2010 Ruby throated Hummingbird Vol.3

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Congrats hg on the lovely 4 hummingbirds. Oooooh, the snake! I'd get the "jimies" too but they're such helpful creatures in controlling rodents.

Entertaining backyard you have there, Tamara.

Yes Margaret it is very intertaining,you never know what you are going to see next.. Lily we let snakes be.Iam sure he was chipmunk hunting Id rather have him eat them ,than my cat !!!!

I heard that, Tamara. :-) I saw 3 hummingbirds on my two feeders in the front this morning. Wooohooo, so they're here to stay.

That's great Lily!

I had to take my hummer feeder down...it was taken over by a colony of carpenter ants which were the very large version some were 3/4 " long. Thought about the ant-moat idea, but I may try grease at the bottom of the feeder pole first or maybe under the squirrel baffle.

Burd, I don't know what kind of ants that invaded my feeder in the back. I left the thing there for a couple of days. Apparently it wiped out that small colony. They all drowned, I then cleanned the feeder out. Kept only water in it for a the duration. No more of those ants are seen around the area.

Woohoo, my hummingbirds are back, and they come to feed off and on all morning long. It rained early this morning, rain or shine. No matter, they both come to feed.

Burd - just a suggestion for something that works very well for me with any kind of ants. Not all my feeders have built-in moats & I don't like the way the add-ons drop the feeder lower.

Try this:

1) First wrap a piece of duct tape around your pole where it shows the least. (I actually wrap it "outside-in" so it doesn't get the pole sticky.)

2) Rub a little "Tree Tanglefoot" around the tape using a Q-tip, popsicle stick, cardboard, etc., so you don't get it all over your fingers (non-toxic, just very hard to get off). It doesn't take much.

If you're not familiar with Tree Tanglefoot it comes in a tube or tub & it's real purpose is to keep crawling bugs, etc off trees, but it was recommended to me years ago for Aphids & Whiteflies on plants (rub a little on a piece of bright yellow cardboard, wood, paper or plastic plate & hang on the plants. Good for veggie plants, too).

It should be placed on the pole where birds or other critters won't rub up against it cause they'll have a very hard time getting it off their feathers or fur.

This works like a charm. The first few ants might get trapped on the sticky. After that they'll just avoid it altogether. The sticky stays for a very long time.

I have Tree Tanglefoot that I've had for about ten years!! There's really nothing in it to go bad (Castor Oil, Natural Gum Resins & Vegetable Wax).

Oops, got so wrapped up in Tree Tanglefoot, I almost forgot . . . . . .

Nice hummer shot, Lily! Glad your hummers are staying around.
Looks like you won't be going barefoot for a while!

Awwww, I have all three females. What's up with that? Thanks N.A.N. What did you mean by 'going bare feet ....?' :-)

SNAKES!!

Ooooh that's fur sure! It was Tamara's with the copperbelly water snake. Last time I saw one it was a benign little one no bigger than my pinky. Still snakes do give me the 'jimies'. I like that expression. First time I 'heard' that expression was on DG (by Tamara I think).

Sorry, Lily. I didn't mean to be sending you Tamara's snakes!

Sorry Tamara. I wasn't trying to give your snakes away!

Happy Hummers to both of you. Glad you've got more coming around.

N.A.N. you're lovingly forgiven. Let's all enjoy nature. Beautiful time of year when the hummingbirds are visiting everyone. :-)

Congrats everyone who has new hummers! I've loving everyone's pics.

PS Don't cha dare send me any snakes.

I will keep my snakes...LOL Iam not too put off by them ,Id rather see them first,dont like getting STARTLED....Still get the jimmies though LOL.I know I have to share my space with all those critters. Lily glad your hummers are back,I think Ive got 4 now,hoping its 2 of each not sure yet.I wish I would have know panisonic made an 18xlumix,I have a 10x lumix and I love it,great little camera.OK now here is my DH made ant mote,water bottle cut in 1/2 you will use the top 1/2,take the cap off drill a hole in the cap a bit larger than the diamiter of the feeder pole,mine are shepards hooks,rerod, put the cap back on the bottle 1/2 slide it up on the pole from the bottom,now use some silacone to seal it up in the cap and bottle neck,let it dry a day then fill with water .We have had them in place for 3 yrs now,not pretty but it works holds a nice amount of water,the finches drink out of them too.We moved the ant mote down farther,if I would paint the out side of it wouldnt look so bad.it works and it dosent dryout everyday

Thanks N.A.N. and Tamara for the tips on creating ant-moats. I'll look into that should the needs arrive. I think this 'feeding station' is more for me, than the hummers. It's out of the way and it's hard for me to spot a hummingbird on it. But hopefully one of these hot summer days, I'll find one or two (hummingbirds) on here. This morning an Eastern Kingbird visited the site though.

Tamara, your pix with the different visitor at the feeder; I couldn't help but chuckle. I've 3 here that are kings to all my birds. The birds just sat and waited their turn when those visitors are around. lol. I've to plead to DH not to shoooo or treat them too harsh. There They were here first, after all.
They're quite comical if we watch them closely.

This message was edited May 30, 2010 2:21 PM

Lily ,beautiful area,where are you located in Alabama ? we are heading to gulf shores on the 10th.Oh robins eat grape jelly too..I dont shoo either...

Tamara, we're right smack in the center of the State. Several hundreds miles from Gulf Shore. We're near Nascar country. Have a nice trip. I wished I could go too. :-)

Season's been pretty much a bust so far. I've had maybe 4 brief hummer sightings. And my yard's been infested with spidermites, aphids, lacebugs, you name it.
I've used insecticidal soap & released beneficial critters. Fingers crossed.

FruitOfTheVine,
Promise - no snakes for you!

Tamara,
I've read some great reviews on the Panasonic Lumix in both the 10x & 18x. Most people seem to be very happy with them. One of these days I'd like to get a camera that will allow me to take closer shots of birds & other critters, but without the investment that an SLR would cost. I also have been paying attention to the assorted cameras other DG members have.

That's an unusual "bird" at your feeder. Do they migrate or are they year 'round visitors? (I love the pic!)

By the way, great idea on your ant moat.

Lily,
You're welcome for the idea, but it doesn't look like you'd have much of an ant problem where you are.
If I were a Hummer, I'd spend lots of time at your "feeding station". It's beautiful with a beautiful view! Can't blame the Kingbird. It's a very inviting spot!

Ant Moat/Deterrent Update
I forgot to mention that Black Electrical Tape also works for the "ant deterrent" I described in my last post. You wrap it around like you normally would on an electrical cord & then rub the Tree Tanglefoot on it. It doesn't show as much as Duct Tape if you're using it on a black Shepherd's Hook pole and you can use it with the sticky side right on the pole. I've used both types of tape with great results.

No hummers here. :(

Man we are really busy here! I just can't seem to get any darn pics on the front feeder yet.

This feeder is very popular too!

Sorry Marna that you haven't seen any. Nan. Is that a male, if it's tell him I've 3 girls down this way. lol.

I swapped out the feeders, hung this one up while I took the other two down to clearn out. It took these babes no time flat to seek it out. There are two females, you know... the rest of the story .