2014 Ruby-Throat Hummingbird Migration

I seem low on bees too. On the plus side, usually the japanese beetles are feasting on my virginia creeper by now. But it's full and lush still.

I should be seeing some adult males soon as a part of migration. Sad I know. I have lots blooming for them right now. sure wish they'd stay the summer.

Lots of Honeybees in previous years, very few this year.
However, this was always an unlikely location for Honeybees. When we had plenty of bees, I assumed they had hidden a hive in someone's attic. Now I presume something happened to that hive (someone probably called the exterminator, although I suppose Colony Collapse Disorder could have found us).

This message was edited Jul 23, 2014 7:20 PM

unfortunately I live "in town" and we can't have honeybee hives. I'd totally have some though if I could.

THEY'RE BACK!!!!! The female hummers and their young have arrived in the UP. It started as a trickle but now it seems there as many as I had last year. They finally usurped the bully male who owned our feeder and at times three can feed at once. The male photo was from last week the females were just this morning. A gray day so the resolution isn't too good but it shows their activity.

Many of the birds were here last year as they stopped at 2 places where we had additional feeders last year looking for the feeders. We are just running with the portable that can come in the house each night. They must remember all of the Nepeta and Monarda that we have here.

Still no butterflies, one Wood Satyr in the yard yesterday and I saw one Fritillary in the woods.

Yay Ottahand!

I am happy to report lots of traffic at my hummingbird feeders lately. I have 4 feeders placed around the yard and have watched the nectar level go down pretty quickly. Each one gets 12 oz. I usually refill about every 3-4 days(even if they aren't empty,i don't want fermentation) depending on the weather. Here lately, one of them is always empty at the beginning of the 3rd day. The other 3 are way lower than they've been. Next year I will put a feeder up on my porch to see them up close.

congrats. in my opinion, the fall migration has started, LOL. Okay maybe another month, but this is when I start to see them. I had one in my back yard too.

Congrats, everyone on the hummer activity!
My Agastache is blooming and my Cardinal Flower is close...even some new plants from the seeds I keep spreading around so the hummers should be happy.

We had some unseasonably cool wet weather here last week. The weather drove in a male Rufous. He was only here 2 days but he was the first I have seen in two years - so I am happy. And yes, he was definitely migrating. Males only come through Colorado heading south only. We do not get north-bound males or females at all.

Pollengarden - Congrats on the Rufuous!

My brother gets Rufous hummers every year...bunches of them, all summer. He's been feeding the hummers up where he is for about 25 years so he's built up quite a community of two or three different varieties. He lives up in the mountains in Clear Creek County at about 9500 ft.

Here is some of yesterday's activity. At one time there were 10 swirling around the feeder.

Here are a couple more from yesterday.

ottahand7 - that is a lot of hummers! I don't see any males, I suppose that is why they aren't fighting.

nutsaboutnature - I have relatives with property at around 9000 feet in Custer County. We do see more Hummingbirds at higher elevations. What does your brother do about bears?

Love those shots, ottahand!

Pollengarden - He takes down all his bird feeders at night. Most of the hummer feeders are hanging all around the perimeter of their upstairs balcony. He brings those in anyway to wash and refill each night. The other hummer feeders and all his seed and suet feeders that are not within easy reach, he has on pulleys that he can reel in from the balcony.

They used to only have one bear in the area and that system worked fairly well, but recently there have been more bears and one, in particular, is more aggressive. It's attacked his feeders during the day on a couple of occasions. He also had to remove all his bird houses due to that same bear.

My nephew (his son) recently moved right nearby my brother & sister-in-law with his family. He's had problems with the same aggressive bear attacking feeders during the day when no one's home. So it has become more of an issue in the last year or two.

Geez! thats alotta hummers!
I was all excited to report that I had 2 at once yesterday! Big Whoop!

scarlet, we take our victories where/when we can. two would be exciting for me as well.

The feeding frenzy continues - it is keeping me away from my gardening. We do have males in the mix but the females are the worst fighters. One guards the feeder and attacks, the only way for feeding to happen is when they come in en masse. We have a perfect spot for hummers - our spot is an acre clearing on a lake. I have the entire yard filled with flowers as my husband didn't want to mow a lawn. By dumb luck and what was cheap and seeded and spread we have a yard full of hummingbird favorites. The Achillea in the background, not so much. The female in the first photo you can see how her feathers are mussed from a peck on the back.

Hey ottahand7 - send some of those hummers to your neighbor here in Glen Burnie! I've still only had the 2 males back in May, even tho I've kept 2 feeders going constantly. I hate to wish the summer away but I'm holding out hope for the fall migration. The summer sure has been a disappointment. Not many swallowtail BFs either, & only 3 Monarchs. Wonder what gives?

I thought our hummer activity was increasing, but then it thinned out again...very unusual this year...not many hummers (so far), not many bees and almost no butterflies. What gives?

Ottahand - nice pics! Really enjoying them. So sorry your gardening is suffering, but watching hummers is tough work. You know..."It's a rough job, but somebody's gotta do it!" ^_^
Please keep the pics coming.

Carol, I'm hoping it picks up during migration in our area, too, but with how the summer has been I'm not even sure about that.

Ottahand7- looks like you have found your Shangri-La, the hummingbirds found theirs too. I would love to have no lawn, or at least just a tiny one. And the lake too...lucky you.

My hums numbers are still pretty high for my yard. I am filling the feeders to full and they are empty in about 2-3 days. The feeders are all small,the largest of 4 holding maybe 12 oz at most. I agree that the females are more aggressive in feeder protecting. Between the feeder skirmishes and the males being show offs with the J flying, I find myself spending a lot of time watching the airborne acrobatics, and putting off the housework.

I will keep the photos coming. I forgot to add that I know that there isn't another feeder for 1.5 miles which is down the lake. We are in the middle of a maple forest. I think it is easy for them to find their way home. The baby loon we have on the lake is now a teenager and going out with its parents. We wondered what the bald eagle was showing so much interest in and not being too timid around us. We would have had a great photo of it when we were out fishing the other day but my husband fired up his camera and the battery was dead. Whoops.

The first photo I called Ouch that Hurts.

An appropriate title. :-/

Wow Ottahand! I've never seen so many hummers at one time. That's awesome you get that much action.

I have a question, Has anyone used the window stick-on hummingbird feeders? Regular birds seem to have trouble with striking the glass and can hurt or kill themselves, but do hummers do this too?
I bought the suction cup window feeder on sale last fall and have not used it yet for fear of stunned hummers. I would like to bring them close up to me for photos. Any advice?

I used one and had no problems. the cheaper decorative type… like the first picture… never stayed for me and dripped terribly , so I only can recommend the hummzinger… second pix. Cat not included.

We used a stick on one for years - we didn't put it up this year because of the bears. Mrs. Ed is the cloth there to keep the window from getting splashed?

More photos of hummers, I have been cleaning up my memory card. As I zoomed in on a couple of photos that hadn't made the cut earlier and noted in 2 separate situations the hummers are fighting with their talons. They are tough fighters.

That's a piece of red plastic ribbon that I used to attract them to that feeder, it was early spring.

I like the window mount feeders for small amounts of nectar spring and fall, for the first and last few birds. They are less likely to freeze, and it is easy for me to monitor feeder use. You have to have a good suction cup and if it takes two, they need to be LEVEL.
One problem that I have had is that I have acquired a cat. She will climb up inside the window and press her face against the glass by the feeder. The regular customers eventually learn to ignore her - but it takes a while and the migrants never get use to those big bugged-out cat eyes.

This message was edited Aug 4, 2014 5:15 PM

Thanks for the info, I will put the window feeder up this weekend. I have cats of my own, and I have a couple of those suction cup window seats for them to enjoy the view of the bird feeder. my cats get that intense stare and make a chittering sound, almost like they are talking to themselves.
Mrs. Ed, I have a little one like the one in your first picture and mine did not stay stuck to the window. I got rid of the suction cup and attached the rest to a hanging planter with a couple bread ties.

Haha, our one cat does the same thing when she's on the porch and a bird come up to the feeder. It's cute to watch.

My cat chitters, too. She hasn't been around other cats, so it must be a natural behavior.

Same here.

Off topic but my cats love to do that with chipmunks. I throw peanuts near the window where they sun and it is a hoot watching them.

The hummers are still here. The ladies have driven the male away from the monarda patch so I can now get better photos with more birds in the patch. The monarda is covered with powdery mildew, we are in a terrible drought with

Very nice photos! You can almost see the wheels turning in that cat's brain. :-)

This message was edited Aug 12, 2014 4:48 AM

Beautiful hummer pics Ottahand!

Here is one today. They are really starting to fatten up for the trip south. If the mornings stay this cold I am afraid they will be leaving shortly. I haven't spotted a male in a few days.

My hummers are not getting noticeably plump, but are spending long minutes at feeders. I may up the sugar to water ratio from 1 to 4 to 1 to 3 soon.
Ottahand, You can have some of our rain here! My tomatoes are beginning to split from too much water.

Noticed yesterday that I am not seeing as many mature females. The females had dominated the front feeder this year. So I would guess that migration has started

The females are still here in the UP. I thought the 4 pound bag of sugar would last until we leave next Monday but I am afraid it won't. Here are some photos from the last couple of days.

Been seeing more Ruby-throated Hummers around - only females, though.

1- I planted some Cardinal Climber vines out by the birdbath and the R-t Hummers frequent the red trumpet-shaped flowers regularly. There's a female in the center of the frame.

2- Of course, one will be at the porch feeder and shortly another comes diving by to drive it away. I sit on my porch and enjoy the aerial combat - they zoom by within a foot on me sometimes. I can't ever remember seeing two+ hummers share a feeder.

3- She sure likes the feeder. I've tried other kinds of feeders (with the upside bottles) but this one is the one I like the most - doesn't ever leak. If you look in the background of the photo, you can see the raindrops. The hummers come and go, even in the rain.

Hack

This message was edited Aug 17, 2014 3:58 PM