learn to share ! We used to put a feeder by the kitchen window & loved seeing them visit . It had 4 feeding ports , but if a 2 nd bird showed up , omg ! Lots of fluttering ! ........Even after we stopped hanging the feeder a few years ago , every Spring they'd visit that window , looking for the feeder for a few years . They have amazing memories . Unreal . ..........enjoy the Fall weather ! The weather can't make up it's mind here yet .....Summer,Fall, Summer, Fall .....lol.

Hi Blueskies, Oh my...why oh why did you stop putting out that feeder? Yes they have amazing memories...so do all the birds. They go back to the same places year after year where they found the food sources that helped sustain them through their migration journeys and/or their breeding season. I feel so sad that you didn't think or want to put the feeder back out for them

[Susan Louise]

On 9/11/2014 Wadzlla said:

Here in NW Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, there have been more hummers in my garden than I have seen in 25 years. I have seen up to a dozen at a time buzzing our flowers and feeders. They are nature's jewels.

They are very busy today fattening up for their big trip. I hate to see them go.

Hi Wadzilla, Yes, more hummers this year! A lot has to do with the weather being much better than during 2012...the huge drought. The hummers (and of coarse other birds/animals) struggled terribly and the mortality rate was very high. That year we had less than half of the usual number we expected to see...no doubt due to lack of food sources/flowers. Last year our numbers of visitors are better than 2013...and this year even better...Yay! The extra rain/moisture has certainly helped!!! And you mentioned the most you've seen in 25+ yrs....wonderful! That is a great sign of the hummers rebounding from very poor numbers a few yrs ago

[Susan Louise]

On 9/11/2014 geezerette said:

We live in the mid-south and have hummingbirds from mid-April to mid-October (I can almost set my calendar by how punctual they are). Right now they’re getting themselves beefed up for migration as soon as our first cold snap hits (it’s still very warm here). We have approximately 50-60 birds, and they are frenetic! We used to live the in southwest and had many different varieties but not as many, and they stayed all year.

There are a few that like to sit atop the feeders and try to guard their territory, but now there are just so many birds that they don’t have much luck hogging anything. Even though there are many disputes among them, when they get tired enough there will be an entire feeder full of hummingbirds (one on each hole) just quietly drinking and tolerating each other until one comes in from the woods and scatters the whole group. They keep me hopping filling up the feeders as they go through at least 10 cups of solution per day right now.

As they leave in small groups, the ones that are left calm down. Then one day, not a one appears and you know they’re gone for the season. But they’ll be back next spring ready to go at it all over again. In the meantime, I'll be feeding the songbirds during the winter.

Hi geezerette,

Oh, to have that many hummers all at once...a DREAM! We started gardening and feeding Hummingbirds back in 2007. Our Spring and Fall migrators grew every year. During the Fall of 2007 we had 13, 2008 we had 31, 43 in 2009, 75 in 2010 and over 100 in 2011! In 2012 we had the severe drought and we had less than 50...oh, how disheartening...just can't change mother nature though. Last year we had almost 70...so the numbers are on the rise again...thankfully!

I have seen many videos on youtube of folks with lots of hummers like you. It does seem to be when the numbers of hummers reach a certain amount, they don't chase/fight for territory nearly as much...if at all...and the less there are, the more each want to take as much territory as they can for themselves...lol. My fav video to watch is on youtube is titled "Hummingbirds - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife"

[Susan Louise]

On 9/11/2014 blueskies said: KJPA , wow , your yard sounds beautiful . Regarding your question , I'm wondering if your feeder solution is too sweet for them ? I make mine in a ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar . Bring it to a boil for a minute , then let it cool before pouring in feeder . I only make enough to store in the fridge for about 3 days . I change the solution 3 times a week in very hot weather . I got all this info from instructions that were with the new feeder . .......btw, I found a good way to remember the ratio I read about ( 4:1 ) by thinking of a hand ....4 fingers & 1 thumb . Otherwise , I'd have to look it up again every Spring , lol.

Hi again blueskies: I put a ratio of 3:1 in our feeders. Also, I'm confused...you mentioned in your other post you don't put your feeder out anymore?

In your post #10/18 in this thread you wrote:

"Even after we stopped hanging the feeder a few years ago , every Spring they'd visit that window , looking for the feeder for a few years . They have amazing memories . Unreal"