Let's Talk about Hummingbirds and Their Migration Vol. 2

FOTV I love your feeder..is that glass?? Don't feel bad about the hawk killing the sparrow.. I know you know it's natural.. & yes it is heartbreaking..but maybe this will help.. the hawk is not in abundance like the sparrows are & I think God has the hawk as "sparrow control"! :0)

My trumpet vine is in bloom this year.. I am so happy.. I first thought it was a honeysuckle..but it has yellow/brown flowers & not red. I am still happy though as it will also help the hummers.. I have it at the back of my house so they will get some privacy, since I don't go back there often!!
Haven't seen "my" hummer in a few weeks!! but I still have the feeder & change it's nectar often. I am not giving up hope! hahahahaha

It's glass, Cindy. We were in Lowe's the other day and saw the same feeder for $15.

We have 2 males now. Sure hope they bring their dates soon.

Hi Cindy, Can you get a photo of you blooms on the vine? They almost sound like Crossvine which is another one hummers love. :-)

thanks FOTV... I will look out for one at "our" Lowe's.
I have a pretty glass feeder but the stopper does not fit well... do you kow if I can buy a stopper at a store..or do I have to get one online. Are the stoppers "one size fits all"? As this glass feeder I have was in a basket that I "won" so there was no package with it.
This stopper fits my original glass feeder, but I wanted a multiport before putting up any others.

Pelletory.. I did take pictures of the vine, but being a "die hard" film person I have to do it the old fashioned way & get them developed.. soon I hope! hahahahahahahahahaha

I'm so glad to learn that Hummers enjoy the crossvines too. These are in blooms now, I'm honkering down to see more of the hummingbirds this season.

Yes Lily.. I found the tag to my vine & yes it is a "Tangerine Beauty Cross Vine"... only mine is a little more on the brown/gold than orange..though orange is in it.. hahahaha..of course. Now I just have to find a good trellis..& size, as I have it in a container & it's needing to grow "up" somewhere.

Sorry Cindy I forgot about your using film. Crossvines are beautiful!

Congrat Rose & FOTV on your hummers!! That feeder is pretty. I just know I will have one any day now. I found a nice red mondara today to replace my lobelia that died over winter. The apple tree is blooming so orioles & hummers should be here real soon!

Woooohooo, the hummers are here to stay. Saw it at the feeder in the front yard. It avoided the noisy front yard and touring the back yard instead. Couldn't yet get a pic. of it though.

Very good Lily!!

Last year I rec'd a nice start of a Fuchsia monarda in a trade and think it's amazing how well it survived our snowy Winter. Can't wait for it to bloom.

Beautiful pic of your Crossvine, Lily_Love and Congrats!

If somebody posted this link before, I apologize. However, for anyone that is looking for a new birding experience, try out this new hummingbird feeder. The downside is that it costs $80.00. But, you could probably rent it out, or sell some hummingbird time, at your own residence.

http://heatstick.com/_eYe2eye.htm

Click on the photo entitled "Chris makes a new friend" to view the video.

That's cool Linth!

what a cool feeder..only I don't think I could stand still long enough & scare the poor bird off! hahaha

Pelletory..that's ok (re; film) .. I sometimes forget that most people have digital.

Lily.. you are so lucky to have your hummers!! I haven't seen "mine" since the first sighting.. "he" may come really early though & I won't see him then.

Got another Black Knight butterfly bush the other day.. it was "owed" to me by Springhill Nurseries as last year the other one arrived dead.. so they wouldn't replace it until this year.. & in the meantime I had found one on sale at Lowe's & it is doing well.. so this new one has arrived much healthier & I have yet to find a place to put it! hahaha. I think last year with the Black Knight being new on the market, the nursery couldn't have grown/propagated..whatever.. it enough. I am going to go out later today to get a small container for it, then if it grows too big I will transplant it next year. I am pretty certain I am going to put this one in the front of the house/yard as the other one is on my east side.The front of the house is on the south/west side.

Getting rain today...yeah..but it's going to go on all weekend & it's only a on again/ off again rain! hahaha.. I just hope it's not going to be one of those summers where it rains every weekend!!! ( As rain is forecasted for next weekend too!).

I've had two pair around since I got back from TX. They seem to be feuding over the feeders. I have 3 out, so maybe they will both stay. Got a pic of one of the females today and I'm not sure if it's a RT or BC. Bill looks a little longer and curved like a BC, and the wing tips look rounded and fuller. Not sure yet.

Wow redirt... looking at one of my books there may be a way to tell... a BC is really tiny compared to the RT... you're right, females of both birds are very similar.

I'll probably have to get a good look at the males to tell. I've not had a good look in sunlight at either. Raining again today.

She's so sweet, reddirt.

Thanks for posting the photo reddirtretiree, Nice to see one! Still none here yet , I'm kinda surprised, They were here earlier last year.

"Desperate for Attention" confession":
The male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds should be migrating through here over the next 2-3 weeks. I usually don't see them in my yard, I just hear them zinging by overhead. I don't have any trouble attracting them on their way back south, but I get very few on their way north.
I didn't go so far as to paint my roof red - but I did put red reflectors on the rain gutters over my window-mount feeders.

How creative that's!!! Bravo, pollengarden! Well guys, Saturday I saw a female RT, I think she was very close to me, nectaring on my flowers briefly and zoom, she flew away when she took a good look at me. Not sure if either the male or female returned today. I'm putting out more red flowers out such as verbena and Pentas into the garden today. Various salvias too. I have yet made one of the hummers my 'lifer'. So this year-- wish me luck. I'm gonna make one. lol.

Oh..I can see Mrs. Ed doing that!!

Very creative Pollen!!!!

Nanny, LOL, I was just thinking out BRILLIANT that was. Perhaps several of those in a landing strip pattern! I think my next patio umbrella will be red too!

LOL, Pollengarden, this is the cutest idea I've seen anywhere!! You should send that photo to a birding magazine.

Red, glad to hear you're enjoying hummers.

Very cool pollengarden! I doubt my hubby would let me put anything on the gutters though. I do have a big red hummingbird spinner/eyecatcher below the deck where my feeder hangs that I see the hummers fly up to (that is when they actually show up...rrrr). I added a hanging fuschia next to it last year, but I haven't been able to get a good fuschia yet this year.

I hope I see a hummer this week, because I have to be gone for work next week. I did notice that something "mauled" my oriole feeder overnight Sunday. I cleaned and filled it Sunday, but then found it yesterday empty, dirty and the perches were retracted! Weird. Maybe a crazy squirrel?

No Hummingbirds in my yard yet - but I could hear them around my Mother's yard - she is only 30 minutes west of here.

My husband didn't want me "attaching" things to the rain-gutter, either. But when I told him I bent the wire around the top rolled edge of the gutter, that I did not put a hole through the gutter, he was okay with it. Especially since it was too late to do anything about it without dragging out the hated step ladder.

pollengarden, that's the most clever idea of using reflectors I've ever seen. Having Hummers that close it shouldn't be long before you start seeing them.....hang in there.

I don't know where our two Male RT Hummers went? We haven't seen them since Sunday.

No hummers here yet, have had the feeders out for a few days now. The weather has been really nice so was disappointed with the no show;-(

Well - duh - it just occurred to me, I may have had Hummers here - since I was over at Mom's I may have missed them.

I haven't seen any here yet. With only 1 feeder out it may be that I don't see one of the early males. I was happy to see that my Red Trumpet vine was finally starting to leaf out. It's way behind the orange and yellow ones but at least it's starting and I can't wait to see the blooms on it this year.

I haven't seen my hummers the last couple of days. These honeysuckle are ready for them however. Pelle, what zone are you in? 7a I gathered? Your blooms on the vines will be around the corner.

Hi Lily, My Honeysuckle is already blooming, the Trumpet vine is always a later bloomer. Yes 7a is my zone. :-)

7a. drool.

My scarlet dropmore honeysuckle is getting lots of buds. weeee.

I haven't had my hummer back since the last time I told you all... boo-hoo. However, I am diligently changing the water & hoping the little fella is coming in the wee hours of the morning before any of us are awake! hahaha.. more wishful thinking than anything! haha

I have changed the feeder twice (cleaned/refilled) and will again in a couple of days...problem is the cool nights 35f and the temps are not steady yet during the day up here along the lake. I thought by now someone would have started the Ruby thread, maybe we will all get them at the same time.

We had 3 males the other day but have only seen 2 for the past few days. I don't think either of them are camping in the yard but I do see them several times a day.

Yappeedoooo!!!!! Congrats Rose. I want mine, and I want it now. lol.

What a nice picture dellrose and congrats! Me too Lily-love!! lol