Hummingbirds--a suggestion for you

[Just_a_girl]

I had two Hummingbirds show almost 2 weeks ago, one female, one male. I've been waiting for them since last part of March. I have several feeders out in about my garden here and there, and one on my office window that they really seem to enjoy. The one on the window also lets me see them up close....usually they are fighting over the feeder, but they stay for long periods of time.

If you enjoy watching them and want a close up look at them without them buzzing off, I suggest you get a feeder with a suction cup and place it on your window where it is easily seen from inside the house. I found mine at Home Depot.

You'll enjoy it and so will your children.

I placed my up real high because my cat likes them too. :roll:

 

[hillsdown]

My humming birds show up in June and leave the end of August and despite all of my flowers last year I went through the most yet 35 kgs of sugar. I mix mine 2/3rds sugar 1/3rd water with strawberry flavoring. I have around 30 feeders out around the house and the yard..Every year we get more and more hummingbirds. Judging by how much feed they go through we probably have close to a hundred that live around here during the summer. I love them they make summer worth waiting for .. I cannot wait for them to arrive this year.. :nod:

 

[Jogeephus]

I love hummingbirds. You mentioned seeing them up close. While this is extreme, I have seen it work. If you can get your hands on a mannequin or a plywood silhouette of a person and put a red baseball cap on it with those tube feeders that hold test tube sized h-bird feeders in them. you place this in the yard and let the birds get used to feeding from the hat. After a week or so you take down the silhouette and put on the hat yourself. They will literally feed right before your eyes! Never done it myself but I have seen it done by a true hummingbird fanatic. You gotta admit, this would be an experience the whole family would love.

 

[Just_a_girl]

I just realized I should have posted this somewhere else....sorry about.

hilldowns,
How often do you have to change the water in those feeders?

Mid-winter I'm thinking about getting out the feeders and getting them ready, or looking for new types of feeders. I would love to have that many hummers at one time. I don't think I have had more than 4 hummers at a time, when they start to go south then I might have 6 or 8. But when they arrive, it always two and then during the summer two smaller (babies) ones appear. They're here late March, early April. They spend most of their time fighting over the feeders, fighting among themselves, with bees, other birds, and a time or two with me. :shock:

Jo,
I'll have to give you suggestion a try and see what happens. I've sat on the porch and had them come right up to my face for a split second and then they're gone. Had one take an interest in my head when I had my hair pulled up in a clip.

I've seen videos showing them drinking from a man's hand....really amazing to me.

My window feeder is just within arms length from where I sit and work, and they don't seem to be bothered by my movements at all. Today the female sat and watched through the window for a very long time, her head twisting from side to side....very funny to watch. The female seems a little braver than the male, but I noticed that now when reach across my desk for something or get up from my desk they stay. Makes the work day fun too.

 

[hillsdown]

I change the feeders usually once a week but if the temps are really hot they get changed every 3-4 days. I don't want drunk humming birds flying around. :lol2:

 

[Just_a_girl]

So far, I have to refill once a week mostly because the wind blows and causes the sugar water to spill out when the feeders are swaying back and forth.

drunk hummingbirds....that would be a bad thing, and possibly get an eye poked out.

 

[TexasBred]

I had two Hummingbirds show almost 2 weeks ago, one female, one male. I've been waiting for them since last part of March. I have several feeders out in about my garden here and there, and one on my office window that they really seem to enjoy. The one on the window also lets me see them up close....usually they are fighting over the feeder, but they stay for long periods of time.

If you enjoy watching them and want a close up look at them without them buzzing off, I suggest you get a feeder with a suction cup and place it on your window where it is easily seen from inside the house. I found mine at Home Depot.

You'll enjoy it and so will your children.

I placed my up real high because my cat likes them too. :roll:

You said you had a male and a female...how to you determine sex?? like a dog?? Turn him over and look at the bottom of his feet??? :lol2: :lol2:

 

[dun]

You said you had a male and a female...how to you determine sex?? like a dog?? Turn him over and look at the bottom of his feet??? :lol2: :lol2:

The one holding the beer is the male and the one with the phone stuck to her ear is the female

 

[Just_a_girl]

You said you had a male and a female...how to you determine sex?? like a dog?? Turn him over and look at the bottom of his feet??? :lol2: :lol2:

The one holding the beer is the male and the one with the phone stuck to her ear is the female

Well Dun knew. how come you didn't, huh??? :lol:

seriously, you do know?

 

[hillsdown]

The males are more colorful.

In ruby throated males they have a ruby red throat . Females and immatures have fine streaking on the throat. Same with black chinned, male black chin, with females and immatures fine streaking.

Rufous males have red back, tail and flanks; scaled, scarlet throat ;green crown; white breast and belly. Females :green back; red spotted throat ;rufous flanks and light underparts.

Callope males have light purple streaks run down the throat from the bill, white underparts ;light green flanks . The female has white underparts ;peach colored flanks and dark green spots on the throat.

I find the males are always at the feeders which p@ssed the females off.. :lol2:

 

[1982vett]

The one holding the beer is the male and the one with the phone stuck to her ear is the female

:lol2: :lol: :lol2: :lol: :lol2: :lol: :lol2:

 

[grannysoo]

We have one of those stick on the window feeders too. They are truely a thing of beauty.

 

[TexasBred]

The males are more colorful.

In ruby throated males they have a ruby red throat . Females and immatures have fine streaking on the throat. Same with black chinned, male black chin, with females and immatures fine streaking.

Rufous males have red back, tail and flanks; scaled, scarlet throat ;green crown; white breast and belly. Females :green back; red spotted throat ;rufous flanks and light underparts.

Callope males have light purple streaks run down the throat from the bill, white underparts ;light green flanks . The female has white underparts ;peach colored flanks and dark green spots on the throat.

I find the males are always at the feeders which p@ssed the females off.. :lol2:

Yep...always bellied up to the bar. :lol2: I can't get the things to be still long enough to look for throat colors, stripes, chins etc.