Hummingbirds?

[mom45]

The rain just keeps going around us. Last weekend, 5 miles north of us had 4 inches. A few miles south of us had the same. We got an inch. They are saying rain for this week so I hope we get some.

The wildlife have been coming into the yard to drink from the stock tank I keep filled for them.

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

I just fill a "Sport Drink" bottle with 1/3 sugar and 2/3 warm water.
A lot of shaking and it is ready.
I clean my feeder every time I fill it.
I place a small fishing bobber in the feeder to see when empty.
One very hot day I needed to refill. I took my supply out of the fridge.
I refilled and hung it out.
About 30 seconds a hummer landed.
It took a long drink. It jumped up about 6 inches and every feather on its body stood straight out.
It relanded and spent about a minute drinking.

 

[mom45]

I just fill a "Sport Drink" bottle with 1/3 sugar and 2/3 warm water.
A lot of shaking and it is ready.
I clean my feeder every time I fill it.
I place a small fishing bobber in the feeder to see when empty.
One very hot day I needed to refill. I took my supply out of the fridge.
I refilled and hung it out.
About 30 seconds a hummer landed.
It took a long drink. It jumped up about 6 inches and every feather on its body stood straight out.
It relanded and spent about a minute drinking.

Do you put the nectar in the feeder straight from the refrigerator? I always let mine come up to room temp or close to it before filling the feeders so it doesn't chill them. I know when I raised guinea fowl, cold water could be fatal to the chicks. Their tiny bodies would get chilled from drinking cold water and could kill them. I assume hummingbirds could be affected in a similar fashion so have always let it warm up a bit before filling the feeders. I actually have two sets of feeders and sanitize the dirty ones when I swap the for the fresh set.

 

[Bigtanker]

My wife planted some beebalm in the back yard and now we have a flock of hummers' around. There are some hostas on the other side of the yard they like too. I think I might have located a nest in the neighbors tree but it's way too high for me to find out for sure.

 

[Hkindiana]

Do you put the nectar in the feeder straight from the refrigerator? I always let mine come up to room temp or close to it before filling the feeders so it doesn't chill them. I know when I raised guinea fowl, cold water could be fatal to the chicks. Their tiny bodies would get chilled from drinking cold water and could kill them. I assume hummingbirds could be affected in a similar fashion so have always let it warm up a bit before filling the feeders. I actually have two sets of feeders and sanitize the dirty ones when I swap the for the fresh set.

i always put mine straight from the fridge to the feeders, and it has never seemed to bother them.

 

[mom45]

i always put mine straight from the fridge to the feeders, and it has never seemed to bother them.

Good to know. I always worry about doing that due to how small they are and worrying it will lower there core temp too much like it can with the guineas.

I have tons of flowers on the property so they get lots of choices of natural food sources as well, but they still go through a lot of nectar.

 

[DCR]

i always put mine straight from the fridge to the feeders, and it has never seemed to bother them.

I do the same. It warms up pretty quickly.
Also, toward the end of their stay, they'll get juice that overnight has fallen to high 30s, same temp as the fridge.

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

The nectar was straight to feeder 2 minutes or less.
The hummer must have enjoyed it. It spent about a minute plus feeding on the cold nectar.

 

[Hkindiana]

I filled my feeders at 10:30 this morning, and the birds had emptied them by 5:30. I just went to the store to purchase 20 more pounds of sugar.

 

[ghitch75]

we have 4 1 quart feeders and they will clean them out in 8 hours.......just filled them a hour ago....

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

Only on rare occasions I will have two birds feeding. Then it usually turns into combat.
I did observe some great flying. A bird got off the feeder. It flew a couple of feet.
Then it climbed about 10 feet. Then it dropped down about 12 feet. It flew sideways about 5 feet and up 12 feet.
It dropped down the 12 feet and flew sideways the opposite 5 feet and then up the 12 feet.
It flew the same pattern 3 more times. The like a bullet it was gone.

 

[ghitch75]

this is from last year....

[video=youtube;zNjIZPubD8A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNjIZPubD8A[/video]

 

[mom45]

I have tons of them hitting my feeders. I buy the quart sized feeders as well because they empty them so fast. I buy 50# bags of sugar at Costco.....LOL

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

this is from last year....

[video=youtube;zNjIZPubD8A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNjIZPubD8A[/video]

WOW

 

[BFG]

My wife refills the feeder 2-3 times a day.

 

[alc1985]

This past week there has been more hummingbirds on my feeders than I have seen all year. I'm refilling them every two days, are they getting to migrate south?

 

[mom45]

Mine have been hitting them harder too. I thought maybe they were thirsty from the heat.

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

I went out to refill my feeder. It is in front of my bay window and about 5 ft from my enclosed front porch.
I just hung up the feeder. I stepped back to my porch wall.
A hummer flew to the back side of the feeder. All of a sudden it lend to my felt side of the feeder and looked at me.
Then it feed some. Then it lend to my right side and looked at me. It feed again. Again it lend to my left and looked at me.
It flew to about 4 inched from my nose. It stayed about 15 seconds and moved around to my left ear. It returned to my nose.
Then it flew around to my right ear. Then back to my nose.
I never heard a sound of its winds until it changed position. When it moved I heard the soft VOOOOOM
It flew backward to the feeder. Again it landed on the far side from me.
Damm it did the lean and look at me from both sides of the feeder.
Again it flew to my nose. it stayed about 30 seconds. Then it flew away.
My heart began to pump again. I had a smile a mile wide.

 

[EyeCarry]

Very nice encounter Spike. Glad you got to experience that.

 

[4651feeder]

Call me a real meany if you will, took the feeder down 8 days ago when it came time for a refill. This time of year it draws in too many yellow jackets or whatever they are and I've read for up around us you're only prolonging their migration putting them at greater risk to the elements if feeders are left out when the leave start to change. Our leaves are well along that way.