Is it me or do you have to get to our age (ahem, middle age, but I am assuming and we all know about THAT word) before our day just might be planned around a little bird watching? I wish I had appreciated these creatures when I was younger. All those years I had no idea how delightful a tale or Monterey's pictures would be to read, or share!
Do you still have hummingbirds?
Sometimes it is inherited. My Mother was a hummernut. We always had lots of feeders (for all kinds of birds.) I cannot remember not being on hummerwatch. They were definately HER hummers too. They would dive bomb my Father and I, but sit on a wire and Chat with Mom.
Like this.
Just like that! Lol! Doesn't she look sweet? Herself sits on the plum tree and gibbers constantly. The elder statesman out front positions himself on the Carolina jessamine that is looped across the walkway. He is our official greeter now. (Or cusser outer, it is hard to tell.) The youngsters make due.
Ladyannne, I think my DH will have to get far past middle age to enjoy bird watching. He thinks my gardening and bird/butterfly/bee watching is about as boring as it gets LOL. But I've loved this stuff my whole life. That's what happens when you grow up in a family where a "family vegetable garden" is at least 3 acres and each year Grandpa finds some little nearby patch of land to plant on and somehow manages to convince to owners to let him LOL. I sware that by the time he passed away, his summer vegetable garden was at least 5 acres in total! LOL He and my grandmother loved planting bulbs for fun as well and all this plant and gardening enthusiasm got rubbed off on my mother too....and then onto my siblings and I. Grandpa also always had at least 8 homemade birdhouses (large 24"x18"x18" hosues on 18ft poles) for "his" martins. He'd sit out and cuss at the sparrows trying to get at his martin houses LOL. In any case, a love of bird watching and gardening comes to me naturally. My DH will never understand LOL
-Julie
Salvia, it sounds like you were raised in one the most wonderful worlds possible! I hope, someday, that my kids carry on my love of gardening, wildlife and popping out to the garden to get your dinner.
I was raised with a nature freak mom. She was "Nature Nut" and I was "Night Nut." When we went camping, we had boxes of books that went along, trees, birds, flowers, rocks, snakes, tracks, you name it. We gardened and raised seventy five household pets. Yeah, we countes one day. I guess I let go of a great deal of that pursuing a career and raising a half dozen kids, mostly not mine! Now that almost all of them have flown the coop, and I met another garden nut, my life is back to 100% at home and 75% outside. My DH didn't have hummer fever until he met me and I brought hummers into his yard five years ago. Last month he was standing within a foot of a feeder when he got buzzed, then watched as she drank right smack in front of him. He spent at least a half hour in amazement, saying, "Those feet! Those teensy feet!" He didn't blink an eye when I made a bunny feeding station (3 x 4 x 2) for the loose bunnies in the front yard preparing for the storm over my head as I type. When he gets home from work, we grab glasses, cameras, toddies and go sit in the feeding frenzy area. That's his "come down" time. Life is grand. So grand.
OK, Georgians!! All of the prior entries seem to come from California and Texas. Are any Georgians, especially around Atlanta, still seeing our hummers? Do any of you leave the feeders out all year? If so, how do you keep the liquid from freezing? Or do you bring the feeders in when we go down to 32?
Where is Georgia?
I was raised on a typical cattle/grain farm in KY. We always had 2 big gardens. I can remember all that hoeing! I have wonderful memories of those simple days. Mom would always have a front row of zinnas. She grew lots of flowers, and still does. My sister and I plant the beds of annuals now ,but her and Dad take care of them.We help with the mowing also. He will not reduce the acre yard. Dad is 83, Mom is 78. They love to watch their hummers too. My sister made them a calender of hummingbird photos, made on their big front porch. It was a hit.
Teresa in KY
Hey Hotlanta,
I saw my last hummer on Oct. 10. I usually take the feeders in around Nov. 1. This year I may leave the one out for the chameleon family. They drink out of the ant trap all the time. But I think they hibernate when it gets cold. I'll probably take that one in then too. This year I saw a hummer (male) on April 5, so I'll probably put the feeders out again mid-March.
This was from 5:19 P.M. today(getting dark early).
Thanks, beclu727, for the comeback. I guess I'll take my two down soon. I haven't seen any for weeks. But I have heard, and read, a few do stay around all year. I was hoping someone around this area may be still seeing them.
They usually return to KY near the 1st week of April too.
hotlanta, there have been several different species of hummers caught and banded in and around the Atlanta area during the winter months. Most ruby throats have already left, but some western species or already in the area. You can leave your feeder out yr round. It will not completely freeze unless the temps get below 27 degrees for several hrs. You can take your feeder in after dark and put it back out before daylight or you can rig a flood light to shine on it to keep it from freezing. The only way to get an over-wintering hummer is to keep your feeder out. About every other yr I have had wintering hummers in my yard for the last 15 yrs.
Oh, I am getting a case of zone envy. I wish I could have hummingbirds all year long. I have been wanting to take the eagle tour at Barkley Lake, I could compensate with that.
My family viewed eagles last year at Reelfoot in TN. They are awesome.
For those who do not know about this site yet. Read it all and click the links for there is a lot of good information about the Ruby Throated Hummer:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html
Thanks, hummer_nut, for letting me know that there is a pretty good chance of seeing a few hummers through our winter. I thought I had heard and/or read something such as that before. Now I'm excited. I'm going to change the syrup that is still in my feeders today and put out fresh. Your response was just in time. I was planning on taking them down. And thanks, imway2dumb, for the web link. I went over there just a few minutes ago for a quick look. Lots of good info. Thanks guys!! And I do feel sorry for all that are in the colder zones. Hang in there until Spring :) :)
If it freezes I am going to wrap a towel or something around the feeder to keep it warm. when the sun comes up and the heat with it I'll take it off. I was taking pics of ice on plants last year when I was buzzed by a guy.If they are still in your area when it's cold they will come to your feeder. He is outside right now and it's 40f.
I really like taking fresh slightly warm nectar out in the mornings. They really seem to enjoy it on the colder mornings. I think they just might be spoiled?
Ladyanne, my hummers want to know your address. Lol. Mine are lucky to get it fresh from the fridge. It has been fun to watch them "sharing" the patio when it rains. They seem to have each picked a potted plant for "their" perch. The young ones were pretty funny as they had not been rained on before and fluffed and chattered their displeasure at being subjected to such an indignity.
The young males have now aquired their full red masks and are quite beautiful to see.
Its nice to know my favorite critter is doing well even if its somewhere else.
Frogs, aren't they grand? I can just picture it! Their antics go straight to your heart. Tell yours to fly north about, uh, 400 miles, and look for the red ribbons on the fences. Turn left and there are many feeders under the trees. Oh, but let them know they would be leaving behind a perfectly good mommy there!
Imway, they shall return, trust me!! But, yours are vacationing in Florida, me thinks?
I know they sell feeder umbrellas, but I ran into this 18" wire hoop on the street, something said "Pick that up" and home it went. When we were hit by a fierce storm last week, I watched the hummers sitting in the rain on their feeder, and felt so bad. Boink! A little visqueen, a little duct tape to wrap it around the hoop, punch a hole in the center and wa la! A feeder umbrella! They now sit there for a while after they eat, out of the rain. {insert smile here}
Or south Texas/Central America. Got a picture of that hummer umbrella?
Imway, I can most certainly take one. It's actually light outside this early now that we have done the time change. Unfortunately, it also means I don't see my morning hummer coming inside the doorway to say hello. Have to get up an hour earlier to see her now.
Maybe she/he will adjust their schedule to yours one of these days.
I doubt!! Tee hee.
Here it is. This is the top of it. The under side is pretty crude, the black plastic is wrapped around it and taped up as neatly as I could with duct tape around the edges to hold the black plastic is place. It is taped quite tightly. There are a few layers of duct tape underneath in the center to reinforce it before I punctured a hole to put the feeder through it.
I am sure given time, a better and prettier effort can be made. We noticed the syrup turning brown in our fiest sorm, we believe from drippings off the dirty trees or dirty trellis, so this was a very quick effort.
You could probably include some sort of ant barrier with that design as well. Very interesting.
Because it touches the feeder, and the ant barrier above it works sooooo well, I didn't worry about it. If you do come up with something, lemme know?
See, I am way too dumb! You allready have one. Sheesh, wutta dummy.
That's not dumb! It would help to combine them, if we could do it easily and safely! Hmm....we could make them and sell them, but have to improve the duct tape part, lol!!!
I kinda like the duct tape 'look.' Keeps my couch together, too. :-)
ROFL~~
Backyard 10 mins. ago. This is Darth.
Is that the black-chinned hummer? He looks friendly enough!
John
Don't know, but Luke snuck in while he was gone. Sun and shade shots, but I gottum.
This guy Luke is sneaky. Darth runs him off then he's back.
Off and back again!
Darth has a wing beat sound like the light saber in Star Wars. That is why he's Darth.
See Luke is smaller, but faster than Darth.
Tune in next time for the new Adventures of Luke and Darth in Hum Wars. Next , Attack at The Feeder!