Still haven't seen a hummingbird. I'm bummed.

Not trying to be a downer, but I’m still lightly researching reduced songbird numbers. I’ve noticed it on the property, at the feeders, now this Spring. When I Google, I see mention of reduced bird numbers.

To many with a busy life, not something that’s on the radar screen, hardly notice. It depends on the species too, where, habitat & type of food they consume. I don’t buy the ‘habitat’ excuse.

Anyway, take notice & keep an eye out birders.

 
We have the hands-off feeder, called a Desert Willow tree (not a true willow though). It has trumpet shaped flowers that the hummers love. The flowers drop daily, and are immediately replaced. If you look at a branch end where the flower is, you can see a dozen or so buds waiting in line. Perpetual fresh flowers all summer long.

My wife's had two feeders out for a couple weeks, but I just saw our first humming bird on Saturday. The little pigs are buzzing around the house almost constantly now, and she's filling the feeders every other day.

Our resident orioles returned on Sunday. One year we were lucky & they hung their nest in the big maple behind the house, so we were able to watch them from the back porch. But most years we can't find where they nested until Fall when the trees are bare. They always pick one of the huge trees, then hang their nest high up, and on the end of a branch where it'll catch the breeze.

Our 2 feeders have been up for less than a week. 10 minutes after hanging, they were chowing down, and haven't stopped. Fun to watch.

quote:

Originally posted by MRBTX:
Our 2 feeders have been up for less than a week. 10 minutes after hanging, they were chowing down, and haven't stopped. Fun to watch.

I don't know how much sugar my wife uses in the feeders every Summer, but it's got to be near 20 lbs. The orioles & occasionally some downey woodpeckers eat out of the hummingbird feeders too.

No. West Illinois seeing hummers now.

Rose rested grosbeak and orioles too

Still have not seen one hummingbird. I've put the same feeders out for
ten or twelve years. It's mid May. I miss them.

Put mine out about 10 days ago. Don't know if they come back to the same spot every year but I had 2 of them hanging out at the spot on the porch eaves where I always put the feeder like they were waiting for it so up it went. I usually end up with 5 or 6 of them. Let the battles begin.

I've had mine out for a week and I saw my first one yesterday and another one today.

Put ours out about a month ago; So far have seen Black chins, Ruby throats and a Rufas or two. It started slow but all seem to be hitting pretty regular now.

My SMokin' Hot Wife banned hummingbird feeders
After her trip to Costa Rica where some hippieDogooder told her that feeding them is bad

The hummingbirds are active up at the lake. I'm seeing more bird varieties up there than I have in a number of years and in numbers. Just this weekend I had in addition to the usual Hummingbirds, Gold Finches, Cardinals, Orioles, Blue Jay's Red Wing Blackbirds, Grosebeaks, swallows and the usual nut hatches.

This is very odd because the last few years I've commented on the lack of birds up there as it was very noticeable. The national forest starts right where I stop mowing the lawn but this is the first year for this many bird sightings. I'm very glad to finally see it.

I noticed a hummingbird checking out my empty feeder ~ 8/15. So I cleaned and filled it. I got two fighting over it quickly. Just put my 3rd feeder up.

This is NW Houston.

HK Ag

We have a few. They stay up year round, as we have them here year round.
We also have a ladderback woodpecker that drinks a ton of the hummingbird juice. There is a pair of them and they just gorge on suet, then suck down the juice. Pisses my wife off. I think they’re pretty cool, and the fattest woodpeckers I have ever seen.

I kept my feeders out for 2 months, changed the sugar water weekly.
Never saw one. First time in 15 years.
This website shows their migration north every year. https://www.hummingbirdcentral...-spring-2022-map.htm

Funny little creatures, we have a few every year. Experts say they often return to the same place every year. I believe it after last year... we were a tad late getting our feeders out and then one day one showed up at our kitchen window, where we always hang a feeder. It came several times just hovering in from of the window staring in at us until we got the feeders out and hung!

We only have have a few and it drives the wife crazy because they fight viciously over the feeders. We had never seen more than five. One year... wife put out one feeder for each bird and one extra, 6 feeders for 5 birds, spaced all around the house and yard We have almost 4ac. They still fought over them!

They successfully migrate hundreds of miles and back... why can't they find their way out of my garage?

We've been seeing increased activity around our two feeders in the past week or so. The little hogs are feeding like crazy preparing for their trip South.

quote:

Originally posted by Ironbutt:
We've been seeing increased activity around our two feeders in the past week or so. The little hogs are feeding like crazy preparing for their trip South.

Same thing here, they're going through a smallish feeder once a day, a larger every two days. We had very few this year, not sure why. Our Orioles were back for the 4th or 5th year, nested and loved their feeder. They share with hummingbirds on a specific oriole feeder.

quote:

Originally posted by Snapping Twig:
Living on the coast just south of San Francisco, we never took our feeder down.

There's constant action, never lets up - winter, fall, summer, spring.

I mix straight sugar 1 ~ 4 in hot water and bottle, then store it in the fridge till needed.

Lots of hummingbirds here.

Do you get any Pigmy Nuthatch?