A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 My hummer's are too funny

I believe I know have three hummers, an immature male, a female, and today I spotted a ruby-throated male!! We live in base housing and they are doing renovations (putting on a front porch and turing the carport into a garage), well today I was on my side patio checking out some of my moonvine and hibiscus cuttings that I have rooting in water and two of the construction people entered my front yard. Well my little female hummer came buzzing up and literally got in this ladies face and started chripping up a storm. It was too funny. I she didn't like strangers near her feeder, she never bothers me.

Probably because they know where their food comes from--you!

I was outside filling my feeders yesterday and they were flying around and chirping loud---as soon as I hung them up they were right there!

Mine sits there and ignores me......so far.

I'm sitting here and watching them out my window and the male just flew up, he never comes around when I'm outside. I got up to take a closer look, he spotted me and ZOOM he was gone!!

Cool! I moved 2 feeders up on the back porch near my woodsmans weatherstick. Well I looked out and it's THE perfect perch for them.....one was sitting right on it!

I've never had humming birds before, and I want them! My mom gets them by her gardens all the time and they are like giant mosquitos!

I just put out the feeders a few days ago. My husband and I were sitting out on our pation yesterday morning and he asked me if I had seen any hummers and I said "No, not yet" and as soon as I said that a hummingbird flew up to my feeder!!

If you feed them, they will come!

They seem to be multiping in numbers. Yesterday, I had two. Today, I have three. Maybe tomorrow I will have some more

My wife reports we now have two hummers and one appears to be a male. They were hanging around our red Cannas today.

ND, if there is a Walmart close to you, go by there and pick up a Hummingbird feeder. They should be in the Wild Birds section of the pet department and they have some for about $2.50 that my hummers love. You mix one part table sugar to four parts tap water and stir, then heat in the microwave for one minute and stir again until ALL the sugar is dissolved. I make up 2-3 liters at a time and store the extra in the refrigerator until needed. Refill your feeders when they get empty or about every 3 days whichever comes first. You WILL get hummers if you do this. They ARE in North Dakota.

I got both of my feeders from Wal-Mart as well. I bought the nectar that you mix with water though. I will have to use your receipe Thornius!

I have a bird book here that says you can use 10x Powdered Sugar and Water, and you don't have to heat it because the sugar is so fine that it mixes right up. I tried it once and it worked great.

Hey loz,

Do you use the same ratio?

Pretty much, yep--I'm good at eyeballing it now..... The birds seemed to like it....and it was quicker than heating up regular sugar.

Never tried that before. May have to use that one though I have not had any here in weeks.

I've heard that about 10X powdered sugar, too, but I haven't tried it yet.

Thanks for all the good tips, everyone. In late summer when I bring the feeders in for the last clean-up, I refill them with tap water that has been set out for at least 24hrs to get rid of some of the chemicals, then rehang the feeders. The Hummers seem to appreciate the water almost as much as the homemade nectar.

They do like and need plain water. When I water my Cannas, the hummers swarm them to apparently get the water trapped in the leaves.

rose, you should leave your feeders out all year. Each Winter, every Eastern and Mid-western state get a few Hummers, notably the Rufous Hummingbird, that decide NOT to migrate to Central and South America, but instead, stay in the above sections of the U.S. for the Winter. If they do not get nectar, they die. The cold does not bother them at all, IF they have the nectar they need. Chances are you WON'T get one, but I have personally seen a male Rugous at a feeder in Winter here in Nashville, TN about 18 years ago, when I had just started birding and just two years ago a husband and wife birder team in Smithville, TN just 40 miles from me had a male Rufous Hummer spend the Winter with them. They named him, "Willie" cause every morning they would say, "Willie come today?"

Do you think I should leave my feeders up as and also I have two feeders, should I put nectar in one and water in the other?

Thorny will know the best answer for that....

This is hard to see because I had to take it through the screen but you can just make out the hummer sitting on the weatherstick Wrennie sent me!

He's thinking what a perfect perching spot.

Oh I see it there Loz! Great perch!

I see him, I bet he really likes his perch!!!

They love to perch near the feeders. Mine perch in the same willow tree my feeders hang from.

As to the two feeder one for water and one for nectar it wouldn't hurt to try. Hummers HAVE to have a source of pure drinking water so, WHY NOT A FEEDER OF WATER? It's worth a try!

I will try the water in one of the feeders next time I change the nectar. I got a picture of one of my hummers just a few minutes ago, she flew right up to the feeder with me right beside it!!

Nice shot Monica!