Hummingbirds

[stevej37]

Searched for Wdfifteens thread ......couldn't find it.

Today, sitting next to the feeder and the turtle pond, the hummingbirds were out in full force. Sunny and 75 and I wonder about a couple things.

First...at 7:30 this am....looked out the window and three of them were slurping down the nectar. Looked at the thermometer and it was 44 degrees. Don't they migrate when the temps get that low?

Second, sitting about 3 feet away from the feeder this afternoon, they are skittish to stick their beaks in the nectar flower, so they hover next to it watching me. There
was a wind today and they still manage to stay in the same spot in the air within an inch for up to 30 seconds.
Incredible....beautiful birds

[stevej37]

Hard to see...but one flying stationary.

[john70t]

I've got the same feeder. Is there an o-ring at the base?
Mine leaked and I used nylon string to make the seal.

[JackDidley]

Took a minute to see it. Sort of like a Wheres Waldo thing.

[stevej37]

^^^
This one hasn't leaked....yet.
I had to add the water moat above it to keep the ants out. It does it's job.
The nectar is powder sugar with water...I think they go for that more than the 'prepared mix'

My phone barely shows their wings in flight....need a better camera to catch them in a pic.

The yellow tube above it is a yellow jacket trap....they are all over the grape jelly for the Orioles without it.

[stevej37]

If you click on full screen...you can see the hummingbird and oriole feeders in the upper right.

[Scott Watkins]

Funny watching them fighting over the feeder.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by stevej37

First...at 7:30 this am....looked out the window and three of them were slurping down the nectar. Looked at the thermometer and it was 44 degrees. Don't they migrate when the temps get that low?

Not if someone leaves the feeder out. They will stay until they end up freezing to death.


When it starts getting cold, take it down.

The ones that have a place on top that you can fill with water, like the one pictured above, the water will keep the ants out

We got a new roof this week. Moved the feeder, then moved it back. One little guy was looking at the temporary spot, figured out where it was and hit it.

The males will really put on a show, tussling for territory.

[stevej37]

^^^

That's what the red cup on my first pic is for.

What temp is too cold? Freezing or over?
I will take it down after next week...supposed to be 75-80 each day for a while.

[Steve Carlton]

Amazing creatures!

[stevej37]

^^^ Great video....they look exactly like the ones here, green bodies.

[Tobra]

You will start seeing fewer as Autumn hits. I usually bring mine in around the end of September, beginning of October. I have had people tell me you leave it up until they stop coming for a week or two, but I don't know about that.

[stevej37]

^^^ I'll prob do the same...summer is hanging on here, but once the cold weather hits..it stays.

I did some searching and found they migrate to Mexico and Central America. A lot of area to cover for a bird the size of my thumb.

[LWJ]

We have Rufus and Annas (hope I got that right!). One migrates. One doesn’t. I feed all winter.

Love love love them. Feisty. Bad attitude. But delicate and gorgeous.

One of my most favorite creatures.

[Scott Douglas]

There is usually one or two sitting on the power lines above our back fence every morning when I get up. My wife has been taking out the plants in the back yard and their foraging on the remaining flowers is interesting. They are very territorial when it comes to who gets to eat where. The 'dog fights' are something else and I've come close to being hit when out there watching.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Don't they migrate when the temps get that low?

The Ruby Throats that come to Michigan and Ohio get the impulse to migrate based on the sun. No one knows if it is the height of the sun or the hours of daylight. They start to take off sometime in late August and are all gone by mid-October. They double their body weight to around 6 grams getting ready for the trip to Central America, so keep the feeders out for a couple of weeks after you see the last one.

[ckcarr]

In the last week they have all vanished from here in Southern Utah. Gone until April (although once I had one in March). A rare one or two pass through but that's about it.

Two weeks ago there was the huge flurry of activity where I had to fill my three backyard feeders (North side of house) twice a day as the migration passed through. I get hundreds of them. They know my place though as a stopping point.

Now I need the bats to head south. Tired of their ****.

What's just coming back now are Northern Flickers. I look forward to them punching holes in my stucco.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

The Ruby Throats that come to Michigan and Ohio get the impulse to migrate based on the sun. No one knows if it is the height of the sun or the hours of daylight. They start to take off sometime in late August and are all gone by mid-October. They double their body weight to around 6 grams getting ready for the trip to Central America, so keep the feeders out for a couple of weeks after you see the last one.

Well, that explains the feeding frenzy yesterday. I'll keep the feeder out there until they are gone.

[stevej37]

A beautiful day here today...75 and sunny with no wind. Didn't see one hummingbird all day.
I think they left.

Tomorrow will tell...supposed to be the same weather.

[sc_rufctr]

Hummingbirds are very beautiful. Such grace and watching them you'd swear something/someone must have designed them.

They constantly remind me that Natural Selection or Evolution is truly incredible!

FTR we do not have hummingbirds native to Australia.