Any Hummingbird Watchers Out There?

I love hummingbirds.  We live in West Texas, so they should be here soon.  We have the Rufous come in in August and they are a hoot.  Will let you know when I see one. 

We get ruby throat and black chin here. March 15 is about when the first show up. I'll be putting feeders up this week.



The 3 years of drought have really crimped my backyard bird variety, very excited that we are on track with rain this year so far.

When we lived on Whidbey Island (WA) I had gobs of them come. First few years we lived here (western SD) I put out feeders for them but never saw a one so quit as ony bees came. Thought they were supposed to come.

Oh, I LOVE my hummers!

I keep my feeders (I have four) freshly cleaned and filled each week, and we have hummers year-round.

They're pretty tame - they always hover over my shoulder as I put up the newly-filled feeders.

One time, on my front porch, I saw 8 hummers just sitting and feeding nicely (must have been girls!  ) on the front feeder.

They're all pretty laid back. They sit and feed; they don't hover and flit away, unless the  males are trying out their "Top Gun" maneuvers, and fly all around the place chasing each other.

We have them year round. We have to make sure the feeders stay unfrozen in the winter. Good thing we do not get much freezing weather!

Blessings, they are pretty tame here too! Buzzing around my head! They get very territorial about their feeders. My husband will sit out on the porch with a camera and take lots of photos of them.

I have put up feeders in the past, I will be putting mine up this week. I think they arrive here around the 15 of March. One year when I had 3 feeders up, my husband was sitting on the front porch when a hummer flew at him and stopped about 6 inches from his nose, hovered there a minute then flew over the top of his head. I will sit in the living room watching for their antics chasing one another away from the feeders.

Sheila 

I have a feeder in a tree facing my front porch... It attracts your garden variety birds. However, I also have hanging fuchsia plants on the porch and the hummingbirds LOVE the fushia! I live on long island and will let you know when they arrive on my front porch!

Oh, I love this thread!  It's so funny that it popped up for me tonight since I just put out my first feeders this afternoon. 

It's a little early for us still...they usually start showing up the 3rd week of March and I saw my first ones in mid-April last year...but I'll be gone for 3 weeks for my surgery starting next week and I wanted to get my hubby in the habit of changing the feeder food so they don't pass us by. 

I've been putting out two feeders for the last 5 years and I always get 3-5 regulars.  I'm going to add a third feeder this year.  They are all in sight of at least one of my windows.  Usually, I always have one who likes to perch on the line that runs from the porch roof to the house...it's our "cat run" (we put her in a harness and let her roam on the leash running off the line when we're out there gardening or sunning).  I've had the more brazen hummers come right up to the cat (within a couple of feet) and check her out. 

One of the great joys of life is watching those little hummers.  My garden is constantly undergoing reconstruction so I have the most attracting plants I can find out there.  = )

Hummingbird wars??? Here's how it's sometimes played in my neighborhood. If the birds are ignoring your feeders & frequenting your neighbors, you have to make your nectar sweeter(add more sugar). But then your neighbor might retaliate & make his stronger. But honestly, there are so many hummers year round that I can't keep my feeders filled. I use a 4 to 1 ratio.

I love hummers!  I spent 10 years in the St. Louis area with two hummer feeders, flower plantings attractive to hummers and great success in attracting the ruby throateds common to midwestern states.  I'm now in NE Indiana.  Didn't do much birding while dealing with breast cancer treatment but have recently re-established some feeding stations and had just checked the hummingbird migration site a couple of days ago.  I'm guessing we'll see them in a few weeks, as well.  I can't wait!  Oh, and I'll be adding some hummingbird attracting plants to my landscaping this spring.

Hi Everyone,

I am in Maryland, and it has been so warm here, that I just made up a batch of sugar water tonight, and will put it out tomorrow in one feeder at least. Same spot it was in when they left in the Fall. They may head up this way sooner than I think, so I don't want them to pass on by.  

Jaytee

Oh Yeah!!!!  Thanks for bringing this up!!   I take so much comfort from our hummers.  When I am feeling bad, they come up to the sliding glass door and flash their red throats to say hello.  We live in OR, and they stayed around our feeder all winter.   Usually just the Annas winter over, but we had a mild winter and the ruby ones stuck around this year.  A few weeks ago they disappeared and we were so disappointed.   Now they are back, and chowing down at the feeder.  Think they must have been nesting.   Today we had a late snowfall, and the first thing I saw this morning was the male just hanging out on the feeder.   Sometimes it's hard to recognize our everyday joy and blessings, but these exquisite creatures are right there reminding us!