Where are the Ruby-throated Hummers??? What's your count???

There is a Dennis thread in the Weather Forum.. Come join us there you ol' storm chaser you!

flyboy you are either Brave, crazy, or a little of both. God bless you hope you keep safe.
I have only seen 1 hummer this year, usually we get lots of them.




Doris

Brave, crazy -- or, both -- my DDW and I have Doctors to visit.

As our old, old friends die off there are big gaps in our address book. Little did we realize that the Pages for "D" (as in Doctor) begin to overflow.

Not many hummers here in Michigan. I read somewhere that they are down in numbers this year, might be because of all the hurricanes last year.

I'm with Janet - we've had more this year. First year they have ever emptied the feeders in two days.

I have quite a few (who can count speeding bullets?) at all three feeders, and have two nests within 50' of the house. Last year we only located one nest which got blown away by Ivan. They will reuse old nests, so I just kept watching the same area this year, and sure enough, one of the new nests within 20' of last year's nest sight. Both of this years nests have had at least two rounds of babies (two babies at a time). Needless to say, the activity has picked up. They will continue to return here year after year until it gets too crowded, then many of them will move away, and the cycle will build again. There are at least four fighting around the feeder I'm watching right now. I quite often get my hair parted when I'm out on the patio. Occasionally, I forget to close the outside door to the greenhouse and one will fly in. I have had the unbelievable thrill of holding one of these tiny creatures in my hand! They go totally still until you open your hand outside, then they lift off and head straight for the nearest feeder!

Ha, ha, ha, ha.

We just moved into a new house, so I can't speak for previous years, but we have quite a few regular hummingbird visitors, including some ruby throats. We've seen at least 7 or 8 hummers a day in our yard, and we don't even have any feeders. They love our fuchsias and the yellow honeysuckle one one of our fences. We definitely have more hummer traffic than we did at our former house (also in Salinas), where we did have a feeder.

I finally have a regular at one of my feeders. It is quite small, so I would guess it's a youth that hatched out this year.

Good for you, Jennifer!

I think I have the same two RT hummingbirds flitting around to my five feeders. They are in hog heaven.

Very sparse numbers compared to last year when they were all duke-ing it out for superiority. But last year I had Hibiscus plants on the deck and I think that made all the difference. They were always 'into' those--morning, noon and night.

My butterfly count is way down too. But I believe all the 2005 research says it's been a minimal year for butterflies around here, too. Storms, I guess.

From reading the posts above--those with high counts seem to be south and west. Midwest and east locations don't have a lot of sightings to report...

I don't imagine the butterflies in MS, TX and CA are all ruby throateds...?

Thanks for posting. t.

Just stumbled upon this thread. I have so many of the hummingbirds here in East Texas. I have 3 quart sized feeders which I rotate filling (one per day so no sour nectar there). They are swarming and in all the little trees in the yard. Yesterday in one group I counted 27. But there were way too many to try to count up in the crabapple trees. They are feediing on the sugar water and also the numerous flowers in my yard. A preference seems to be the red clerodendrum, the bougainvilla, and firecracker fern. There are some ruby throats but not all. Jenny

I still have my one little one. It's a baby because it's so little and not familiar with things. It's still scared of me right now. If it notices me it will fly up close and look at me then fly off. Where are this child's parents?!

You do have a way with words. :-)

k-blond, they kick 'em out and no coming home again. Birds are like that, yea they are. Once the babes can fly. they seem to get about one more days worth of attention and that's it.

Oh my, then my little hummer needs to find friends quickly!!

yep, them instincts better kick in - quick!

It happened, it happened. Two red-neckhummers just appeared at my new feeders (containing NO red coloring). Maybe the drought is ended.

They are back in force. Hope the hurricanes are gentler this year down around Florida. Give them a year to build up.

I can't even count the ones that are visiting my flowers and feeders. I am making nectar twice a week now.

Mimidi~

How many red-necks are you getting?

My Mom is filling a large feeder each morning. I have seen over 10 on her front porch at one time!

I was trying to take a picture of a group of 4, at my feeder yesterday, but now was very good. I will try again. They are so fun to watch.
Teresa

If you haven't already, you can vote here on whether your Ruby throated HB April-May population was up or down. The Hilton Pond Site has also compiled the results of the survey so far, and the results are kind of interesting:

It looks like the SE Atlantic states really had a drop in reported HBs visiting feeders this spring. The other areas of the country did not show such significant differences...

http://www.rubythroat.org/Poll2005Abundance.html

tabasco~

Thanks.. Did it !


and, Blue~

You guys are lucky!

Thanks, t.

I voted too.

Flyboy I am assuming that you mean like in hummers and not Jeff Foxworthy's rednecks.

I really don't know how many. I had my first one March 15 this year a week earlier than last year. I had them on and off until mid-June and then they really started showing up. I can't count them because they are just too fast. I know there are 6 that visit the feeder that is outside my computer room window and I don't have any idea how I can count them when I am in the back around my flowers. They are constantly flying around. I just know I have more than enough to make me happy. Will be glad to share with others.

I do expect more to show up as it get closer for them to head south for the winter. This is want happened last year.

That's it: Ruby - Throated.

They seem like rednecks to me (no offense, rednecks. I am a transplanted Bostonian.) Those boys are real territorial, and drive the ladies away, if they can.

We should be getting more, I think that these are the youngsters.

Enjoy.

I agree with you about being youngsters. One of my sons told me he say about 8 around a feeder Saturday morning. I sure would like to get a picture of that but I always seem to be a day late and a dollar short.

mimidi~

The rednck drives the ladies away, so we never have more than one, feeding. If he's feeding, she's lurking. Some family !

The females around my feeders are just as scrappy territorial as the males. I know we have lots of young because we have several nests close by. I don't think its a gender thing - I think they're just cranky by nature!

tgif

You may be right.

I'm finally seeing hummingbirds regularly. I've counted about four at a time, but I know there are more, because of how often I have to refill the feeders. Last year, I changed it every 2-3 days, because I didn't want it to sour. Now I'm having to refill it because it's empty. It took forever for me to get them to come here, but it seems that once they did, they're here to stay. I've seen two with the red throats so far.

jdee~

You're lucky.

Actually, the four that I've seen keep fighting eachother off the feeder. I still only see one at a time feeding. they'll hover for a while, then feed, then they get chased away by another. lol

I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get them this year. I kept seeing one every now and then, but I didn't start seeing all this activity until the middle of July. I guess they were youths that hatched out this year.

Betcha you're right.

Earlier, I would have said we had fewer, but now I'm seeing about as many as I did last year at this time - about 5 at one time. Becky