I'm enjoying my first summer in a new location with a new garden. I have quite a few colorful flowers that seem to attract butterflies, in particular, a yellow lantana that the butterflies LOVE. I posted a picture on one of the other forums, & someone kindly identified it as a Papilio glaucus. I've seen monarchs & other less distinctive butterflies, too. But a few weeks ago I believe that I saw a hummingbird darting around my Norway spruce tree. Is this possible? It's a HUGE tree, a good 4 stories if we had a bldg to measure by, & it has lots of green cones on the upper two thirds. At first I thought it was a dragonfly, but I watched it for a couple of minutes zipping from cone cluster to cone cluster. I live in southwest Ohio in zone 6. I know just about nothing abt hummers, but this certainly seemed odd. I was looking at the back of the bird which seemed to me to be a green slightly brighter than the spruce cones. Is this possible or should I get a psychiatrist?
Hummingbird in odd location?
I saw my first hummingbird in the back yard last week. I have been gardening since the mid-sixties at various residences. The greenish bird was going from one butterfly bush to the other, then flying away and coming back to the same shrubs. Mine resembles what you said about the color. I was intrigued ... and still am, since I can't identify which type hummingbird it was. Does anyone know? There was no way that I could take a picture of it. It was constantly moving.
Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Guys, I'm not sure if you could tell from the back especially from a distance. Rubythroats are more common but it could also be a Roufus. I'm not familiar with which Hummingbirds go through Ohio. Heres an immature male Rubythroat.
You will only find Ruby-Throated in Ohio. they are mainly green. probably eating bugs around your spruce tree.
whoops, that's not the pic I meant to post
edit to add: you can see some of the iridescent green on the back in this pic. and the closeup is deceptive...they are tiny
This message was edited Aug 25, 2006 7:41 AM
It was back today! ---- Or perhaps a relative :-) This time he zipped around my royal purple gladiolas & then was gone. I don't know how anybody gets a picture of these guys; they're here & gone in a jif.
I have window feeder with the suction cups. some of them will perch to eat, some of them hover the whole time. and they come around the same time every day, too. we have several different birds now. you kind of get to know them.
gram
Hi, goshsmom-- Soundls like you are having lots of success with your new garden!
Yes, I don't know where exactly you are in Cincinnati, but we see lots of Ruby-throated hummingbirds in our neighborhood and in the parks around here.
We put out 4 or 5 HB feeders and get lots of business at them--about 10 or 15 birds in the mornings (and all through the day), so if you like them, I suggest you pick up a few of the little feeders at Home Depot or the hardware store, fill them with some nectar (4 parts (hot) water to 1 part white sugar) and enjoy them for the few weeks left that they will be here! (they will come back in April-May)
Here's a site that will give you more information on the Ruby throated HB if you are interested-- http://www.hummingbirds.net/rubythroated.html
If you like Butterfly Gardening there are lots of good sites and articles on the Internet for flower suggestions too-- http://butterflywebsite.com/articles/constructlist.cfm?type=gardening
Ohmigosh, there are two! They both came today at the same time. They stopped again at the gladiola, & some salvia I have called "black and blue." They stopped by the cosmos & another salvia before checking out the evergreens. I am so enthralled with them that I can't leave to go get my camera. Thanks for all the info, folks--- I'm hooked now!
Hi, Tabasco! As in the road? I'm on that "other" side of town, in Westwood. (Never knew that east & west side rivalries were so intense until I moved to Cincy!) Thanks for the suggestions & the links. BTW, do the hummers return to the same spots year after year? I'm trying to decide abt the best spots to site a nectar feeder or two. I'd love to get them a little it closer to the house.
Well, yes, they say they do return to the same spots, but researchers can't be sure. It's worth a try--I would get at least a couple of feeders since the birds seem so controlling about having their own feeders and don't like to share too much...hang them on tree limbs about 8 or 10 feet off the ground, sometimes it helps to hang a red ribbon or cloth on them at first so the birds can easily find them.
Maybe put one near your garden and one closer to the house...arrange so that the raccoons can't get at them. Some people hang them from their porches on hooks.
We have the suction feeders for the windows, too, and the birds actually love them the best here. I just don't know if yours will come up to the house since they seem to be new to your yard and perhaps just passing through in their southern migration.
goshsmom--We live in Anderson, somewhat near Tobasco Road actually, in Woodland Mound Park. We moved to Cincinnati 2 1/2 years ago and have been enjoying it. I hope you are finding it a nice place to live, too!
Thanks, Tabasco! It's possible they were here last year or previously--- I moved into this house last fall. The evergreen trees were here, then, but not the flowers. In any case, I'm certainly going to try & lure them back, they're just wonderful to watch.
Before last year I had never seen a hummer in person. I didn't think I would get any in the middle of the crowded suburbs, but I planted red lobelia and put out a few feeders and they came. I put out more feeders, more hummers. Last year I had 13 feeders up and a virtual hummer circus.
This year I only have 7 up so far and probably won't get to 13, but I still have quite a few ruby throats fighting it out with each other and me, lol.
We also get an occassional rufus here too, I haven't seen one but I hope they keep comming.
You might find this thread amusing and interesting: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/536491/
Maureen
maureen--I remember when you started setting up your hummingbird and butterfly garden! It seems like you have had great success!
I thought I had a lot of feeders up with five--but 7 or 13?! You are really on a roll!
And how is your butterfly garden? (Or I suppose really that is for another thread. Sorry.)
Hi Tabasco,
The butterfly garden is turning out pretty good, I am trying to raise about 25 caterpillars now to release the butterflies, it's really fun :)
I re-read that thread about crabby hummers and I see I was getting a crowd of them about the same time last year; around mid august, maybe due to migration. This year only 7, maybe 8 feeders--they are alot of work especially when it's hot and must be changed often, but the hummers are worth it!
Maureen