[Inyo Tim]

 

[nursetim]

Our neighbor gave us a feeder with feed she found on bulk trash pickup day. I told my wife about changing the food out every 2-3 days, she doesn’t seem concerned. She is a set it and forget it typed guess.

 

[wickedbeernut]

Our neighbor gave us a feeder with feed she found on bulk trash pickup day. I told my wife about changing the food out every 2-3 days, she doesn’t seem concerned. She is a set it and forget it typed guess.

You’ll be fine. There’s really no such thing as “feed”. You’d never feed hummingbirds anything prepackaged or anything with dye in it. You just use a mixture of one part white cane sugar to
three or four parts of spring / filtered water. The hummingbirds will empty the feeder in a day or two. Relax don’t worry.

 

[cyberghostx13]

View attachment 818646

Now that's funny, really funny!

 

[cyberghostx13]

Well here are some photos taken from 8-27-2020 thru 9-3-2020. I just keep experimenting especially with location. Finally got a great shot of the male with the irredecent candy apple red on his throat. I had moved to right below the other more popular feeder, he came and gave me the eye and shot right over to the blue feeder and that's when I snapped the shot.

Other shots taken from 8-27 thru 9-3 of 2020

Have a nice Labor Day Weekend, eat too much, drink too much, but don't drive. Later.

 

[kwo]

Diabetic birds are cool.

 

[Caver 60]

Looks like many of mine have started to go south. Week and a half ago I was feeding 9 cups of juice a day. Now it's down to about 4 cups a day.

 

[cyberghostx13]

Looks like many of mine have started to go south. Week and a half ago I was feeding 9 cups of juice a day. Now it's down to about 4 cups a day.

Well we've started our(SF Bay Area) "Indian Summer"(Hardly any wind, low humidity, and high temperatures 85-105) so the weather will be very nice, least for hummers. Also it seems at least one species here doesn't migrate at all. Later.

 

[n2g]

Looks like many of mine have started to go south. Week and a half ago I was feeding 9 cups of juice a day. Now it's down to about 4 cups a day.

Mine have been the opposite for the past week or two. There are more of them (second batch of hatchlings?) and they seem to be in a feeding frenzy. They are draining the older feeder in just several days and the newer one in about a week now. They've even agreed to share the feeders by two perching on a feeder at the same time occasionally, which has been a no-no for them until recently. Periodically throughout the day, there are three or four swarming around each feeder.

I'm wondering if they are bulking up for their migration south. IIRC, they didn't leave until October last year, but I might be mistaken. They're all still hanging around for now, though. (mid-Georgia)

They are still ignoring their lovely glass birdbath with their solar fountain, but their human likes it.

I got an unexpected treat at the regular concrete birdbath in my back yard the other day. There were five or six bluebirds splashing around in it. I wasn't sure what kind of bird they were until I used my little binoculars, and what a nice surprise! My neighbor has bluebird houses so apparently several have taken up residence there. I usually don't see many bluebirds here. Now I'm going to get a bluebird house, too. I haven't seen them since (but that birdbath is not always in my view from inside), but maybe they'll have another pool party soon.

Everything I've read about hummers says to leave your feeder up and filled, as there are stragglers passing through long after most have migrated, and a few may not be able to make the trip. In Georgia there can be hummers from further north or west that are not ruby-throats coming through, although fairly rare. Length of daylight, not food availability, triggers their migration.

I'm trying not to let my diners become diabetic, LOL. I made a double batch of food this morning (8 cups boiling water and 2 cups white sugar) and added just a couple of extra spoons of sugar, though. I didn't think just a little extra would hurt their kidneys and was thinking it might help them gain weight for their migration.

Nice photos, OP.

Happy Labor Day weekend! Can't believe the year has gone by so fast.





Trump 2020.

 

[Inyo Tim]

Everything I've read about hummers says to leave your feeder up and filled, as there are stragglers passing through long after most have migrated, and a few may not be able to make the trip.

Last winter we had already had a hard frost and I was about to take the feeders down. My neighbor said the hummers were still coming to the feeders. I hadn't been watching as I thought they had already migrated. I read that they can go into a torpor and survive the cold spells if they can find a sheltered spot.

 

[Inyo Tim]

Hummingbirds surviving the winter:
https://blog.education.nationalgeog...-does-this-have-to-do-with-a-mission-to-mars/

 

[GT4494]

we have a crew at ours. One is very possessive and chases others away when he sees them.

we did put the feeder where no plants were close (24 inches) This seems to let them look around and feeel comfortable sitting and drinking away. We had them closer to plants and they were nervouse drinking and would seldom sit.

 

[cyberghostx13]

Last winter we had already had a hard frost and I was about to take the feeders down. My neighbor said the hummers were still coming to the feeders. I hadn't been watching as I thought they had already migrated. I read that they can go into a torpor and survive the cold spells if they can find a sheltered spot.

I think they go into a nightly torpor and that's normal but nothing like a hibernation. Put some grub out there in you aren't sure. later.

 

[cyberghostx13]

we have a crew at ours. One is very possessive and chases others away when he sees them.

we did put the feeder where no plants were close (24 inches) This seems to let them look around and feeel comfortable sitting and drinking away. We had them closer to plants and they were nervouse drinking and would seldom sit.

They(The nervous ones) are nervous because it's not their territory and they know it. I have been watching the behavior of three hummers. A female who owns the territory, very experienced in watching it with several observation perches, she also sets up in ambushes amongst the leaves near the feeder in the tree holding it.

There is also a male which has an iridescent reddish throat who may be the baby's father who knows. I know that the female is the baby's mother because she doesn't attack the baby and always cuts it some slack when feeding. The baby is very curious and shows no fear, it has been eyeball to eyeball with me on a few occasions maybe just two feet away.

The male knows what's up, knows it's not his territory, but he also knows she ain't there all the time. I watch him(all of them at various times thru IS 15x50 Canon Binocs) and his head be on a swivel always checking for an attack from above. He may have his own territory, but not this fairly new one(July 30-2020), it's hers and I call her Daisy May. She has been around my patio for a couple years, she's the one that was doing a little circus act above me last year while I was grilling, had me doing a little Irish Jig, it was a nice interaction that lasted a couple minutes, and at that time there was no birdbaths or feeders. She watched me cook a burger the other night, last night with the NY Strip not so much. later.

Wow, I'm ecstatic, I just figured out how to put a picture here using my iMac. 99% of the time I'm on GT I'm using my old iPad but it wanted a timeout so here I am. GT on my iMac is still huge at half a page. After trying other stuff, I decided to fit my photos app right next to the GT window. I then tried a drag and drop of a pic and it worked, hot damn. No more having to send my downloaded pictures on my iMac (from my Pentax cartridge inserted to iMac) to myself on email to then save image to camera roll where I can then select and download to GT. Major shortcut discovered.

 

[tool-time]

I recommend making the food yourself, I do about 1/3 cup of white sugar to two cups of hot water to dissolve it. Let it cool, fill the feeder and let it rip. Depending on where you live, you don't want to feed too late in the year as it can delay migration.
If you mix too much sugar in, your feed will grow bacteria that isn't good for the little fellas.
You are gonna love it once you're up and running, those guys are fascinating to watch performing aerial stunts.
The ones that frequent my feeder make all sorts of noise if someone is too close to the feeder and they are hungry, insistent little buggers

The most often recommended recipe is 4parts water to 1part sugar. I just started feeding HB this summer.

 

[tool-time]

Plant red bee balm to attract the HBs. Easy to grow, smell like bergamot HB love it.

 

[wickedbeernut]

We still have up to 50 hummingbirds at any one time (mile-high Southwest New Mexico).

I went from six Grateful Gnome feeders to eight this summer. I’ve tried and tried to get to the point I only need to refill all of the feeders every other day. It’s been running six feeders every day and a half. With eight feeders, I think I’m finally at every other day. Fingers crossed.

 

[tool-time]

My feeders are clear plastic. I've always added red food coloring but some folks say this is bad. I thought food coloring was harmless.
Hummingbirds are very territorial and can viscous defending their claimed feeder.
ETA: Some folks don't know that the hummer's main diet is insects. The sugar water just gives them the energy to go bug hunting.

DO NOT ADD FOOD COLORING

 

[peng]

Here's a question for the experts (I am not one).

I've spent years feeding these magical creatures, but to be honest I hate making the nectar and cleaning the feeders.

There are many plants, both annual and perennial that hummers love. Wouldn't it be cheaper and better to just plant these ?

 

[cyberghostx13]

We still have up to 50 hummingbirds at any one time (mile-high Southwest New Mexico).

I went from six Grateful Gnome feeders to eight this summer. I’ve tried and tried to get to the point I only need to refill all of the feeders every other day. It’s been running six feeders every day and a half. With eight feeders, I think I’m finally at every other day. Fingers crossed.

Fantastic, now how about a couple pictures at least, sure would like to see "Da Horde".