What kind of paint would be ok to use on the yellow flowers?
Ruby Throat Hummingbird Migration 2008
Fingernail polish would work, I just keep forgetting to get red fingernail polish lol
I think all mine are a pink color. I'll have to look at what I have.
bluegrassmom, Congratulations on your HBs arrival!
I don't know how close they nest together, but I do know they are terretorial about the feeders so they recommend you put several feeders out of the sightline of the other feeders. (Then again others recommend putting several feeders ajacent to each other to forestall infighting) I imagine the HBs are probably a bit territorial about their nesting 'space' too, although I haven't seen a mention of that. I did read on 'Birds by Bent' that the HBs like to nest in birches and hemlocks and several other kinds of trees with thin slightly downward branches. I haven't been able to find HB nests in our yard, although they must be around here.
We had several HBs here last week and now this weekend I haven't seen any. Some say they go off and breed somewhere in the woods and then return when the babies have fledged... Bent mentioned the nesting period can be as long as 28 days if the weather is cold.
FYI Here is a detailed essay on the HBs behaviour. Interesting observations. http://www.birdsbybent.com/ch11-20/hummingb.html#Spring
LeBug, the bleach is an excellent way to clean feeders!
This is what Bob and Martha Sargent (founders of the Hummer Bird Study Group and licensed banders) have to say: " We mix a gallon of water with a cup of bleach for our cleaning solution. We dismantle our feeder to the basic parts and submerge the parts in the solution for 20-30 minutes. Be sure to spin the feeder bottle so the solution touches all the inside surfaces. Rinse and refill your sparkling and disinfected feeders. When the sugar water touches any remnants of the bleach, Whamo, the bleach is rendered harmless. Think of it this way, no brushes, no toothpicks and no scrubbing. For someone who maintains 40-60 feeders through the summer season, this method is a dream come true. We use the bleach bath each fall when we pack away most of our feeders."
This comes from one of the Hummer Bird Study Groups newsletters. I'm sure that they will not mind it being repeated if it keeps our hummers healthy.
I have tried this method and it really works.
Happy Humming.
I am refilling my feeder this afternoon. My little vistors may think they came back to soon. It is predicted to only be 36 degrees tonight.
Teresa in KY
It's cold here as well but I saw my first hummer a few days ago! I didn't get to see which kind it was, it buzzed by my head fast...think it was asking me where my feeders were...I get quite a few of them here. Love them to pieces! I usually hate the first few sightings because I'm not used to it and the buzzing sends an auto reaction of a swipe! YIKES, good thing I always miss. You can hear me apologizing to the air when that happens. LOL...I love it when they "ask" me to refill the feeders by dive bombing my head. My favorite thing about them is the face...such an innocent look to them when they're feeding, those big eyes...got to get some new feeders.......
My hummers are back ,, first spotted by dh this morning.... such a happy day! Will enjoy all the days they are here cuz I just dread taking down their feeders when I know they have left for winter...
so ,,, fun for all spring and summer!
happy hummers everyone,
Mary
Y'all will have to send the Rubythroats back to me in the Fall ... all fat and sassy!!! :-)
I am so happy for every one that has hummers back! I still haven't seen one here. The weather should be warming back up so I am hopeful they will show up any day now.
We just had one buzz the feeder while we were sitting on the porch!
No new visitors since missy left last weekend. Sigh.
We haven't seen anymore here either, Mrs._Ed. :o(
first pic!
Yea!!!
Nan, that's great! Isn't it so hard to get a pic of one of the little guys !
This message was edited May 1, 2008 10:10 AM
nice red throat. Believe it or not, I have not seen a mature male here yet (in 4+ years) Just girls and immature!
I took this photo this morning of a hummer feeding at my Flamenco Torch Lily. I also have a feeder out which the hummer is using. I think the hummers have been back for about 3 weeks but I didn't write down the day I first saw one this season.
So far I don't know just how many hummers are using my feeder because I have only seen one at a time and I don't know if it is the same one.
The directions with my new feeder said not to use bleach to clean it but I don't know why you couldn't use bleach as long as you rinse it really well. I don't know any other way to really get the feeders clean.
Same hummer--different view
I may try and get a close up of mine. I must be extra lucky this year I have 3 mature males and 1 female. I hope they stay for the season!
Do just the males have the ruby throat?
Hi, Marsue
Here is a link with a bit of info to help ID them.
Teresa in KY
http://www.hummingbirds.net/rubythroated.html
Thanks, bluegrassmom! I enjoyed reading that, especially the part about how the female builds the nest and raises the babies with no help from the male. I thought only the males had the ruby throat but I had never done any searching on the subject. I have seen many a "hummer war" in the past but as I said earlier, I think I have only one hummer so far this season. I will keep y'all informed as the season goes along.
I have been so busy reading all the great info that I forgot to report my first bird. I finally saw a female at one of my three feeders on April 29. This is a new record for me. It is the very latest since starting to record my sightings in 1990.
Usually I will see the first one (male most of the time) the first week in April and continue to see them until the end of October. I am guessing that I have just not been watching at the right time. The first female was at the feeder for a total of about ten seconds! Easy to miss!
I also noticed that my first sightings seen to correspond with the blooming of the crossvine, scads of which are blooming wild all over the woods at the back and one side of my house.
I am beginning to believe they follow the lilac bloom north, like tab posted above. I still haven't seen a hummer and the lilacs look like they should bloom by the weekend Which is about the time most people start reporting sightings in these parts. : ) I don't have any lilacs because dh is supposedly allergic to their smell. Sorry hunny, but you're gonna have to suck it up, cuz I'm gettin me a lilac! lol
Meredith-- I think there's a big lilac grower up there around you (who is really canadian) and they have lilacs with very little smell... although I don't know if the HBs like those particular lilacs.
Of course a lilac with no smell isn't really a lilac, is it? LOL
I'll see if I can find the name of the lilac nursery and get back to you...
I love lilacs!
Can he really be allergic to the "smell?" I thought it was only pollen. But then maybe not. What about all those perfumes that make me sneeze. In which case, maybe it is the strength of the lilac. But heck yah, just tell him not to walk near the bush!
I use my hand steamer to clean my hummingbird feeder! It's so easy and gets in every single area-no bleach needed. Mother's day is coming, might make a nice gift for yourself! I saw my first baltimore oreal around here it's the signal to put out my hummer feeder. I was wondering, if I keep it in the same place every year do I need a red bow on it till they find it? I finally found an attractive feeder with no bright red plastic! :)
LOL well, if you have no nasty bright red plastic on your feeder you'd better put out a nasty bright red bow!
I think the HBs are trained to respond to the 'Perky Pet/hummzinger' shade of red plastic!
I had my first Oriole fly through the yard this morning. Probably checking out the10 halves of oranges I have nailed to the trees around the yard! ('What coo-koo lady lives here?,' he's thinking!)
My first male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds showed up this past Saturday, 5/3/08.
Oh, Tab, I swear you ARE crazy -- crazy fun! So show us theoranges nailed to the trees...that sounds like fun!
Suzy
Oh, I'm slacking. I only have 3 orange halves in the back yard...
Are they really nailed to the tree?
Penne, I think she does.
Nanny, how do you plate yours up. LOL! (Get it? Plating up like on a cooking show?)
I want to see some presentations. Then tell me how to keep the icky ants off!
The first is in the the chicken waterer base sitting on a fence post. I put it in a foil pie pan and fill that with water, creating a moat. That takes care of those ants!
The second one is stuck on the end of the shepard hook. You can put in the middle of the feeder to on this one. but the catbird comes to this feeder and it was having a hard time balancing with the orange on the feeder. The things we do to accomadate them! No ant problem on this one...yet!
Sorry the pic is blurry, raining right now.
This message was edited May 8, 2008 8:24 AM
The third is on a tree stuck on the same big nail that holds the suet feeder. Now this one does get covered with ants!
Oh, I see...I can do some of these here! I doubt we have any Orioles or Bluebirds. Er, I don't think we do.
Tab, I would appreciate that name, I was looking at some lilacs at a nursery yesterday and decided I'd hold out to see if I can find a really cool one. I figure if I must torture DH it will have to be with the best! lol
Mrs. Ed, You sound like me! I said the same thing to him! lol
He responded that it does something to his nose and makes him sneeze. (I've never heard of someone only being allergic to lilac pollen lol!) He builds pools for a living and he was talking about it because sometimes he goes in yards that have them and it's like torture for him to work in there all day.
Puddle pirate, that's great! I am so jealous, I still haven't spotted one yet. : ( Can you share what is in bloom in your yard or neighborhood? I am curious to see if certain plants are drawing them into peoples yards. I've had 3 feeders out for a month now. I see on the migration maps, people all around me have had hummers - even people much more north or west than I!
This message was edited May 8, 2008 11:50 AM
Meredith,
My hyacinths just finished blooming, my lilacs are starting, a few grape hyacinths are still coming into bloom, the gladiator alliums are opening, and my buckeye is beginning to bloom. The squills, snowdrops, and daffodils are done. At the moment, nothing's fully in bloom. The first wave's done and the second wave's almost here.
Fortunately, I have two big feeders out.