Ruby-throated Hummingbirds Vol. 7

In the hosta.

Nice pics burn and Rose! My Monarda has faded so I'll be cutting it back.

Thanks Pelle, will your Monarda flower again? I've never cut mine, maybe I should for a second flush?

I cut 1 stem a long time ago and its taking forever to come back.

The Hummingbirds are still going up to each flower that even has 1 single petal on it.

This is such an enjoyable place to visit. It's so wonderful for me to see the images, so I can only guess the pleasure you all get from seeing them live, with sounds that goes with it. Wonderful pics dellrose, burn and nanny.

Pelle - I wonder if fertilizing your Bee Balm with Bloom Booster would help get it blooming again?

Totally AWESOME photos everyone! Some amazing shots!

Bradh616 - thanks for that link! I never saw that one before. I think there's one of those in my future!

Here's a Juvie, and the name of the plant escapes me!

I couldn't figure out why the Hummers were swarming me as I was trying to get a few shots...I was sitting in this chair using the the old ladder as a blind and tripod! LOL!

They acted like I was invisible!

One more!

So, Rose ... You can just park it there on the chair behind that ladder and the hummers don't see you or are intimidated by you? All it takes is a ladder to make a hummer blind??? LOL! I gotta try that idea!!!

Great shots from everyone!!

LOL Becky! I bought the chair for $3 at a yard sale intending to sit a potted plant on it and the ladder I bought intentionally to use like a tripod...I had no idea it would double as a blind! It was kind of funny...all those Hummers buzzing me and the chair! I guess they really do like red! The chair is really comfy too!!

Rose - I don't get a lot of hummers at one time like you do. And when I do get one, they are kinda skittish. I always thought it would be cool to have a bird blind somewhere strategically placed in my backyard near the feeders. :-) I wear a red shirt in the yard sometimes, but have yet to be buzzed by one. lol

When I captured one of the hummers on video, I set the camera on a tripod, turned it on, and then left. Hummer came to the feeder within 5 minutes, so I was able to capture it on film. But if I had sat there waiting for it ... I probably wouldn't see it at all. LOL!

The ones here will get right up in your face as long as you don't have a camera in hand!!

Ain't it the truth! Story of my life ... the photo opportunity that got away! :-)

Nice Rose!

I think that is a Lantana.

Thanks Marna....yes that's right it is a Lantana! Just couldn't think of it!

Rose, maybe you could put a red hair scrunchy around the lens.

Very nice shots Rose!

I am afraid that my days of summer birds are dwindling fast. It is strangely quiet outside this morning. I haven't seen a thrasher for 3 days. Only a couple of orioles at the buffet table today and 1 catbird.

Not hearing as many towhees or Indigo Buntings either. :(

Well d**** that CRS!

Poor Papa is starting to molt.

Beautiful pic Dave; he is a bit rough looking. :-)

"I am amazed by your shots of multiple hummers at one feeder. I have one feeder with 4 ports and I only get one at a time, but I have 2 couples in the area. They just fight and dive bomb each other constantly. How is it that yours get along? Occasionally I will see both females feeding for a short time - never 2 males. Never even a male and a female. What is the secret?!"

One tip is to have more than one feeder. A male will try to guard several feeders, but the other hummers will fight him off. There is always a lot of fussing and dive bombing during the day, but just before dark, they will all settle down to fill up before bedtime. I have four large Perky Pet feeders up. We used to have eight, but we got tired of devoting all our time to the hummers!

When the first feeder goes up in the spring, there is always a bully male who guards it. I wait til several other hummers show up before hanging my other feeders. Then I replace the bully's feeder with an empty one! The other hummers naturally go to the other feeders, but he will continue to guard the empty one, losing a lot of his influence over the group.

This late in the season, the females are aggressively defending their young at the feeders, so we are seeing more hummers.

You will naturally have more hummers next year because all of this year's juveniles will be coming back to your yard.

Thanks Mima - those are some great tips! I will get some other feeders and hang them in different areas to try to reduce the fighting a bit, and I'll try the empty feeder trick as well. Very sneaky! I appreciate your sharing your advice on this - it'll be sure to help out my hummer population in future.
Claire

Don't separate your feeders! Keep them in a close group (2-3 feet apart). Otherwise, you will have individual bullies guarding each one scattered around your yard. I have one who guards a huge bed of phlox and another who guards the hostas. Entertaining, but annoying!

Ahhhh! I see! Another very useful tip. The one I have is on a hook in my front garden. I will get a couple of similar ones and place them on similar hooks 2-3 feet away from the original. I can't tell if there are any juveniles trying to feed. They all look the same to me (except I can tell the diff btwn male and female). I hope they have already had their babies and that they will come back next year. Time will tell...

Thanks!
Claire

The best I can tell, the juveniles look a lot like females, and if you pay close attention, the juveniles are a tad smaller......sorta like undernourished adults. We keep our feeders close to our living room windows where we sit and watch tv and/or our birds! They hang on an arbor, so they are out of the afternoon sun. That way, the nectar doesn't get too hot.

Do you all really think the hummers are starting to migrate?? It isn't even August! I attribute our increased numbers to mamas bringing the juveniles to the feeders.....

Yes the banders down south are reporting this.

Rose, Would you like to start Vol. 8 ?

Sure thing Pelle and thanks for asking! Here is a link to the new thread Vol 8 http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/884341/ .