Time to start your Hummers

a pileated caught my eye in the woods today... well more my ear first.. but it wasn't close enough to see clearly.. one of these years I will get a good picture of one.. last year it was fighting to stay still ... my feeders have been out since April as well.. just cleaned them today.. the bad part with the hot weather early ... more cleanings are needed... way too hot too soon for me

I took my feeder in last week because it was emptied! It's not in a good spot for me to see "who dunnit" so I will need to move it. I soaked the bottle for a while and then put it into the automatic dishwasher. I left it near the sink afterward, and rinsed it everytime I washed something else. I left it upside down in the kitchen after I filled it to see if there was a leak anywhere, but there didn't seem to be.

Roses I have a decorative bottle that hangs upside down with a cork and tube, It wasn't leaking but I would go out and find it empty and you could tell that it had leaked all over the ground. I found that when the temps get high the liquid gets pushed out of the feeder, I guess expansion does it. I will say that it was hung is a sunny spot with out much shade.

that makes sense

Thanks Holly,

Too late for me to check the ground after the torrential downpours, but I think you've solved the mystery and now I can stop checking the feeder every two minutes and get on with my work.

First hummer was here last evening...I usually have them by MAy 1 and last year a little before that...They seem to be late this year even with the early warm weather....

I'm pretty sure I heard one buzz by out in the yard last week, but I haven't spotted them yet. Don't have my feeders up, but there are plenty of blooms for them to enjoy. :-)

oops forgot to post I saw one here since last tuesday

Saw my first Hummer today. It was out by the split rail fence there are a few creeping phlox still in flower, the very ends of lilacs and several clem blooms out there by the fence but not much else. I cleaned up the feeder and put in fresh food for them.