Any Hummingbird Watchers Out There?

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  • flannelette
    flannelette Member Posts: 984
    edited April 2012

    We  get ruby-throated here.  I have a story, the first part is not nice but it ends superbly.

    we lived on an old wood houseboat on a river in the summer, and kept the upper deck door open, and one flew in.

    Well, we also had cats and before i knew it the cat had it. but somehow dropped it and it was unhurt and I chased the cat away and caught the hummer into my hand. went out on the upper deck, cosed the door, set the little guy down on the couch to rest.

    when he rose into the air, he rose straight up to the deck ceiling and into some spider webs! (on water you get tons of spiders, can't be helped) but he strugggled free and zoomed off, only to lose altitude as he was wrapped in some webs and landed on the water where he continued,, like a little speedboat, going slower and slower.....Horrified, I jumped into the motor boat and went out the 20 feet or so and was able to reach down and scoop him up in my hand. The poor wee thing! He was exhausted - I pulled spider webbing off him - I think his tail tip had got hooked to a wing - spider webs are very strong. I thought he was gone, but held him in my hands to warm him.

    Got back to the houseboat,  went to sit in the hottest, brightest patch of sun and laid him beside me on a cloth - I was afraid his body temp had dropped too much and he was also of course totally exhausted and his energy spent. He just lay there. so I went & got the hummingbird feeder f down and put one of the feeder tubes as close to him as I could. Nothing. then I tipped the feeder so sugar water flowed onto my fingers and I put my finger to the tip of his beak and he opened it and licked my finger!!!!! And so we sat while he licked and in a little while he began to stir and I think at that point he became able to drink from the feeder and sat on the little plastic perch, feeding.And when he was warmed and fueled up, he zoomed off like a rocket, up into the air and to safety. 

    I felt so guilty, so badly, for having created this horrific situation by having a feeder near our open door, the cats and then the friggin spider webs! and him having to swim! I can't tell you how thrilled I was for the sheer magic of him eating off my fingers, seeing him come back to life and fly away. will never forget it and grateful that having helped create the situation, was given the chance and luck to help bring him back to his rightful life. this whole event took hours - one of the most amazing nature encounters of my life.

  • makingway
    makingway Member Posts: 799
    edited April 2012

    flaneratter-That's a wonderful story! I had a similar experience with a hummer and spiderwebs.

    cinnamon-Never, ever use bleach on a bird feeder! Use vinegar instead.

  • ElenaMarie62
    ElenaMarie62 Member Posts: 105
    edited April 2012

    Dear Flannelette,

    WOW!!! That is such an amazing story and what an experience for both you and the little hummer! You were so brave and kind to help him get back on his feet and be able to fly to safety!

    You could almost write a little book about that experience and any others you have, since you must have encountered other things living on the water! My husband (he died almost 7 years ago) used to live on a houseboat before he met me, and he always told me the neatest stories about being on the water. It takes a really brave and adventurous person to live on the water, I think, but it must have been exciting!

    Thanks for such a  nice story that ended so well. :) 

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited April 2012

    We have to bring our feeders in at night because of racoons, but last year we had a hummer boy (we only have ruby throats) that would be waiting for me to hang the feeders in the morning.  As soon as I opened the door he would land on the feeder while it was still in my hand.  I worried about him coming in the house if I didn't get out fast enough!

    Although the map shows they've been spotted in our area for the past month, we have yet to see our first one but I'm anxiously watching!  The latest we've gotten them is April 23rd.  I was really hoping for an early arrival this year.  Although last year, I went through 5 pounds of sugar a week, so I'm wishing work on myself lol 

  • TwoHobbies
    TwoHobbies Member Posts: 2,118
    edited June 2012

    Two weeks ago we were sitting on our deck and we saw a hummingbird, so I got my feeder up again.  I have a mandevilla vine they seem to enjoy and I planted some fuschia petunias to attract them.  I'm a happy camper that my hummingbirds are back. 

    Although if I got through 5 lbs of sugar a week like Nancy, I may tell them to go get a job!

  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited June 2012

    Just noticed this thread. My DH photographs humming birds even in flight.If anyone is interested I will post some of his shots.

  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited June 2012

    Please! Would LOVE to see some hummer pics! Smile

  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited June 2012

    Rufous Hummer

     

  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited June 2012

    Honduras Emerald

     

  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited June 2012

    Capped Starthroat

     

  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited June 2012
  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited June 2012
  • mumito
    mumito Member Posts: 4,562
    edited June 2012

    Enjoy ladies I hope I didn't overdo it.

  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited June 2012

    mumito - these are STUNNING!!!!!

    I especially love the Honduras Emerald....not only can you see a black pupil in the brown eye (who knew?) but the feathers look like opals.

    Does your DH travel all over to get these shots?

    Amazing, just amazing - thank you so much!!! (And thank DH, too!!!)

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited June 2012
    Maryb, we've had more orioles this year than ever too.  Unfortunately, we had to bring our jelly feeder in because of bees.  I'm still putting fresh oranges out though and get an oriole or two that way.  The rose breasted grosbeaks love the jelly and oranges too.  Mumito -- outstanding pics!  I truly wish we got more than one variety, but I appreciate my ruby throats all the same.
  • coraleliz
    coraleliz Member Posts: 1,523
    edited July 2012

    mumito-beautiful shots of these birds!!!!  Thanks for posting!

    I'll have to look into the "jelly feeder" thing for the orioles. I like the orioles as much as the hummers. I have a peach & a apricot tree that have never produced much usable fruit. I let the orioles have what it does produce. In my part of California, we see Hooded & Bullock's orioles. After seeing mumito's wonderful bird shots, I don't think I'l post mine. Lol

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2012

    Mary, they are honey bees and they swarm on the jelly. I know that honey bees are dying off in parts of the country, but where I live they are plentiful.

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2012

    Coraleliz, before we had to take the jelly down, I was going through 2 large jars of grape jelly a week! Now we go through 2 oranges a day. The orioles have come back for them, although not in as great a number as they did for the jelly. we have Baltimore (northern) and Orchard orioles only.

  • coraleliz
    coraleliz Member Posts: 1,523
    edited July 2012

    A thought about bees & wasps(actually something that worked for my dad). Bees & wasps only live for 48hrs. According to my dad, take the feeder down for 48hrs. All the insects that have found there way to your feeder will have died from old age. The new insects will have found other sources & will flock there. New bees & wasps might eventually find your feeder again........& so it goes..............

    auntienance-I haven't tried oranges yet. Probably a cheaper way for me to go since I have an orange treeWink

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2012

    coraleliz, we did try that but within an hour we were inundated again. Word gets out fast in the bee world!

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2012

    Mary, they are honey bees. In fact we had a swarm this summer in one of our apple trees. They stayed for a day then moved on to establish a a new hive. We have several varieties of wasps as well which will hang out at the hummingbird feeders sometimes but they don't bother the jelly. I am very familiar with the difference between them as I have been stung twice this summer by bees from walking through the clover in flip flops. You'd think I'd learn after the first time :(

  • Hipline
    Hipline Member Posts: 195
    edited July 2012

    Just saw mumito's photos and had to say how gorgeous they are! We have had a nest in a potted tree on our porch for two years running. Just yesterday the two babies finally flew out on their own. I love witnessing this each time.

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2012

    Wow hipline, lucky you!

  • cinnamonsmiles
    cinnamonsmiles Member Posts: 779
    edited July 2012

    Thanks to this thread, I bought a hummer feeder. I haven't put it out, thinking that I would have to wait until some flowers bloomed for extra attraction. Well, with the heat and critters, my flower beds are really bare. BUT, my boyfriend nagged me a few weeks ago to get it out. I now have those beautiful little birds coming to the feeder right outside my kitchen window! They have been coming sporadically all day long into the early evening. I love it!

    I put an oriole feeder out on a shorter shepards hook with liquid food and have not seen any. Bummer.I had thought I had seen an oriole checking out the front yard in June. Next year I may buy one of those feeders that I can put jelly and oranges on. However, I put the oriole feeder further out in to the yard and I noticed black ants all over it. I find it interesting that the ants don't come near the hummer feeder. 

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2012

    Cinnamon, this is a good time to put one out. The young are out of the nest and they swarm the feeders. I'm having to fill 2 feeders at least twice a day right now.

  • cinnamonsmiles
    cinnamonsmiles Member Posts: 779
    edited July 2012

    WOW are you lucky to have sooo many orioles!! I have had my oriole feeder out for a week now and haven't seen one bird. I edit the other thread to see if a higher shepard's hook would work better?

    I wanted to plant some flowering trees and lilacs nearby this year, but I just didn't have the money and with the high heat and drought we are having, probably was best I didn't. Hopefully we will have a normal spring and early summer next year! 

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2012

    Cinnamon, we don't get many orioles at the nectar feeder this late into the summer, but we are getting quite a few eating fresh oranges. You might try that.

  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited July 2012

    HUMMER FEEDERS IN HOT WEATHER....

    In hot temperatures the sugar water in feeders can go bad and smell terribly sour within days. Maybe it will look cloudy, but most times it won't.

    In hot weather, completely clean each feeder, and change to fresh sugar water at least every three to five days. Watch out for mold, too, as it will grow faster in this weather.

    Here are some good tips for feeding hummers, cleaning feeders, and avoiding bees, wasps, and ants on feeders.

    http://www.gardening-for-wildlife.com/feeding-hummingbirds.html

  • 1vamom
    1vamom Member Posts: 167
    edited July 2012

    My daughter and I love our "hummie."

    We homeschool, and love when our bird and critter friends drop in to keep us company.

    Our hummies love our feeder, petunias, salvia, even pansies.

    We had terrible ants, but bought te little green thing that goes between pole and feeder, and it works.

    Thanks for the link to wildlife gardening, as we try to entice as many creatures as possible into our gardens.

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2012

    Mary, I don't know where you are, but I'm in northeast Missouri. We're still getting orioles but not as many.

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