A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Kingbirds nesting nearby!

I've never seen kingbirds in my yard, been here 4 years, until this year.

I've had a couple people tell me they have more birds this year than before. We're attributing it to a mild winter therefore less freeze stress, more bug availability. Anyone else have more or different birds than in previous years?

Hi Wrennie, I am in my first full year at my new house and I seem to have the same amount of birds as I did last summer. I have a long feeder that I keep full of Niger seed and have a huge quantity of gold, house and purple finches. I also have a feeder with nothing but Black oiler sunflower seeds and have Cardinals, Chickadees, titmice, and a few Euro Finches and grackles. I am on my second set of blue bird babies. I had five in the first batch and now there are four more that should fledge by the end of next week. With the first batch helping out the parents feeding of the second batch, I have a yard full of bluebirds. What I have noticed is that I dont have any Ruby Throated hummers around
I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this lack of hummers.

I haven't had any hummers yet but have had 5 nests in my yard. All the babies have fledged by now and come to my feeders with their parents for suet, seed, and water. I-ve plannted all RED flowers.

i havent seen any ruby throats but i have male black chin, male rufous (seen twice), several green juvies/females and a young calliope (I think) I am probably wrong as I'm only certain of the black chin and the rufous

My hummers were slow to arrive, but they're back now. They love my salvia - both annual and perennials, but what I have planted are blue ones and white ones. I love to worked out in that garden - ducking occasionally when one comes roaring in for food!

Wow Mrs. Spud, you have a wonderful variety of Hummers!! While I was building my home I was renting a house on a small river and that is the first time I had hung up a Hummer feeder. I ended up with up to thirty Ruby throated hummers at my feeder at the same time. I could stand next to it and they would land on my finger to drink out of it. They were so cool. When I moved into my home, I hung up two feeders and had about four or five hummers coming around. At this time I have only seen one and that was about a month ago and have not seen any since. I am still doig a lot of work around the house and am trying to get some flowers out to attract them. I guess only time will tell. I am going to try siredmonds suggestion and plant some salvia and other hummer favorites. I will get them in one way or another!!

Since this is the first year here, I do not know what is normal for bird activity. But when I see a new one, I am excited. Just last week I put up a sock feeder for the goldfinch and now we have them out there daily in groups of 3's and 4's oftentimes. I am planning on more finch type feeders along the back of the house since they are already half-way done with the one hanging there. The kids just love to watch those ones.

We also have hummer but not a ton and mostly I see males at my feeder, one maybe two at a time.

Mrs. Spud, you will NOT get Ruby-Throated Hummers at your feeders. They are found ONLY East of the Mississipps River. As a matter of fact, they are the ONLY hummer found in the Eastern U.S. (except for the occassional RARE western hummer, mostly Rufous, that spend the Winter here). In the West, you Have many different species of hummers. We, in the East, have only the Ruby-Throated Hummers to keep us warm on those COLD August nights.

Yep, thats been my experience as well. Only the Ruby throated hummers around here (when they are here.. ) I did read that if we leave our hummer feeders outside a bit longer into the fall, that those traveling Rufous Hummers may stop by for a feed on their way south. I plan on doing that this fall to hopefully see one.

We leave our feeders out ALL Winter. If a Rufous shows up in the Fall he, won't travel anymore and will starve UNLESS people keep their feeders up. Chances are you won't get one in the Winter; I haven't in 18 years of birding; but they HAVE shown up in Winter in my hometown of Nashville, TN, and I HAVE seen one of them here in Nashville, but not at my feeder. Still, I keep mine up just in case.

Wow, Thornius, that is good to know. Do you have any problems with the sugar water freezing up in your feeders? Or do you just let them thaw out and then change the solution? I apologize for asking a bunch of questions, but I would like to know.

You need to change the food a little more often or you can possibly rig up a bird bath heater to keep it thawed out.