We had two hummingbird feeders out last summer and left them outside until the little fellows left for the winter. This morning, when I got up, Bobby announced that the hummingbirds are back again. He said they were buzzing around the porch where we had the feeders out last summer, so they obviously knew just where to look for the food. I just put out one feeder for the time being, and then when we see that they need more, I will set out the second one as well. We put regular bird seed out year around, and enjoy the birds flittering around the porch and having their breakfast. The little mourning doves, which are too large for the feeder, just walk up the ramp to the porch and eat thatever birdseed drops down from the feeder. This morning, I moved the birdseed feeder out to the front yard where we have their birdbath set up. Now, the birds can eat, drink, and take their little showers, all in one nice place. The greenery around the birdbath even gives them lots of privacy !
We love our Hummingbirds too @Yvonne Smith. We have found over the last few years that they don't spend to much time here in the Spring, but towards the Fall when they are getting ready to migrate back from wherever they came from...they spend a lot of time "bulking" up at our feeders. Their playful antics and attempts at "hogging" the feeders brings lots of smiles to our faces. Do your Spring Hummingbirds stay for long at your house?
Mine have been back for a couple of weeks. Isn't it amazing how they know exactly where the feeders were before? Mostly now, I see them early in the morning and late in the evening. I think they are busy nesting during the day.
I'm in Louisiana. Yvonne is seeing some in Alabama. I usually do see a few in Spring but they don't stay very long. I'll just put my feeder up for a short while and see if any come.
We don't have hummingbirds in Hawaii. We have saffron finches, mihnahs, sparrows, egrets, migrant golden plovers, pidgins, zebra doves, spotted doves, house finches, white eyed bird, chestnut manikins so far that I've seen all around Oahu. In some places like the heart of Honolulu at the library trees on King St. there are green parrots who squawk in the evening when they are returning to their nests. Then there is the wild fowl that appeared a few years ago that I've noticed. They are beginning to be everywhere and have little chicks in tow sometimes. We have these 2 birds too the cardinals both male and female and java rice bird. image from https://jeteliot.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/red-crested-cardinal/ image from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...Manoa_campus,_Honolulu,_Hawaii,_USA-8_(4).jpg One of my favorites is the waxbills: image form http://www.pbase.com/photon180/image/135492447
@Yvonne Smith Have you seen any Hummingbirds this morning? We put up our feeder yesterday just in case some head our way.
This morning I saw my first Hummingbird at the Feeder. Thank you @Yvonne Smith for letting me know they were coming.
So that is where all of our hummingbirds went ! We put out the feeder, and I haven't seen one since, @Babs Hunt. I am sure that they will show back up again; but we have only had the other birds at the birdbath and birdseed feeder, and not a hummingbird anywhere to be seen. I even tried singing the "hummingbird song" when I was out working in the yard, and that didn't work either.
I haven't put up my hummingbird feeder yet. I've been distracted with the regular bird feeder, but I guess I'll have to clean it up and make some nectar, just in case they show up, although I haven't seen any so far this Spring. Here's a recipe for hummingbird nectar, in case anyone would like to make some: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/MigratoryBirds/WebCam/hummingbird_nectar_recipe.cfm
I made a batch of hummingbird nectar the other day. I'd scrubbed the hummingbird feeder a few days before that, and was excited to be getting the nectar made and the feeder filled and hung out back. It started leaking right away, and I disregarded it, because I thought perhaps I was holding it at the wrong angle, but it promptly leaked nectar all over the place. I just got back from running errands, and found a small cute one at Dollar Tree, so I'll use that for now. If it becomes established and the hummingbirds like it, I'll get a few more, perhaps even a more expensive one, but this one will do for now.
We have had a few hummingbirds at the feeder; but not like we had last year, at least thus far. We have had lots of birds though, and both Bobby and I enjoy watching the birds. We especially love watching the birds fluttering around happily as they splash around and take their little baths. Sometimes, we have several birds waiting for their "turn in the tub", so to speak. I have a birdfeeder attached to the little decorative fence at the back of the birdbath; so they can eat, drink, and bathe all at the same place. We have trees around the yard that they sleep in , so you could actually say that we are a full-service Bed and Breakfast for the little guys. I have also started putting some bird and squirrel food outside the back door, and we always have a variety of birds out there eating, and usually a squirrel or two. We get cardinals, mourning doves, blue jays, robins, and a variety of other birds that I don't know what they are. I still think that the birds are also eating all of the strawberries; but the last trip to Lowe's I got a few more plants and put them in two hanging baskets by the porch, so maybe we will get strawberries from those before the birds find them.
In the Spring we actually only see one or two Hummingbirds on an almost daily basis and they do not come to the feeder all day long either. My husband will see them come early in the morning and we both notice them in the late afternoon. But they are only here a short while and then move on. More come around my husband's birthday in September and since they are bulking up for the migration back home...they come all through the day and often don't leave until sometime after Thanksgiving (probably depending on how cold it gets). A few days ago we were really upset. My husband went to get our mail and on the way he found a Hummingbird twitching on the sidewalk in front of him. He picked it up and brought it back to our home to see if we could figure out what was wrong with it, but to all outward appearance we could see no wounds, etc. and yet an hour later the Hummingbird was dead. We buried it in the ground of the rose bushes. I have not had time to do some research to see what could have happened...but it is the first time we have dealt with the death of a Hummingbird and it made us very sad.
@Babs Hunt A friend had the same experience about a week ago. She found a hummingbird on the ground and it wasn't doing well, so she took it in and tried to care for it, but it passed away, unfortunately. I guess it's the circle of life, but I always find it sad when an animal dies. We've had 2 dead cats and then 2 dead dogs found in a bag in my neighborhood recently, and it's disturbing. I do think there's someone in the area that enjoys killing animals. Some suspect the dogs in the bags could have been bait dogs that were dumped here, rather than being from the neighborhood, but either way, it's sick and I hope it's somehow stopped. I haven't seen any hummers at all, and have had the feeder downstairs full, but if only a few come, that could be why I'm not seeing the feeder emptied. It's not in a place where I have a view, so I'd most likely miss them if they did show up. I'm going to refill it later, just in case.