Show me your hummingbirds

Eweed, congrats on your nest! It would be great to be able to watch the progress like Sunny did in the other thread! I know there are at least two nesting pairs in my yard, but haven't been able to pinpoint the nests yet. Too many trees! I actually saw two sitting peacefully together on a feeder tonight. Totally amazed me.. you are right, they are little thugs! Of course it was almost dark, so couldn't get a good pic.

Mom is doing her thing she is so cute with her little head and long beak sticking from one side and her folded tail out the other.

Those nests look sturdy, but hardly look big enough for a little family. I guess that's a good way of knowing when they are ready to fly - when the house is too small. LOL

Katie I just went out to take her pic but the camera batteries were low so maybe later today.

It's a conspiracy. :-)

I can't wait to see the nest...it sounds like you have a great view!

All of my hummingbirds have disappeared this week, must have gone nesting somewhere. I hope they come back soon.

Mine disappeared too. I was beginning to wonder what was going on.

x

xx

she is quite easy with us around

xxxxx I peaked inside today there are two babies

This message was edited Apr 29, 2009 11:14 PM

That is perfect. She looks so proud of her nest and location!!

That is one beautiful little nest. So decorative.

They actually grow pretty fast one day hanging over the nest on both sides then gone. Sometimes they return to the nest to rest and spend the night. Usually within a week of leaving the nest they are gone. Sometimes you see them at the feeders with the others.

What a treat having them right outside of your window! She has to be comfortable with you there to have chosen that spot for more than one year in a row!

Next thing you know, eweed, she'll be asking for the car keys.

LOL how do you know she hasn't she is a girl ypou know .

Hahahahaha. It's either that or jewelery, right?

Katie LOL you are right someone in this house had to have another ring and it cost 1.5 times more than my first bay fishing boat with two motors and needed gear to satisfy the coast guard. At least I could catch salmon with that boat. All she will catch with that ring is a robber ha ha .

The babes are about as big as my little finger nail now.

I know you men just need "little" reminders now and then of how valuable we are to you. LOL You're a good husband.

Oh my goodness. Only as big as your little fingernail? I can't even imagine. Do they have the startings of any feathers yet?

Katie they are as bare as you can immagine lol. Linda is home maybe I can get her to hold the nest while I run the camera with both hands. The camera is pretty new to me I need to get it on macro. We will see.

Hold the nest!!! Oh my.

Such a cold wet night to be naked with no feathers. Maybe it's good that the nest is so small and they're so close together.

Katie no pics today.Iit is cold ffrom the wind and I am not going to send her off while we take pics.Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. I have an idea they are pretty warm when she is on the nest. I notice she is on the nest this morning almost continually and only seems to head to the feeder for a quick drink and zooms back to the nest. Ernie

I've had my feeder out for weeks and no sitings yet, but my neighbor posted on Facebook that she had seen one yesterday and needed to get her feeder out. Too funny!! I've got mine out and they bypassed it. The sugar water is fresh, but I changed it today anyway. Sooooo, maybe I'll see mine soon. I hope so. I even got a fuschia planter hung the other day.

Hummers are very selective LOL

Jan - I had the same frustration a few years ago. I had a hummer checking out everything around the house and so ran out and bought a huge hanging basket and a feeder. No sign of hummers all summer long. I think they may select a house the like and stay there, judging from Ernie's gang.

Yes, Ernie, I agree - it's way too cold not to have feathers and momma sitting on you in this weather. I love the idea, though, that they have you and Linda to look out for them.

Kathy

The thing is, I DID have one last year. That's why I wanted to be ready. I followed the map that showed where they were on their migration and so I've had my feeder up since late March. LOL

Katie I think your right about them sort of deciding where they will hang out.One thing we found out was to hang the feeders before we see the birds, This year we had the feeders out for three weeks before a pretty red male showed up . He was alone for about a week untill about 10 showed up. 2 days later the lady was eying the old nest. The next day she was hard at fixing it up..Someone told me that hummers only make their nest on something that moves that is true with this girl it swings and sways in the wind. Ernie

Huh. That's very interesting. I guess if you have to get used to flying that fast, a little swaying doesn't seem like much movement at all.

this is my best hummer shot to date, its from last spring. i have also made some nesting perches for the hummers, but none have taken me up on my offer, they seem to prefer nesting in the middle of my photinia hedge. caleb

What a great shot, Caleb.

I'm still waiting for one to show up.

Great shot, Caleb. What kind of hummer is that? I'd think a Photinia hedge would be perfect - you guys down there get just enough more sun that the Photinias are beautiful blooming trees.

Up here they are sheared and neglected and suffer from black spot. It's seldom that we even get to see them bloom.

Kathy

My hummers are back! They showed up on Tuesday.

Katie I think it is a rufus humingbird, and our photinia are hit and miss, they are nice all summer and covered in the dreaded black spot all winter, however they are blooming now ( and Im allergic to them)

I didnt like this pic as well as it was off center, but it was good enough to keep as these little buggers are extremely hard to catch

caleb

This message was edited May 9, 2009 9:57 AM

Great pics!

Sorry you have allergies to the photinia - that makes for a difficult spring. I love that rufus hummingbird. Does that one migrate seasonly, then?

Thistle...can't believe your hummers are this late. I always put my feeders out around St. Pat's Day and usually have customers quite quickly. I now have regulars in both the front and the back, and I'm sure they are here for the summer. Trying to figure out where they plan to nest, but I have a flowering quince in the back that is humungous and I think both they and the towhees nest there.
Maybe you were just talking about the nesters that are back for you now.???

thistle, glad your hummers are back. I saw one yesterday, but only once.

cgarvin....too bad about the allergies, mine are better this year because we got the HOA to cut down some huge Cottonwoods. Everybody around here likes photinias but me. They're pretty when they're blooming, but then raggedy all winter. Lots of other choices out there.

Cgarvin, both of your pics are great! You are right, they are really hard to get good pics of!

Thistle, Hooray that your hummers are back, whether the first of the season or a nesting pair! Mine have slowed down radically at the feeders over the last week, so I am hoping that that means they are nesting (Sally, maybe that's the same reason you only saw one once? Can always hope!). No way you would ever be able to find their nests around here though :(