Anyone else here feeding hummers?

M. M. Wright · Post by **M. M. Wright** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 8:10 am

We feed about 3000 birds per day. My sister who lives only a couple hundred yards away feeds about the same number. Sure takes a lot of sugar.

We hang six quart size feeders, the three you see and three more on the front porch. Yesterday I mixed 2 1/2 gallons of nectar. Bought another 25 lb. sack of sugar last night. Here in northeast Oklahoma, they are all Ruby Throats and are here from the middle of April 'til the middle of October. In the 30+ years I have been feeding, I have seen exactly 2 Rufus Hummingbirds.

They hatch and raise here and I guess the color is for me to be able to see the nectar level easier. I don't think it harms them since they seem to thrive so well. My Mother started this about 50 years ago and for many years a bander set up in her yard once a month.

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 9:17 am

WOW!!!! I have never seen that many hummers in one place at the same time.

We used to feed them when we lived in AZ but haven't seen any here to feed.

Joe

Pete44ru · Post by **Pete44ru** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 9:35 am

Some regularly hit my feeder, at wherever I happen to be Summerin' in Maine, but none have ever hit one here @ home in Southern New England.

They're amazing little birds, on the wing, for sure.

.

mikld · Post by **mikld** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 10:56 am

I have a feeder out, but they all seem to have gone over to your place!

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:00 am

There's two or three pair around here. The lady next place over used to feed them, and she is no longer with us. I had better take up the slack.

Steelbanger · Post by **Steelbanger** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:35 am

I've got two feeders out and see them every day. About two more weeks and they'll be gone until next May. I keep my feeders out until late September but never see a hummer after the beginning of Sept.

I never color the nectar. I was told that the red food coloring is unnecessary and may be harmful to the birds. There is enough red in the feeders themselves to attract the birds.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:46 am

Wow you got a bunch bro, we feed some but not that many

JerryB · Post by **JerryB** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 12:49 pm

I had to call my wife in for this one. We keep a feeder out till late in October to catch all the slow travelers. Never been able to have more than one feeder due to their fighting, even with one feeder they fight alot. Thanks for the great photos.

OJ · Post by OJ » Wed Aug 15, 2012 1:48 pm

We have a few here in Colorado Springs and it is nearing the time until they migrate here from the mountains before going south - we love'em. For the first time ever, we have one that seems to enjoy a social relationship with out Boxer - in the bay window - flying back and forth and having our little girl chase it -

We have feeders in front and back (in addition to some 30 pine trees on our property) and enjoy their company-

.45colt · Post by **.45colt** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:29 pm

I have a feeder hanging in the front porch 6' from the front door. The little Guys make Me a Happy Guy all summer. right now they are all territorial and fighting like mad,sure is fun to see them give the Wifes Cat fit's.

.

madman4570 · Post by **madman4570** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:51 pm

yep!

Lead!

Kidding/kidding!

Ji in Hawaii · Post by **Ji in Hawaii** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:08 pm

I thought you meant one of these... VERY expensive to feed.

Thunder50 · Post by **Thunder50** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:23 pm

We are lucky if we have two pair around here now. I guess alot of other people are feeding now. When I moved here 20 years ago, we would feed about 20 at a time, as not as many neighbors then. Think we went thru about 2lbs of sugar a day.

Old Ironsights · Post by **Old Ironsights** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 3:59 pm

Friends Call Me Ji wrote:I thought you meant one of these... VERY expensive to feed.

That's what I was thinking too..

Diesel is what the manual says goes into the feed tube...

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 4:56 pm

WOW I've never seen that many together at one time. I used to see a few outside when I was growing pentas.

InTheWoods · Post by **InTheWoods** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:58 pm

Those of you that think they have just a few pair might be fooled by how many individual birds are actually using your feeder. A quart of liquid feeds about 160 birds per day. Watching how much liquid disappears is the best way to tell how many hummers you actually have feeding in your yard. We go through a couple of quarts a day, although we only see a dozen or two at a time.

GregT · Post by **GregT** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:28 pm

I make my own hummingbird nectar, ( 4 cups of sugar to a gallon of water) started a new 10# bag of sugar on Saturday. I will need a new 10# bag of sugar by mid-day tomorrow. Huge number of birds this time of the summer. I believe the birds that have flown to my area and north of my area are getting ready to head south to where they go over the winter. They are fattening up for this trip. I am east of Hayward, Wisconsin, about 15 miles. Kind of a sad time of the year when they gradually all disappear. I don't know how they could live without folks feeding them. Lots of little mosquitos still here..... they can eat! We get the Ruby Throat variety here.
GregT

piller · Post by **piller** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:29 pm

What do you call a group of Hummingbirds? A flurry of Hummingbirds?
We have a few that hit our feeder and PillHer's Turk's Cap plant. They sure are fun to watch.

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 8:48 pm

dennie · Post by **dennie** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 9:04 pm

We have been feeding them for the past 14 years. Love when they show up in the spring, and very sad when they go in August. We have 2 feeders out. One near the front door and one near the back door. Great entertainment!

We go thru about a quart of sugar water every few days. No coloring, just one part sugar to four parts water.
We have had them hover over the table while we eat outside. I have had them come into the garage and watch me while I am working. That's cool! Pat and I have both had them eat from the feeder while we held it in our hand.

That was way cool! Guess we didn't hang it back up soon enough.Yep, they are getting fat as little pigs while they get ready to leave. Very territorial and fight all the time. It is great to hear them making their little peeping noises while scolding each other.

I miss them already!
dennie

1894cfan · Post by **1894cfan** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 9:47 pm

In my neck of the woods (anybody know where that term came from?), S.F. bay area, they hang around all year long. Got one feeder outside the living room window and one outside the kitchen window. The one outside the kitchen window sure looses a lot when the wind is blowing, also the paper wasps hang around it a bit too.

Ironwood · Post by **Ironwood** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:31 am

I usually have a pair of hummingbirds spending the summer with me. Very soon I'll have many more visiting my feeders. I live in the Ruby-Throated's migration route. A few have already showed up this year, 5 or 6. I'll have to check how much sugar water I use per day when the migration is at it's height. I go through 15 pounds or more of sugar every year.

Last winter I had a little Rufous female show up the day before Thanksgiving and stayed until January 16. I hope she shows up again this year.

Here's half of what things look like here during the migration. There are 5 more feeders behind me.

This is the little Rufous that spent Christmas with us.

They do get fat in the couple of weeks they stay here.

Early in the morning and late in the evening there is a feeding frenze.

There is more posturing going on than actually fighting.

It's possible to get very close at times.

Not all visitors are hummingbirds.

dennie · Post by **dennie** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:21 am

Ironwood, thanx for the pics. It is great to have the birds feed while you hold the feeder! Last summer we had Baltimore Oriole feeders out, but the Orioles fed from our hummer feeders instead. Could not get them to use their own feeder. Yes, this really made the little guys mad! No orioles feeding this summer for whatever reason. Miss them too.
dennie

Ironwood · Post by **Ironwood** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:51 am

dennie, glad you enjoyed the photos.
I've had hummers come withing about a foot of my face and hoover there to check me out. That is the first Oriole I've seen at the feeders. He sort of ruled the roost while he was here. Most of his time was spent in a Pin Oak about 20 feet from the feeders.

I'm wondering if he will show up again this year. The House Finches usually leave about the time the hummingbirds get here.

This is my favorite photo of the Oriole. His orange breast is the feeder reflecting off of it.

redmond · Post by **redmond** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:57 am

We feed Hummingbirds year round, but in the Northwest (WA) we get almost all Anna's hummingbirds with maybe 1-2 Rufous per year.

The Anna's are very territorial and seeing more than one on the feeder at a time is rare. They stay over the winter and just about camp out on the feeder during the day when it snows. That is when we see 2-3 at a time. Must be too cold to fuss with each other.

Oh - the collective noun for hummingbirds is a "charm" of hummingbirds.

Ironwood · Post by **Ironwood** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:08 am

M.M. this is the first Rufous I've ever had visit my feeders. I usually have the feeders taken in well before Thanksgiving. We had a bad draught last year. There were so many stragglers going through I suppose that's the reason I left a feeder going so long. When the little female showed up I had to get some help in identiflying her. I was worried about the sugar water freezing. When the overnight low got down to 24° I was surprised to see the sugar water wasn't frozen and the hummingbird was sitting there having her breakfast.

.45colt · Post by **.45colt** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:11 am

It is a sad day when I take down my feeders. When I put them up in the spring the Orioles show up in pairs and are pretty loud, never thought I'd get so much fun from these Birds.

dennie · Post by **dennie** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:52 am

Ironwood, yes, the pics are great. We have had the hummers a foot from our face as well. We seem to only have one pair of orioles, and I have not seen them much this summer.
Our hummers show up in late April and then disappear around the end of August. Too cold here in SW Ohio I guess. Our hummers do not like to sit on feeders with other hummers. We occasionally see 2 on a feeder, once we saw 3 on a feeder, but only that one time.
We like hearing them squawk at each other. They are very noisy!
dennie

Batman1939 · Post by **Batman1939** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 10:20 am

InTheWoods wrote:Those of you that think they have just a few pair might be fooled by how many individual birds are actually using your feeder. A quart of liquid feeds about 160 birds per day. Watching how much liquid disappears is the best way to tell how many hummers you actually have feeding in your yard. We go through a couple of quarts a day, although we only see a dozen or two at a time.

You make an excellent point.

Without having individually recognizable (i.e. marked) birds it is impossible to tell how many individuals are visiting the feeders daily. If a significant portion of their diet is obtained through "natural sources" (flower nectar, spiders, etc) or at other feeders then many more birds than you suggest might actually be feeding at the feeders in question. Likewise your assumption that about 160 birds/day can be supported by a quart of liquid would also depend upon how much usage of other food sources is occurring.

This is just another example of how difficult it can be to estimate the number of animals "out there in nature".

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:26 pm

I don't hang feeders, cuz the neighbors are already unhappy with me. I have a number of flowing plants that they love, and a large cat that loves them. I was doubtful he'd ever get one, but he seems to have come up with a method if the left over parts are any indication.

Mike D. · Post by **Mike D.** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 6:13 pm

We have four feeders at all times. Here in Northern CA we get Anna's, Black Chinned, Calliope, and Rufous hummers. Occasionally a stray shows up. We have had Broadtail, Costa's and once last year a pair of huge Magnificents came for a day. I tried to get a photo but couldn't get to them in time. Different birds come to our High Sierra cabin, but so far this year we haven't spent enough time up there to set up the feeders.

awp101 · Post by **awp101** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 10:31 pm

Those are some VERY cool and VERY GOOD pics!

Hummingbirds fascinate me but I have no idea if there are any around here (DFW/N TX). Maybe I should put out a feeder and see? Are there any problems with the feeders attracting hornets, wasps, etc?

Mac in Mo · Post by **Mac in Mo** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:53 pm

My parents have been feeding for years. I see a few around my house sometimes but haven't put out my own feeders yet. My Mom says that when the feeder is empty, one of the birds will hover in front of the kitchen window until she goes out and refills it.

Several years ago, a house I was working on had dozens of hummers hanging around a tree in the yard. They were all fighting and carrying on, putting on quite a show.

They are fascinating to watch.

Kevin

Ironwood · Post by **Ironwood** » Fri Aug 17, 2012 7:44 am

awp, The problem you are most apt to have, here in Texas, is Yellow Jackets and Honey Bees. Even so by all means put out a feeder. I think you should be getting some of the fall migration about this time. Homemade Yellow Jacket traps are very easy to make. 8 oz Of water to 2 oz of sugar, 4 to 1, is the normal mixture to feed. There is no need to put red food coloring in the mixture.

Here's some good information about hummingbirds from TPWD.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publication ... mingbirds/

M. M. Wright · Post by **M. M. Wright** » Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:43 pm

Ironwood,
Thanks for your pics and congrats on the rufus. Spend some time in the end of Oklahoma panhandle so I get to see them quite a lot but seldom here. I've noticed the rufus males seem more aggressive than the ruby throat ones who are pretty bad themselves. They mate and nest here so I get to witness the "U" shaped flight pattern of the courting males. I swear they are doing about 600 miles an hour at the bottom which has the female at it's focus. Show-offs.

To those thinking of feeding: Hang at least 3 feeders spaced 10 or more feet apart, this makes it more difficult for a single guard bird to fend off all comers to "his" feeding station. You will witness a loud "smack" when one bird knocks another off "his" feeder.

Be prepared to buy a lot of sugar; so far this summer we've fed at least 160 lbs. and they stay until October. I remember one particular summer when my mother kept close tabs and fed over 600 lbs. Don't be surprised if the revenooers come see to what you're doing with all that sugar.

awp101 · Post by **awp101** » Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:06 pm

Thanks Ironwood!

*Dumb question alert! Dumb question alert!*
I'll do a search when I have more time but for now, how does one make a home made Yellow Jacket trap?

Ironwood · Post by **Ironwood** » Fri Aug 17, 2012 11:16 pm

You can buy a yellow jacket trap from Tractor Supply and probably some of the home improvement stores. I make a trap from a two liter soda bottle. Cut the top of the bottle just where the sides start. Turn the top portion upside down and shove it down into the bottom portion of the bottle. That's the trap. Punch some holes up near the top. Run some string through the holes so you can hang the trap up near the feeders. Pour a little sugar water in the trap being sure to let some run down the inside of the top. I put some red food coloring in the sugar water but I'm not sure it's needed. I have more sugar water in this trap than needed. Just be sure to leave and inch or two between the sugar water and the neck of the bottle. I hope this is not to confusing. It's way past this old man's bedtime.

JerryB · Post by **JerryB** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:28 pm

Ironwood, thanks for the details and photos of the trap. My wife and I just made two and put the out by the feeders. I took a couple of pictures but can't get Photobucket to work for me right now. We have fought yellow jackets for years, reckon this will be a big help.

JerryB · Post by **JerryB** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:10 pm

About dark thirty here now so I went up to close up my hens and checked the traps on the porch. Both have yellow jackets in them, they do work.

Ironwood · Post by **Ironwood** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:05 am

Yep Jerry they do work.

I also use the plastic juice bottles and milk jugs for bird feeders. I've been having trouble with Photobucket also. Seems like the last update really slowed down the site.

awp101 · Post by **awp101** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:39 pm

Thanks! Now I have a winter project...

dennie · Post by **dennie** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:31 am

I have some problems with wasps and yellow jackets, not bad, but some. When the bees get on the feeder they just stay there, and this scares the birds away. I have more problems with ants coming down the hangers and drowning in the food making it rancid. I found that if I smear white lithium grease on about a 6 inch section of the hanger, and well above the feeder, the ants cannot get thru the grease to the feeder. The rain does not seem to wash the grease away. Works for us anyways.
dennie

Ironwood · Post by **Ironwood** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:22 pm

It was fun while it lasted. Most of the hummingbirds are gone. I may have a dozen or so still visiting my feeders. For about a week I must have had 100 or more. I've gone through almost 30 pounds of sugar.

I gotta tell ya, keeping sugar water in the feeders was starting to be work.

I'll keep a feeder going, maybe two, for the Rufous just in case she returns this winter.

I took about a zillion photos. I don't think I got as many good photos this year.

Here's two that I like.

rodeo kid · Post by **rodeo kid** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:59 pm

We don't have any feeders but we have three honeysuckle bushes at the south end of our swimming pool and often see several hummers there. God Bless.

dennie · Post by **dennie** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:47 am

Most of our hummers left about a week ago. Two stayed this week, but we did not see them yesterday or yet today. If we do not see them by tomorrow evening, Oct. 1, I will take the feeders down. Then, put up the suet feeders for the woodpeckers! Love to watch them too!
dennie

GregT · Post by **GregT** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:46 am

My hummers have been gone almost 3 weeks (east of Hayward, Wi.) . Without even hesitating, I would say I had well over 1000 birds around my home this past summer! I have 7 feeders out, some are multiple seaters as in the one back up with the photos. They fill that one up. The last week of August and into September, the rush to fatten up started. I was refilling the feeders 3 times a day! Yes, it almost became work! It is sad to see them go as I have a real dislike for winter and their passing on signals the start of that. I took the last two feeders down yesterday. They are amazing little birds.
GregT