Garden

[amyb]

I'm in a coastal town in CT...still getting beautiful hummingbirds to my feeder, starting early morning and then all day long.

More now than even in spring. They started early this spring, around late April, early May...I put the feeder out a bit earlier this year, so I guess I'll continue to do that each year now.

So cute...recently there's been two together that fly around together, but take turns at the feeder. They go to some of my flowers also occasionally, favoring the petunias, impatients.

I've gotten mostly the tiny ruby throated ones. I might have also seen one of those pretty green type.

I love seeiing them all summer. Anyone else still have them? And where are you in the country? I suppose they'll be going south, very soon...always hate to see them go...usually by mid September.

Dang...fall is in the air here already...there is always such a definitive change here. Nice cool mornings and nights and no humidity, mild 70's days, aren't a bad thing. But, as I've said ad nauseum on these boards...I'm a summer gal thru and thru...so I never mind it in all its hot/muggy, whatever, conditions, and its always way too fleeting for me! I wore long jeans yesterday for the first time since late spring! Lol...now that's a telltale sign the times they are a changing... 😎 🍂...but still 4 wks left of summer! 

[Still Raining]

I get them year round here and love to see them.  This year they were remarkably numerous in the spring.  Went thru several ounces a day.

How lucky we are to see them.

[wagirl]

They are year round where I live too---have 3 right now that are fighting over the feeder--1 male at least and I think--2 females buzzing none stop when it gets light out--been refilling my feeder at least 2x a week---. Makes me happy!!!

[pugvette74]

For the first year I have hummingbirds. I had nests everywhere and babies were born. I watched them grow and leave the nests. I have two feeders, they are here morning to night. They are such cuties. I live in Sedona AZ. They just seem so happy. I love seeing them. 

[GingerHead]

@amyb 

I love hummingbirds. We get them year round here in OR. 

During the winter freeze I've had to wrap my feeder with incandescent Christmas lights to keep the nectar from freezing because I had a couple that were dependant on it. 

This little trick really works. The heat from the bulbs keeps the nectar from freezing solid.

[amyb]

Wow @GingerHead, that's amazing you still get them in winter, as you are up north too, and amazing that "fix" you came up with works...those little lights heat up enough to keep the nectar from freezing?! That's great, and it looks pretty too.

I'm jealous of all y'all who get hummingbirds all year...we at least have them for about 5 months here in CT...and it depends when your particular ones find you and come ...I've had some in previous years not come until mid summer, but generally they do start showing up in spring. I'm on a 2nd floor condo with a small deck out back...I have only one feeder where I can attach a hook to my building....maybe next year I'll think about getting a 2nd one to attach at the other end...though I have other things there, and only so much space to put flower pots, window boxes, chairs, umbrella, but I get as much out there, tastefully, as I can!

I do the regular bird feeder from about Feb through early April. But it gets quite messy, with seeds, bird poop...but I can deal with keeping it clean out there to feed them during those colder months, and seeing all of them...they love it. After that, once I get my deck stuff out there, and the birds can find their food more in nature, I take it down...windchimes go there instead.

[PA Mom-mom]

In my SE PA yard, the hummers seem to be carb-loading. They spend more time at the feeder and visit more often. I think they are getting ready to migrate. We are lucky to get any hummers, because we have several feral cats nearby and a very active bird feeder congregation. Love hearing about all the hummers in various parts of our continent!

[walker]

I live in the Chicago area and have two hummingbird feeders out.  I have only seen two or three hummingbirds that come regularly. I enjoy seeing them but wish I had more.  Next year I may just hang one feeder.  My SIL lives in Southern California and hangs 8 feeders!  She has an amazing hummingbird haven....sends me videos.  I am jealous! 😉 

[foxywoods]

@amyb   I too have seen a green humminbird in the past few weeks which was unusual.  We still have our resident I call "raggy tail". She's a larger female and brown. 

Since we had hours upon hours of heavy rain and wind Wed afternoon and night,  some have gone missing!  Hope they are OK, because there were a bunch of tiny babies a few weeks ago when it was still light just after 8, they come when its barely light out.  There were 5 little ones so cute.

A coupel days ago there was a baby sparrow camped out on the feeder and he was sipping nectar ! He sat for quite a while.  Just looking around and drinking!

Had 2 feeders up in years past but it was useless.  One in front yard one in back.  The Alpha Boy would hang out and hover up on the peak of rooftop watching for invaders of both feeders. He would look back and forth and dive bomb the bird juice thiefs at each feeder.

It's too soon for them to head back, they usually all head out by Sept.20th.

[Icegoddess]

I'm in N AL and while I occasionally see one when passing by a door or window, I generlly don't see them a lot in summer.  I don't have anywhere to put a feeder where I could easily just sit and watch.  I'll sometimes here the chatter when I'm outside and occasionally see one flying away from the pollinator garden out front.  

Fall is the time when my feeder gets the most action as they are migrating through and pend time fighting over the feeder.  I'll have 3 or 4 that will sit and watch for one of the others to come in for a feed and then it's dive bomber time.  I keep the feeder out until the beginning of November.