A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity The Bird Lovers Forum FIRST HUMMER!!!

I saw my first hummer of the year yesterday evening! He zoomed past me while I was outside watching the rest of the storm pass to the south of us. What's the addy to the hummer watch again???

Annette

SHUT UP!!!

Try to get a picture of it. It is WAY too early for Ruby-Throated Hummers. I THINK you might have a Rufous Hummingbird, which is a West Coast Hummingbird that occassionaly spends the Winter on the East Coast States. I saw a male here in Nashville, Tennessee, one Winter about 20 years ago, and an acquaintance about 30 miles from me had a male Rufous all Winter about 5 years ago. Look for Rubies in your area around the end of March to middle of April. Here's the link to the site:


http://www.hummingbirds.net/index.html

haven't seen a hummer yet but saw my first snake yesterday for the new year

sorry...*sniff*

I don't know that I can get a pic, Thorn. For some reason my daughter's camera doesn't like my computer (or vice versa)! LOL

I didn't get a good look at him/her either. It went by so fast, and it was kinda gloomy outside with the remnants of the storm. Got a pic of the Rufous somewhere? LOL I'd love to be able to ID him if I see him again! I know what the ruby-throated ones look like, as they are my usual customers at the feeders. I have one little girl that will sit and "talk" to me after she has had her fill.

Annette

BTW...thanks for the link, Thorn!

do any of you have ant take over your feeders

No...I have a problem with wasps...

Annette

I may have hummers during the day,, because water level has gone down the last two days,, I'm just not home to get a picture,, maybe this weekend,, I'll get lucky!!!!!!!!!!

The migration map isn't active yet, when it is we'll post a topic devoted to it that takes you straight to the map.

That is sooooo cool you had a hummer. I'm jealous. I can't wait to have those little guys back up here. Such entertainment sitting and watching them.

I don't have ant problems either with my feeders, but WASPS...they are TERRIBLE around my feeders. I wish there was a way to get rid of them.

Here is your Rufous Hummingbird, Annette


RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD (MALE)

And is to the Question of ANTS taking over Hummer feeders......


THE HUMMER AND THE ANT

A very cool shot, Thorn.

OOOO...The Rufous is gorgeous!!!!

Don't hummingbirds eat the ants around the feeders?

The other flying pest I have issues with is the Japanese Hornet. They're as big as some of the hummers!

Annette

I guess I've never seen a rufus around here. very pretty.
So cool you saw a hummer, annette!
My feeders have been up for a week or so. nothing yet.
I get lots of honey bees around my feeder.
I put a bit of Skin So Soft around the bottom of the feeder. the bees don't like it, but the hummers don't seem to mind.

It's still really cold here at night, so I hadn't put up my feeders yet. But now that I saw Rufous, I've gone ahead and put them up. I don't want them going somewhere else! LOL

Annette

The Rufous sure are pretty. I've only seen one in person, a male just like the one in the picture, and it took my breath away.

The Hummer with the ant on its nose I took myself. He is a juvenile male that spent last Summer in my yard and was one of my favorite photography subjects. The feeder was swarming with ants and when he went to get a drink, one hitched a ride on his bill. I named him Bubba Hum, and if he survives the Winter, and spring Migration, he should be back in my yard this April.

Love those hummingbird photos!

We have a problem with European wasps hanging around our bird baths. The European wasps arrived here in early 90s, and they are a real problem; their sting is worse than the sting of our native wasps. Do you have them over there? They are very bright yellow and black.

We have a lot of wasps here. I don't know if we have the Euro. I looked but didn't find info on that one in the lower States. But we do have killer bees here too.

We have Hornets and Red Wasps. Both of which have HORRENDOUS stings (from personal experience!!). Hornets either nest in large gray paper nests that look like a Japanese lantern on a tree branch, or else they build their nests underground and invisible. It is the SAME insect, but if the colony is above ground they are called Hornets, if the colony nests BELOW ground they are called, "Yellow Jackets", or in Southeastern U.S. dialect, "Yaller Jackets". Either way, NASTY critters. Their only natural enemy is the Skunk who digs up the Yaller Jacket nests and eats the colony and young, being impervious to the stings. Skunks, in turn, are preyed on by Great Horned Owls, THEIR only natural enemy.

Oh yeah, I have read about those yaller jackets. I wouldn't care much to eat them, or a skunk for that matter. The stinker eats the stinger!

The killer bees, they came from Africa originally, is that right? Is it only if you get stung by a lot of them that you can die? Thankfully we don't have them here; we already have enough animals here that can kill you!

Yes, killer bees were imported to South America and escaped and have made their way north. And they are really just a regular honey bee with a terrible temper. Very aggressive.
Skunks are not aggressive for the most part so are pretty easy to avoid most of the time. And around here, skunks are prey of coyotes.

I wonder who had the bright idea of importing them to South America? We've had plenty of people here in the past who thought it would be a good idea to import some sort of animal, and it always turned out to be a bad idea!

We have honey bees here and Bumble Bees, both with nasty stings but NOWHERE near as bad as Wasps and Yellow Jackets. We also have TINY Sweat bees that sting, but the sting is not much worse than a mosquito bite. These Sweat Bees aren't much bigger than a Mosquito.

We have the same things here, Thorny. Just add in those nasty Japanese Hornets that are every bit as big as a hummer! UHG! I've heard that the sting from just ONE of those things can kill a small child. Needless to say, I try to keep the kids inside if I see them in the yard!

Annette

Not to mention the Great Tennessee Stinging Eagle......

????

Annette

that's cool! I didn't know any of that, thorn. very interesting!
and yes, 'yeller' jackets can put a 'whoopin' on you!
I got stung by a scorpion once and a yellow jacket sting (times 3) was all I had to compare it to. OUCH!

I saw a lot of scorpions when I lived in Texas in the Army. I was a Medic at Ft. Hood and treated quite a few Scorpion stings, although I was never stung myself.

I haven't seen any hummers yet ,, but I changed the water out yesterday,, and have 4 HB feeders out,, so I'm ready!!!!!!!

Angelblossom, I am looking forward to seeing some photos!!

The first Ruby Throats should arrive in the next 7 days in Louisiana, Florida, and Texas. The 2009 Ruby Throat map is now available. Go here:


http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

My 7 yo daughter, Allie, came running in the house yesterday to tell me about a bird that she had just seen. I'm not sure if it was a hummer or not. She could only describe it saying, "It was really small and had a green head!" LOL

I did see a Goldfinch yesterday, in his winter plumage. I guess the darker yellow might look a little greenish to some...

Annette

how cool is that!??!

I'm adding new 'juice' to my h.b. feeders tomorrow. the honey bees totally wiped me out! I have a swarm out there! 20-30 bees at a time...all the time.