My first hummer photo!

Okay y'all ... I just had to share.

I hadn't seen the hummer all weekend until this morning. I saw the usual hummer come to the feeder first. Then this smaller hummer showed up, drank, and then just sat there. I was able to walk out into the porch. The photo isn't very sharp because it was taken looking through the screen. And then I was able to walk outside and get about 10 feet from it. It was just watching me very curiously the whole time. I don't think it is my regular visitor. (That bird won't even come to the feeder if the french doors from the back porch are even open! lol) This little bird looked smaller than the other one, too!

I'm psyched!!!

Nice one Becky! Congratulations!

Becky,
That is so cool! I don't suppose you name them? :)
Trudi

Pelle & Trudi - Thanks!

Pelle - Here is a cropped photo of the original. Can you tell it's gender or if it is a ruby throat from this less than sharp photo?

Hi Becky, If the spots on his throat are his and not the screen showing up its an immature male. Sorry I can't be more positive.
Looks like a Ruby-throated.

This message was edited Feb 10, 2008 12:49 PM

Trudi - I might name them if I could tell them apart! LOL!

Pelle - I think it has spots. (Not the screen!)

This message was edited Feb 10, 2008 12:50 PM

Way to go Becky!

Oh! I KNEW I had at least TWO hummers! I was out working in the yard all day and finally got smart and kept my camera with me. All day long hummers were at the feeder. Luckily, I was working not too far away from the feeders. I managed to catch a few photos of this MALE ruby-throat hummingbird.

Here he is drinking from the feeder.

Can you say STOKED!!!! :-) :-) :-)

He is soooooooo pretty, Becky. : ) I know how excited you are, especially after having to wait as long as you did, to even see your first one. Good pictures. : )
~Lucy

Oh Congratulations Becky!!!!

The good word is definitely spreading about your place!

:-) :-) :-)

Oh yeah baby! My yard will be called the Hummer Cafe! :-)

Beckys Hummer Cafe :-) Has a great ring to it!

I can see the little signs now!

Red NEON signs! :-)

I just can't get over it! I KNEW I had seen two a couple weeks ago chasing each other in my backyard. But I hadn't seen them both together since. The feeder in my front yard goes down really fast in just 2 days. I think there may be more than just 2 hummers. :-) And they are hitting the feeders pretty regularly.

The younger white necked bird doesn't fear me as much. It is really curious as to what I am doing and what I am. LOL! I'm telling you ... hand-feeding is going to be my next goal! LOL!

We'll be waiting for that video on YouTube!

I just knew they'd get there someday. Um,..becky, you can take the red cups down now ! (lol)

Becky;,,

Congratulations on your new friends... It's a lookin like all that hard work and waiting is finely starting to show some dividends.. What a trooper!!

Enjoying the pictures...

Less than three months now and my little jokers should be showing up...Can't wait!!

....Dave

Congrats, Becky!

With all the warm weather we've been having, I have been so tempted to put my feeders out - my usual sign for impending Hummer activity is my sage blossoming, & so far, no buds even! We're going to Mt. Dora (FL) for the weekend - HUGE antique event we go to every year, so, maybe I'll put the feeders out next week - blossoms or not!
Samantha

Cathy - You can bet I will video tape any hand-feeding I eventually try! LOL!

Don't worry BB - Red solo cups are history! I have plenty of nectar plants growing in my yard finally after several years of planting red blooming plants! LOL!

Dave - THREE MONTHS! Oh my! I wonder if my hummers will stay here another 3 months until they start migrating north. I am so curious to know whether they will leave or stay. How many months do you have them up in Ohio once they show up?

Samantha - I would definitely put at least one feeder up. You just never know! :-)

Thanks y'all for your encouragement! It's so exciting to finally, FINALLY have hummers! I never thought I'd see that day come after almost 3 years of waiting and planting lots and lots of plants and hanging feeders and decorating my gardens with crazy red stuff to attract them! Looks like it WORKED! LOL! Can ya see me SMILING!!!! :-) :-) :-)

So funny Becky ! And I'm sooo happy you finally got some.

Hey, becky--so happy you finally got some, too!

I'm wondering if your hummingbirds are overwintering with you and that will be as far south as they go, then perhaps they will head northward in March? Do you happen to know what the HB habits are in your part of FLA?

Just curious. And again, congrats on the HBs! So much fun, aren't they?

T - I know NOTHING about hummers! LOL! And I don't have a clue about their Florida habits in my area. I wished I did! Looks like this is going to be a learning experience for me. I shall know more as this year progresses. You know me ... I want all the details and info to share with other gardeners and hummer lovers. :-) If I can attract them way over here on the very east coast of Florida, then I am sure that anyone can attract them. BTW - I saw a zone map and I am in zone 10a! Ha! No surprise there! Been in the 70's and 80's this winter! HA! Where's my surfboard? lol

Becky--I googled for Hummingbirds in Florida and this site came up-- this fellow wants to know about any HBs in FLA sighted up to March. Maybe yours are rare-- he might be worth checking out--

http://rowdy13.tripod.com/floridahummers/home.html

Your birds must be very early or wintering over-- here's another mention of their arrival time in 'March' in FLA...

http://myfwc.com/bba/RTHU.htm

I've seen both those site before. For awhile there, Steve wasn't even taking data from folks. I may email him and do some inquiring. Thanks for reminding me about his site!

Funny that the arrival time for FL hummers in Spring is listed as March. Some of the nursery folks have told me March, too. HA! So what are my 2 or more birdies doing here now???!! A co-worker told me that she had a bunch of hummers (probably RTs) all over her jasmine bushes a week or so ago. She counted 8 birds. So they are definitely here NOW! Either they are not all migrating to South America as thought or we have a bunch of resident birds. Which is why I am so curious to know if they will leave or stay as the year goes on. Most fascinating!

Becky, I'm so so glad you are finally getting some hummers...it's about time!

YAY!!! Hope they stick around for a little bit for you! May be if they overwintered there they will be back next winter!

This message was edited Feb 12, 2008 7:12 AM

look at those cute hummers. Its about time they started spreading the word about your house Becky. I think that first one might have been trying to keep it secret that you have...freshly made necter. congrats! :)

becky,
We have had a rather warm winter so maybe they're showing up a little sooner this year. I hope so. If you have some now, maybe I'll have some by next month. I usually start seeing them here in late March or early April. By late April I have to have several feeders out to accommodate them all. I have the feeders hanging on my front porch and they will tolerate me sitting in a chair right next to them while they scrap it out with each other over who gets to claim which feeder. I just love to watch them. My granddaughter gets me so tickled--she tries to count them (there are dozens at a time).

Becky-- how many feeders do you have out now? Just curious... And what is blooming in your garden for the HBs...?

Becky - woo hoo! I knew it was just a matter of time. : )

Samantha - have fun at Renninger's. I love going there!

I have some seeds for hummingbird plants that I need to sow. Actually, I have a lot of seeds I need to sow. Maybe this will get me motivated. Of course, I also have to figure out where I hid some of them. You know how it is, you buy some at the end of the season when they're on sale and then you can't find them when it's time to plant!

Melanie

Chris - I am glad that the secret is out! All hummingbirds are welcome at Becky's Hummingbird Cafe!

NL1950 - Wow! Sounds like the hummers come up in flocks to your house! How cool to have so many! Are they all Ruby-throat hummers or other species?

T - I have 2 feeders (hummzingers) out back and 1 feeder out front. I have a lot of plants blooming. I don't know which ones the hummers are nectaring from. I know they like the following that are currently blooming: Morning Glories (hummer favorite), Orange and purple Porterweed (a favorite of the hummers), Pentas, Mexican Flame Vine, Red Salvia, Black and Blue Salvia, Cape Honeysuckle, Jasmine, 4 O'Clocks, Petunia, Red Shrimp Plant, Lantana, Red Brazilian Petunia, Skullcap, and Firespike bush (a favorite of my hummers).

Hummingbird nectar plants list (web link):
http://birding.about.com/library/weekly/aa053001a.htm

This has a nice list, but not complete.

Congrats on the hummers Becky!! I love the humzinger feeder, they are large and so easy to clean. You will need easy when they start passing the word.

becky,
Mine are all ruby throats. I've never seen anything else around this neck of the woods. But I still love to watch them. I started out with about a dozen but as the word spread, they started showing up in droves.

Oh my! How exciting NL1950! Maybe there is hope for me to get a bunch of hummers, too!

Sheila - Yes, I really like the hummzinger feeders. I think the birdies like them too. I see one perching out there every afternoon when I get home from work! And I see them coming and going until right before dark. :-) :-)

Well, becky, your 'hummzinger' is nice, but your garden is WOW! What hummer wouldn't be in heaven there?!!

Now it sounds like you might have more than two coming to your feeders--what do you think?

I wish I knew! I do see them a lot! Something else. I noticed that they do like the sugar water just a tad bit sweeter. (Not sweet enough to rot their beak, but perhaps sweeter than the flower nectar.)