A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Hummingbird Progress 2

Ooops, my eyes misled me....sorry about that!

I love this forum to hear about the different birds we have in our regions - congrats on your visitor, Thornius. We've had a new visitor, and finally had the camera around when he stopped by.

Meet Gary the Grosbeak:


Note the empty suet holders - can't keep up with the grackles!

slredmond
If you get an upside down suet feeder the grackles and starlings will leave it alone and there will be plenty for the woodpeckers, wrens, nuthatches etc. Nothing wrong with everyone getting a share.

Thanks Wrennie - I'll have to look for one. My daughter and I brewed up our own cakes this morning. We decided they smelled great, so hopefully the birds will like them, too!

well , i saw my first hummer this past week.
trouble is, it wasnt at my house.
i went fishing for a week at bull shoals lake
and one day out in the boat i saw one hovering above us out on the lake. when i got home however i did notice that the feeder on the front porch had dropped a 1/4 inch si i guess i got em here now. just dont have the time to sit and watch for em now.gotta cut the grass and unpack everything from two weeks traveling so i guess ill spy em next week after ive put my house back in order. this place is a wreck!!!

Still no hummers.....but I've NEVER seen so MANY Cedar Waxwings in my life, AND, I FINALLY HAVE A GRAY CATBIRD IN MY YARD!!! Also the Eastern Kingbirds are back and i have discovered a FOURTH nest in my yard. This time, ANOTHER House Sparrow nest. (And I planted 30 Cannas and 2 Easter lillies today).

well i got up early this morning and decided to have my coffee on the porch,GUESS WHAT?
they are here now. i saw a male ruby throat approach the feeder but he was to skittish to come to it while i was there.
i got hummers!!!!!

Hello all - I am excited to know that this group exists.

We moved last year from the "big city" to "cow country" and within the first week of moving in last July a hummingbird came to me while I was sitting on the porch within an arm's reach and began to skretch something, flipping it's tail back and forth, etc. That was my faulting moment. I was hooked worse than I could ever imagine. I left out within the hour and purchased my first hummingbird survival kit - LOL. My husband never experienced these little guys either and could not understand my fascination at first - until the day the sweetest little hummer came and did the very same thing to him that started it for me. From that moment on, he's never complained at me again for spending "useless" money on these guys. Matter of fact, he encourages me now.

I was so disappointed to realize they had to leave and had no idea when they would be back - I assumed when the weather had gotten above 60 F or so. But last week as the bulbs we planted last year (most everything had to be hummers treats) started blooming, I ran to the net to try and learn when they would come back to SE Michigan. Boy, was I pissed to learn that people had spotted them back in April. http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet/Links.htm I ran to the cupboard and starting mixing and filling - setting out all the feeders I had accumulated since last year.

Weather was chilly for a few days and still is actually, but I took a few minutes on Saturday, May 13th to sit on the porch watching the Cardinals and Chickadees feeding. And there is some bird I haven't identified popping in and out of my hanging ferns... Behold - they're back. Made my day when I seen this beautiful female Ruby Throated come feed. OMG - It was a day of celebration around here and the kids knew it. Sat for an hour outside and she came about every 10 minutes.

Well I should go, sorry for the long post. I just am overjoyed to share that I too love those little guys and have created my garden around them. I also hope to see some of our other Michigan hummers drop by for a spell or take up residence, if the Ruby lets them. Last year I watched one survey the feeder and attack others as they came, it was a fun game to watch them fly around the whole perimeter of our home at lightning speeds. LOL - I tried placing multiple feeders in the yard to stop the fighting but it didn't.

Wondering if I should include a birdie bath for them and if someone would suggest one over the other?

Does anyone have experience with (newly discovered by me) ready pre-mixed feed? Is it worth the extra costs?

Oh Happy Day!

a bath is recommended and i got one this year
ive now seen a female and noticed another or maybe the same male feeding at the backyard feeder. dont give up hope thorny!

No hope lost. Every year at this house my first hummers haven't shown up until around July 4th. That is the time they finish their nesting and they and their young starting on an ORGY of feeding at feeders and natural sources in preparation for their 24 hour long, non-stop flight across the Gulf of mexico to Central and South America, where they spend the Winter flitting about the ruins of ancient Mayan Cities.

Terrilee, welsome to the forum! I am Thornius, the resident Bird Man here. You do NOT need to buy commercial nectars. Hummingbirds prefer a homemade nectar made of one part white table sugar to four parts tap water. mix them together and heat in the microwave for one minute then stir again to completely dissolve the sugar. I use a 12 ounce cup for my measurer. I use one 12 ounce cup of sugar to fout 12 ounce cups of water. I store the extra in a 2 liter plastic drink jug in my freezer. Every three to five days I empty my feeders and wash them out with white vinegar and rinse them with water and refill them with nectar and hang them back up. I also plant a lot of RED flowers around my Hummer feeders to attract the hummers. A neighbor gave me 30 RED Cannas yesterday she got from a friend and I planted those yesterday evening. I have red Salvia, Red Verbena, red Gladiolus and red Petunias, also.

Hummingbirds are the MOST AGGRESSIVE birds in the world and fight each other and other birds CONSTANTLY over food sources. Once the young learn to fly, they are on their own and their parents will attack them if they try to use the parent's preferred feeders. It is amazing to watch. Also if your feeders get empty hummers will let you know by flying up in your face and chirp and buzz LOUDLY at you.

Hi
Well you will never believe this but yesteday
my little one founded a baby hummer in our garage sitting on a hat,He caming running in and telling me he had something for me for Mother's day. he know's how much i love the hummer's so here he came with it. I could not believe it so small and cute.we took picture of it and even got out a straw and we took hummer food and put in straw and it drank from it so cute just wanted to share the new's was so happy But the sad part was we let it go again so I sure hope it will come bk to visit us again.
bettyboop1948

Here is some more picture's of it so cute
bettyboop1948

WOW! To be able to see a hummer that up close and personal is amazing. I hope it does come back and visit you again!

I saw my first hummer yesterday. It gets later every year it seems.

Last week I FINALLY saw my first Hummer.....but NOT in my yard. I saw it feeding on some Honeysuckle at Long Hunter State Park, about 10 or 15 miles southeast of my house.