Hello everyone;,
All you folks living in the southern states, please keep your hummingbird feeders full..... All my little jokers have left now for their long journey south.... Had alot of fun here with em this summer and sad to see them leave....Hope they all make it to their winter homes......
Enjoying everyones pictures and stories, now that I can find some extra time to read them....
Hope everyone had a great summer .........Sure was a busy one here this year...
....Dave
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#3
Interesting photos. My hummingbird feeder is kept almost full all the time now so the hummers heading south can get a full stomach. Last night I saw something that really made me think. The dominant hummer in my backyard was actually sharing the same feeder with three other hummers whom I am pretty sure were migrating.
This is the first time I have seen this at my house. I mean the dominant hummer in my garden would attack a hummer that just looked at the feeders. Then all of a sudden he is sharing.
Thanks,
Chuck
Our summer hummers are still here, feeders are kept fresh and full for them and any migrants. Always glad to see them, I'll miss them when they're gone for the winter!!!
Great photos! Not very shy are they!
Great shots. I would love to have one that close to me. That one seems pretty friendly.
And Thea great to see you back. I started a whole thread for you as I really missed you.
Leslie
Great shots :o) Must gloat that we get hummies all year long out here :o) The majority of them migrate but there are always a handful that I see everyday in my yard as well as gobs more at the local butterfly parks. We don't have harsh winters...we're lucky if it gets below 70 on the worst of days!!! :o)
~ Cat
That would be way cool Cat to have them all year long but I must admit I do like to have a little cooler temps than you get. We have so many bugs around here if it does not freeze for a good bit of time they stay around all winter. And I do like it to get cold at least a couple of times a year. But it would be cool to have hummers all year.
Leslie
Leslie...
Yes...I often wish for cooler temperatures when our thermometers go over a 100 during the Summer!!! That doesn't seem to bother the hummies though...and they enjoy it when I fill their feeders with the refrigerated nectar :o) it's only stays cool for a few minutes with that hot weather but they are zipping around and squeaking when I take the feeders down and they are right there ready to guzzle it as soon as I hang them back up. I am always amused when they start buzzing my head - guess that's their way of telling me to hurry it up :o)
~ Cat
It can’t believe it's that time of year already, sure has seemed like a long summer with the drought but very short for watching the butterflies and hummers!
I’ll miss them and my feeders will be full for a long time never know when you’ll get a stray!
Cat,
I have often thought that the hummingbirds recognize me as the carrier of the food. They seem to hover around the food when I bring it out.
It is a wonderful feeling...
Thanks,
Chuck
I kkep mine out until the first frost. I know all of mine have left for their winter grounds but I did have a little female on Sunday who seemed to just be passing through. I swear they rememeber the places that have the food sources!!
Speaking of hummies...they are coming out in full force. I counted 14 in my yard yesterday morning. Fighting over two feeders so I added two more feeders to the back yard. They are soooooooooooo cute!!! They were out early this morning as well...the sun wasn't even out - not yet 7:00am and I could hear them squeaking. They are quite acrobatic when it comes to flying under my back porch roof and zipping around all the windchimes and suncatchers I have hanging from the eaves.
~ Cat
Things are changing here. All summer, I've had what I think is a family of hummers, in a small live oak in the yard. I hang my bird (seed) feeders off the limbs of the tree, and the bird bath is under it as well, so I'm always out there doing something or other, and I hear them up in the tree squeaking away. Plus there are always three or four of them hanging around the nectar feeders in my gardewns, and chasing each other, it's been wonderful watching them!!!! But since the beginning of the week, I'm not hearing them at all, and I'm not seeing the activity at the nectar feeders. I've had one hummer now and then at the red blooms of my pineapple sage, but the constant appearances seem to have ended. I think the family has moved away, alas. It seems a lot quieter out there now!!!
A cute juvie photo from this morning. Was able to catch the ruby feathers when it turned towards the sun.
~ Cat
Isn't he sweet, I guess we're be back to looking at 'other' peoples pictures of hummers for a while and then even those will be gone, so sad! I'm already looking forward to next years hummers! My feeders are bare too, just see one hummer out there right now and he doesn't come around as much as he was but he looks so lonesome without someone to chase lol
Keep those pictures coming Cat, I'm gonna be jones'n real soon! lol
Lea
What a WONDERFUL picture, Cat!!!!
That is an awesome picture!
The hummers are just not allowed to leave, that's all there is to it!! I will be keeping my feeders up this winter to see if anything happens, though.
aw, cute picture Cat !
*Chuck, our hummers never share either - they are always buzzing eachother off, - how interesting that yours learned some manners !
Great juvie photo! I watched one through binocs a few days ago. We see only migrating hummers here - mostly in the fall. They chase and chase - and then at dusk they agree to share! I have lots of flowers for them - but keep 3 feeders going now - and one through the winter. I agree that they track where the food is - each year I have more hummers in the spring and fall migration than the year past. The same seems to happen with the butterflies as I plant more flowers to attract them both. I too miss them when they leave - usually the first week or so in October - so it is soon.
He sure is a cute youngin' I have only one hummer today (I think) The rest must know cold weather is coming. It seems they left earlier this year. Well, we have a had a longgggg dry summer.
Elaine
Numbers are lower here - about 5 or 6 a day. I know they are passing through every couple of days, because I'm paying really close attention to their behavior and characteristics. Only one mature male RT in the past few days. The rest are females or immature males. According to my records - it's about typical for their numbers and timing. I won't be here for early next week - that's when I recorded the last ones from last year.
Chuck, I have observed the same here every year. During the summer, we have a king hummer. Once we hit late September, sharing begins and we will have hummers on several perches at the same time. This lasts about a week or two then poof, they are gone. We leave ours up until the end of November, every once in awhile I will see a single bird stop to rest and eat.
Got lots of hummies flying about and found this little tyke on my back porch around 10am. Not sure what happened but it seemed dazed. Looks to be a juvenile and it's not a good flyer at all. I fed it some nectar and let it perch on my hand to see if it would fly away. It quickly climbed up to the highest spot and then did a "belly flop" down the grass. Didn't even try to flutter it's wings at all. Hmmmm....
I set it on a branch where it would get a bit of sunlight as the feathers seemed damp. It started to flutter it's wings...perhaps trying to dry them out? Anyway, have to head to work so I left it perched on a hanging basket near the feeders. Am hoping one of the parent birds will come to it.
It seems perky enough...but just sits on the basket watching the yard.
~ Cat
Here it is perched on an old hanging basket.
~ Cat
Oh Puddy, I hope he's safely back to normal and on his way by the time you get home! Wish he could leave you a note to say he feels better after his rest, and goodbye. I'm glad you were around to help him. He's beautiful!
On a positive note...I checked on it before I left the house and fed it more...sure can guzzle!!! Really fluttered it's wings and would start squeaking :o) I lifted my hand up into the air and got the little bird to fly about ten feet at a time. Fed it some and left it perched on a separate feeder in the shade. He really did look much better - am thinking since it was a juvie it flew out of the nest but wasn't strong enough to fly a long distance and ended up dropped onto my back yard (under a huge oak where the hummies usually nest). Must have hopped to my back porch where I found it.
I showed it to the dogs and told them "careful" and to "watch" it - one decided to curl up on the grass under the feeder - presumably to babysit in case it falls to the ground.
~ Cat
oh, poor little fella - I hope he's ok ! Very cool he sat on your hand, tho :)
So jealous that you got to hold it, I hope the little sweety is okay. Don't tell me if he isn't, pretend that he flew away to live happily ever after.
Awww, that's such a sweet little thing, pretty pudgy, too. :) And like Cathy said, just tell us all that he flew away to live happily ever after.
We still see a few here, but I think they are just passing through. I keep at least one feeder up all year just in case. I usually see my last ones about this time of year. Rumor has it that there are some rufrous (sp?) that over winter in GA, maybe 1 or 2 around the Atlanta area. I know its a very long shot, but it doesn't hurt to try. Just a little sugar water...
Great news!!! We all worried for nothing!!! :o)
I was really worried about that little bugger since I left for work and wouldn't get off until 8pm. I called up a retired friend of mine and asked him to go check on the little hummie. He called to say he found it still perched on the feeder....and this was at around 3pm.
Said when he got up close to check on it - the little bugger apparently got scared and flew up and perched on a nearby grapefruit tree and sat there squeaking at him.
Said he walked over to the tree and the little hummie flew over his head and landed on a tangerine tree that is about twelve feet away. Said he didn't want to scare the little hummie or wear it out so he backed off.
My buddy then told me he went inside to raid my refrig and then he went back outside to sit on my backporch patio to watch the other hummies zipping around my yard. He said he was sitting there for about ten minutes when the little hummie started squeaking and chirping and did a couple of flying jumps and landed back at the feeder I'd left him on.
My buddy said it started guzzling the nectar and there were other hummies coming to the feeder too but they didn't pick a fight with the little one. Said he was amazed because the other hummies were zipping back and forth and fighting in the air but whenever one flew down to the feeder they acted quite respectable. Go figure!!!
My buddy said he left about twenty minutes later and the little hummie was doing just fine.
I got home around 830pm and went to check outside but there was no sign of any hummie on the feeder. Am assuming the little tyke is tucked away snoozing on a branch somewhere.
~ Cat
Dave, I keep my feeders out until.. and change them often. Have lots of bright flowers too.
Cat,,, I "know" that baby will survive.
I keep hoping some of those rufous will show up in my yard.
Elaine
Whewwwwww....now I can sleep. I was worried, too. : )
~Lucy
That's awesome, Cat!! Great news!! :)
Oh Cat, that is awesome - what a great friend to go babysit a hummer for you - not everyone would do that !!!
That is too cute that the other hummers weren't trying to hurt the little guy. whew - nice ending
Glad to hear hummer is ok.. what a good friend.
Nite all,
Elaine
Cat - I LOVED the photo of the little guy sitting on your hand! How cool is that????!!! Y'all are killing me with these stories! I want a HUMMER in MY yard!!!! (sigh) lol
becky, I know one day you're going to have a post about your first hummer, and I for one can't wait !
but hey - you did have those cool owls!
