Garden

[Nataliesgramma]

My daughter lives about a mile from me and she has only MALE hummers most of the time. They also arrived a week ago.

Me......I get mostly FEMALE hummers and only occasionally see a male. I have not had any show up yet.

Anyone else see this at their feeders?

[meem120]

My husband and I were just talking about this yesterday.  We have only seen female hummers this year and usually we have a mix.  Wonder if something is happenning?

[Dazlin]

The hummingbirds have arrived here. I'm in Central Florida.   I'm seeing them mostly early mornings and late afternoon.   I cant tell which are males or females.   I get some that have a bright thin yellow band around their neck...I cant identify them anywhere online,  so I'm not sure what they are.  I also get ones with grayish throats.  

Love seeing them,  happy they're back.

[qualitygal]

Does their coloring tell you which they are?  Male or female, like Cardinals?  

One buzzed by the other day, and I thought it was a large bee.  Then I went, "hey, that's a humming bird"..  

LOL,  How'd they ever get that name?  

[geezerette]

From what I've read, the males migrate first.  

At the beginning of the season, I get males only.  First one, then one other a few days later.  Their mates come in about two weeks afterwards.  After that, a number of pairs start drifting in.  

But mine are always about equally matched, until their babies are old enough to leave their nests.  Then there can be any number of both genders.

[Nataliesgramma]

I get the Ruby throat hummingbirds.....Here is the male and female. The Male is the coloroful one on the right...

[Mimi 1883]

@Nataliesgramma  You're lucky you can feed the hummingbirds. We've tried several times, but between the ants and the bees we just can't.  We do have flowers that they seem to like, so at least they're around to enjoy. The same thing with birds feeders - too many squirrels. The poor birds sit in the trees and watch the squirrels gorge on "their" food. 

[wagirl]

I have hummers year round---and now I have 2 males and 2 females buzzing around----crazy little things---have to fill the feeder a few times a week---don't have issues with ants or bees.

[HLP]

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@Mimi 1883 wrote:

@Nataliesgramma  You're lucky you can feed the hummingbirds. We've tried several times, but between the ants and the bees we just can't.  We do have flowers that they seem to like, so at least they're around to enjoy. The same thing with birds feeders - too many squirrels. The poor birds sit in the trees and watch the squirrels gorge on "their" food. 

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They sell antguards, and they work. My bird feeders have chipmunks raiding them, but will have a baffle soon for those critters.

[Dazlin]

Last year I had a problem with bees, so I got a bee trap.  You fill it with apple juice and the bees enter in. They leave the hummingbird feeder alone, and choose the traps for the apple juice.   It attracts yellow jackets,  which is what I had the problem with, and never any honey bees.  I hung right below the feeders.  It was suggested here, and it works.