a few already shared pics- hummers in my hand!

I've already shared these in other forums, but thought I'd also put some of them in the hummingbird forum. These are pics of me feeding the hummers.

Another one...someone showed this on DG a long time ago so I decided to try it and it worked.

One more..birds on their feeder.

Wow bb, how neat!!! How long did it take for them to do that?

About two minutes (lol) seriously !

Really? Did you start slow, like sit by the feeder first and then hold it?

No, first I heald the feeder in my hand and then I took the feeder away and held the cap of sugar water ..they came right to it. You can see it also in the Bird Forum..all in one morning. Started out a joke...really didn't think it would work but it did.

Awesome BB, I'm so happy for ya! Of course it worked. When you get them coming they will take to it readily, because they can react so quickly. Impulsive, if you will. Hummers are brave little guys!

Good job!!

I have never seen such a sight! Never seen that many hummers sitting at one feeder either.
Amazing! I've got to show these pics to my mom. She won't believe it either. Thanks for sharing.
Now I've got to try it.

Thanks Debnes, yes they are brave little guys. They don't even hesitate now...just sit right down and start drinking.

Sandra - THAT is CRAZY!!!! Seriously amazing!!! How cool is that!!!!???? Thanks for sharing your hummer feeding adventure! (I'm turning green with envy!!)

Becky, It seems I am also green with envy of you...you have butterflies and we only get them once a year for about two weeks. So did your red cups ever work ?

No way!! That is too cool!! I'm lucky to see a hummer around here so I doubt I'd be outside at the right time to try it. I could be out there forever!

I did see my first one this week tho, so that's a good sign. :)

Sandra - Nope! I've still not seen any hummers in my yard anywhere. (And I have NEVER seen a hummer in real life.) Saw a few sphinx moths and was almost fooled into thinking they were hummers. :-( I DO love my butterflies, but I would almost consider trading for hummers if I got as many as you have ............. and eating out of your hand! OH MY!!!!! Yes!!! I would trade places with you for even a single day! What a thrill that would be! The harder I try to get ruby-throat hummers to come to my yard, the more "obsessed" I've become! LOL! My yard looks like a sea of red nectar flowers! Thank goodness I really like red flowering plants. LOL! But such a waste, as I know the hummers would like all the food in my yard. Oh well....... I shall NEVER give up trying to entice them to come my yard! Heehee! (Even if they come put me in one of those white suits that tie in the back and take me away to a padded room! LOL!)

Oh Becky, I'm just sure you are going to have hummers soon!! I used to see more but the last few years have been sparce for me. Once they find me tho the best time to see them is when there is a light rain shower. They LOVE to play in the rain!!

awesome pictures!!!!

I think you either have them in your area or not, it would be like me hoping for butterflies. Yes, I put out the banana & beer bait and all, not a butterfly in sight to even come to it. I gave up and decided to just appreciate the many birds that I have here. Has anyone else seen them in your neighborhood ? The hummers seem to be going for my holly hocks right now, if that's any help. Maybe try hanging you feeders up as high as you can..but must the water needs to be changed every three days or they probably won't go for it.

I can see Becky out there putting up a twenty foot pool for her feeder (lol)

LOL! Good idea, Sandra! LOL! I just need a very sturdy pole to go up 20'! lol I do and did all the right things. It's truly got me baffled!

Yes! They are in my neighborhood. They have been seen at some of my friend's homes within a mile from me, at all the local nurseries, etc. ...... Just NOT at my house! And my yard is beginning to LOOK like a nursery for red flowers! lol I am going to try hanging colorful windsocks around my yard next. Got that advice recently. lol

betterbloom, i am right in the path for the hummingbirds...........we get them by the hundreds....the reason they haven't been drinking from my feeders is that I just found out that snapdragons are one of their favorite plants...holly hocks, too...I have 500 snaps down in the garden that will be tilled up this week.....just wait, they will be back over to my yard...I don't change my sugar water but once a week unless I am filling them up several times a day (which will not be long from now)...

Shhhhh! Y'all are torturing me! You get them by the 100's, Gail! Ya need to talk to at least 10 of them and tell them to take a vacation to Florida. My house in Sebastian specifically. Got it???? LOL!

Well gosh dare Becky, I just don't have a clue then. Maybe too many red flowers are scaring them off ? What kind of feeder ? There has got to be a reason they will not come to your house if they are in your neighborhood.

I have talked to the locals who have them in their yards. They've come over to my yard and have been impressed with my plant selection. My feeders are the Hummzingers. But I know a lot of folks use the Perky Pet feeders. Maybe they don't like my feeders? But wouldn't they still come by for the nectaring flowers?

gess: I heard it's suppose to be every three days, but I would also tend to think it might depend on the temps. I use bottled water, more sugar than water and I also have just the plain old fashion feeders with the yellow flowers. I've been having to fill mine up everyday. I just started putting out the second one which is about half gone by the end of the day. Between the hummers, orioles, and the blackheaded grosbeak I'm now going on a ten pound bag of sugar a week.
When you get a chance try feeding the from your hand, it is so exciting.

I haven't tried the zingers so don't know if they work or not. My neighbor has a different type than me and hardly gets any. I only noticed them going for my holly hocks after I took the feeder away, so yes they should be going for your flowers I would think.

I'll try and think of any reasons tomorrow..I'm about to fall asleep on you.

Thanks, Sandra! I am seriously thinking of purchasing one of those Perky Pets hummer feeders, if I can find one locally. I saw some at Wally World about a month ago. Guess I need to check again.

I am listening and taking to heart all suggestions and information. Thank you!

Hi betterbloom, great pictures, thanks for sharing! If I see one hummer daily in my yard, I think it’s a Holiday. But now I saw 4 in 2 days and it must be Christmas & Easter combined, LOL. But I guess we have to invent a name for YOUR Holiday, i.e., Hummingbirds in Betterbloom’s Yard Day. Your pictures are amazing. How long do they stay in your area? Just this month or longer?

Maria,
I get hummers all year round, but more in the spring & summer. I live in a county park which is located outside of the city along the Colorado River, and there are lots of mesquite trees, and lots of open land so I get a lot a birds mostly the hawks in the winter and then spring & summer I get the prettier birds. Don't know how true it is but I've heard the are at least 92 different species of birds here. I just looked out my window and counted 8 different ones in my yard at this time. So it's really nothinng special here...now if I saw a butterfly, that would be a holiday !

Well, at least we have butterflies and in March, I even saw a Luna Moth! But today seems to be a great day for hummers here, I have seen so many that I lost count, but only one at the time. Or was it maybe the same one over and over? LOL

I'll have to look up a picture of the Luna moth. I put out two other feeders today, one with wild bird seed and another hummingbird feeder. I got five little yellow finches show up yesterday and more black-headed grosbeaks so I put out more wild seed and another hummingbird feeder.

Beautiful picture! After you mentioned different bird species, I scratched my head and tried to count the ones here on our barrier island in Northeast FL, or better yet, the ones I saw in or from my backyard. I came up with about 15 different ones, if you include the bigger varieties like herons and of course the smaller ones, like the hummingbird(s).

There is my lunar moth in the picture. They are endangered and I might get the chance to raise some caterpillars, thanks to an organization called Butterflies and Moths of North America.

However, you are the Hummingbird Queen because only you were able to actually hold them in your hand :)

Maria, he's beautiful! I didn't know they are endangered, what a neat opportunity to raise some.

It sure is pretty, and so is the picture. How exciting to be able to raise some. Send us pics if you do.

Maria, I know you could get those hummers in your hand. I've seen it done, but just figured there was some tricks to it so never tried. Really no tricks, just take all the feeders out of sight, and stand by where one of them were. That's all ! They will come right to you.

Fly_Girl, after some more research, I should say rare and not endangered.

Betterbloom, here is my hummingbird picture of the day... You are the Queen. LOL

Oh, and that prehistoric feeder ... just dug that out yesterday after seeing the first hummer on my bright red feeder. To my surprise, today the hummingbird(s) preferred the old feeder, maybe because its location was more convenient.

BB, maybe you should change your name to 'Dances with Hummers'.....lol.

At any rate, Maria, that would be so awesome to raise them, I've never seen a live one, except on the Lunesta commercial lol

Okay, sent some to Beckygardener, since she never gets any......
maria: My hummers always go the feeder hanging on the shepard's hook..always have , no matter where I put the other one.

Hahaha

ROFLMBO!!!! Hey THANKS, Sandra! Ya never know .... that might just do the trick!!!! LOL! Of course .... you are on the opposite side of the country from me. Nah. I think I need someone here in Florida who is getting hummers to draw them a map and send them on their merry way to visit me!!! lol But thanks for trying!! Hee, hee! Too funny!

Maria - Lovely Luna Moth!!!! I didn't know that we actually got them here in Florida. THAT is quite a surprise to me!!! I even checked around because of all the moths ..... that particular one is THE moth that I would love to see in my yard! How cool that we DO get them here in our state. I wonder if they can be found much further south down here in Sebastian?

Betterbloom, once again, you are the Queen!! That is so cool! Well Beckygardener, you don’t have to wait for me to send you one. LOL.

Queen, you said that your hummers always go to the same feeder. Well, imagine my surprise when I saw all the hummingbird activity today at the old feeder that I just hung out yesterday in a new location (in my backyard). It used to be in my front yard only until two years ago. Then it was stashed away. So, this is a new and different location for this old feeder. My regular feeder on the other hand, that has been in the same location in the backyard ever since, still has had patron(s). But since I put the older feeder out in its new location, it arose a lot more interest today.

Beckygardener, in terms of the Luna Moth, yeah, it is great to get a chance to raise them. You know, I reported my sighting to the B&M of NA website because I noted that Nassau County had no reports of the moth. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3292&chosen_state=12*Florida The regional coordinator asked if I would be interested in raising the caterpillars. I am tickled by the idea and look forward to that opportunity. Too bad, raising hummers is not an option or I would send some your way, too.