I saw One last week while gardening, and I'm having to refill the feeders so I'm saying I have them here, But working everyday doesn't give me time to get a picture,, But While I'm home The camera is on standby!
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
//www.agardenersforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/190118/fpart/1 I always like to look back and see when I saw my first hummer from the year before so I can compare. I read through there and I guess I didn't post when I saw my first one. But I did see that we were getting snow on April 25th!
Thorny That is the same one I have in the picture,, I placed a red ribbon on it
Cheryl,, I am sooooooooo envious, you guys up there see sooooooo many more for longer periods than the rest of the county that was an awesome Picture!
Thanks Sheri,, I knew they were drinking from it because I've had to refill it so often,, I was about to take it down and refill when I saw it! Glad I had my camera in hand at the right moment.
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
Thanks Shirley and Diane. We are pretty lucky here that we have them for so long. I think we only get 3 species in the seattle area though? I could be wrong about that. I know that the ana's hummer is the one that winters here. Poor little things must have frozen their little tooshies off with the bad freezing weather we had this winter. I couldn't even leave my feeder out for them during the freeze because it's glass and I was afraid it would break. This years goal is to get another feeder, one with perches, and a bird bath or two. We'll see. I definately want to get a really shallow bird bath to try to catch the hummers bathing, I think that would be really neat!
Great pictures Diane and Cheryl. Diane - you captured the ruby throat really well! Cheryl - that is such a pretty picture on your pretty feeder.
By the way... did you know that hummers prefer to play in mists of water? They sell misters just for that purpose, but I've had some dance in and out of the spray of my hose while watering plants!
I make my own nectar. I use one part table sugar to four parts tap water. NO RED DYE! Just stir the mixture until All the sugar dissolves. AND DO NOT USE ANY DYE IN THE NECTAR, RED, OR ANY OTHER COLOR!
I'm Thornius, the Bird Man here. I'm in Nashville TN. Welcome to the forums lisajonathan00! RED DYE IN THE NECTAR IS HARMFUL TO THE HUMMERS!!! Put the red ON and AROUND the feeders, NOT IN THE NECTAR!!
Trumpet Creeper seems to work well for Hummers and Downy Woodpeckers like it, TOO.
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes..
EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
My feeders are red and yellow a Hummingbirds favorite colors the wires that fasten them up are red vinyl. That's all you need. Besides mine don't start showing up until the end of June through the middle of July.
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes..
EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
They don't like your feeders, because you haven't put the red dye in.
Not true, Stevie. Thorny is correct on not using dye - I have read where it really destroys the hummingbird's digestive tract. One doesn't need red food - the red on the feeders is really enough to attract them.
OK, so by looking at the map, the hummers have already been seen in the Dallas area? Are these just scouts? I have my feeder out, but no signs of them yet. My Cross Vine is blooming and they usually like that. Most everything else they care for is not blooming yet.
Dallas is one of the first places to get Hummers. Hummers are funny though. The males come first as scouts then the females come. In spring the tend to depend more on the natural food although some DO come to feeders. I see more in the woods than at feeders in spring. In early July, after the young have left the nest, the Hummers finally start visiting feeders regularly. Then they are not only seen around NATURAL food sources they SWARM to the feeders. So don't expect to see many at your feeders in spring. They use the feeders more in mid-Summer.
Kingdoms RAGE and go to war...but the PEasants plant potatoes..
EARTH FIRST! (we'll strip-mine the OTHER planets later.)
They don't like your feeders, because you haven't put the red dye in.
Not true, Stevie. Thorny is correct on not using dye - I have read where it really destroys the hummingbird's digestive tract. One doesn't need red food - the red on the feeders is really enough to attract them.
Oh no, I am 100% sure on this one- the red dye is really good for them, high in fibre, vitamin B and D, essential fatty acids and also kryptonite!
interesting Thornius. Last year I had out a clear with red and yellow dots with a yellow top feeder and the hummers would NEVER use it. Remember that saga? They like my red one and my plain clear ones.
Red and Yellow. You might be thinking of McDonalds.
OK, how do you guys get those little boxes within the the posts?
OK, so I'm not expert by any means, but at my house year before last I did a test...I put out 2 identical feeders...one with my homemade sugar water and the other with store bought with red color. Moral of the story....they completely ignored the feeder with the red coloring and drank from the clear "nectar" everytime.
I have not ever died my water because I did not know if it would hurt them or not, so I just did color free nectar. I do have my feeders colored up. Thanks for the advice and welcome. I have a orange trumpet vine ordered. Hope that will work as well. I will look for the trumpet creeper and get one for the other side. Thanks
Lisa - I don't mean to burst your bubble, and I hope this is not the case for you, but very often it can take about 5 years before you see the first bloom on a trumpet vine. I got my first bloom exactly 5 years after I planted it - on my daughter's birthday in August as a matter of fact. I used to be on a few other forums and that was the general consensus about those plants.
I haven't planted trumpet creeper. I hope they both flower well for you!
Some other plants that they love are sages, butterfly bushes, rose of sharon bushes, hosta flowers, mostly any tubular shaped flower.
Some vines I have grown that they like are purple hyacinth bean, scarlet runner beans, cardinal flower vine, firecracker vine, and honeysuckle vines.
I put my feeders in the dishwasher yesterday and need to make some food for them today. I have always seen my first hummer of the year the first week in May. I have recorded this for about 10 years now, and it amazes me how they are right on target every year - WONDERFUL!
I am new to vines, so I didn't know, but now I do. I will do research on the ones you stated as far as bees go. I have an archway that I want a vine to go around and thought of one for the hummers. Thanks for the info.
OK, how do you guys get those little boxes within the the posts?
OK, so I'm not expert by any means, but at my house year before last I did a test...I put out 2 identical feeders...one with my homemade sugar water and the other with store bought with red color. Moral of the story....they completely ignored the feeder with the red coloring and drank from the clear "nectar" everytime.
Hi iggygal, just click on the 'quote' button at the bottom of the window.
Lynne you were saying they are right on schedule for the last ten years,, Well I too have noticed ,, since last year I've seen at least one at my feeders between 6 and 7 PM generally around 6:25 it happened again this evening,,
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
Yes, not only do they return here during the same week, but they also tank up for the night at the same time of day as well. Glad you noticed that - it makes it easier to watch them when you are home!
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