2011 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds Vol. 1

Nice one Hack.
Another one from yesterday.

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It seems very hit and miss for most of us right now. Very nice photos Hack & burn!

Congrats Hack and burn on your hummers. I begun to find my hummer on a regular basis now. I see both male and female too. So hope they're nesting somewhere near by. They are more often seen here on this Salvia guaranitica I've planted in the front of the garden. I've Mesa azure and Mesa scarlet Salvias. But this one by far is their most frequent stops.

This little girl was here all day. I really hope she's going to stay!

I saw some when I went for a walk today and one was doing it's swooping "U"!

I couldn't resist...I bought this feeder yesterday at Walmart! lol

Looks like a good salvia to get for the hummers, love it's blue color.
Marna she's pretty, hope you get to enjoy her company, for the Summer.
Nanny Is that a stackable one like Dellrose's? I like it.

I GOT ONE!!! I GOT ONE!!! This is the only time I saw him and I was able to "shoot" him!! He's looking but found the wrong feeder. 15 hummingbird feeders and one oriel...and he gets the wrong one.

minnesippi, lol. At least he's gotten to one (feeder). lol. Nan, you and I got the same feeder at Wally World. lol. No burn, that's not stackable I don't rekon.

Congratulation Minnesippi. he must be disoriented, after that long trip. ;)

Congrats Minnesippi!!

Not stackable...just a shorter style. It holds 16 oz. tho and has feeding holes all the way around it.

Congrats everyone!

i saw a feeder the other day that was like a tube finch feeder, with ports all the way up the tube. Not sure how they keep that water in the tube though.

that does sound like a bad idea for a HB feeder!

it's this one

http://www.amazon.com/GARDNER-HOMESTEAD-4260-HUMMISICLE-HUMMINGBIRD/dp/B00249FKAA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Great photos everyone. Those little Ruby-throats are just as cute as they can be. Minnesippi, thanks for the laugh on your hummer/oriole feeder. It's the opposite at my house. Our orioles refuse to touch any of the feeders I got them so I gave up and just let them use the hummer feeders.

I just don't know.....

Duc, I had the same problem with the orioles and just about gave up. I found the one I have now one sell at the end of last season and decided to try it and they are really using it! This was the 4th oriole feeder I tried. They do seem not to use it as much after awhile though....so a normal process I think.

My little female still comes around a few times a day. In a few weeks the Firebush and Firespike (which both froze back last winter) should start blooming again. They were always the Hummingbirds favorites in my yard.

Another shot.

Hey GP, what do you do, if anything, to get your firespike to bloom? I have a container plant that I over-wintered and am wondering if I should start fertilizing or something.

I rarely fertilize mine. Once or twice a year I toss some plant fertilizer around for the shrubs. Mine was killed back to the ground and has all new growth, but blooms should be coming out anytime now. It has reached the size it was last year when killed back. It would'nt hurt to give it a little fertilizer, but if it's in a container, I would use liquid fertilizer.

I've been trying to read about growing it in containers, but can't find much info on fertilization. for annuals I usually fertilize with a bloom booster. It bloomed at the end of the season, but didn't under the grow lights during the winter.

gp and Marna, if we're talking about the same 'Firespikes' mine didn't bloom last year, I think because it didn't get enough direct sun. Although, I got great folliages growth, lush looking but no blooms, zip, nada. So I change my way; besides giving it a good dose of balance fertilizer this early spring. I give it full sun exposure. They're looking great now. Let's compare note during summer time.

Look at who was visiting my Pentas yesterday;

Thank goodness for the wingscapes camera, which caught this male adult at 11:22 am! :D

I'm glad you mentioned of your Wingscapes camera. I asked my DH to look into Best Buy for a bird cam. He took a look, asked, and the only people that carry them cameras are speciallized for pros. only (which costs about a couple grands). I was disappointed. Now I need to look up those wingscapes camera.

I just came back from visiting next door neighbors. Now I found out why I don't get all the hummingbirds. Because they do! LOL They've one single feeder, and there were 5-6 of them buzzing at it while the couple was sitting roughly arm-length from them having lunch. lol. They told me sometime they've as many as 30 something of them bird at a time. (Now Dellrose has competition!) LOL

Thieves!!! I sent you mail on the camera.

Thanks Marna, I'll check the mail.

Well, I had 2 hummers last month - a girl & a boy - but haven't seen them, or any others, since. I have a lot of hummer stuff blooming, & 2 feeders up, so where ARE they?! Frustrating (can ya tell?).

Carol, have you checked with your neighbors? LOL, I did. And all the the hummers where over their house. lol

Just had a male and a female out front!! I was beginning to think they didn't like the feeder changes...whew!

Got myself one, stopping by to check me out. lol

Oh, they are so tiny!

Cute one Lily!

Lily that pic does show how tiny they are...so cute!

Poor quality shot thru the window and screen but this is from late yesterday!

Here is a male Hummer from earlier this month.

and a female.

Well, Rose seems to be hogging ALL the Hummingbirds!

This message was edited May 27, 2011 6:20 AM

Well yeah....she does it every year!! lol

I just showed DH those pics.....he walked off dragging his chin on the floor.....

It's a good thing I like you so much Rose!

You need to call a bander with that many!