I remember seeing them in my moms flower garden all the time when we were kids. Always found them fascinating even then. We purchased a piece of property this year that has Superior National Forest right out the back door and a 5000 acre reservoir out the front door. So we have a lot of wildlife. I put out a Hummingbird feeder when we first got up there this spring. Within 20 minutes I had 2 to 3 different ones darting around the feeders and feeding. And they were aggressive. The males would constantly keep the females away from the feeders. I added a second feeder in a different location just to give the ladies a chance at some peaceful feeding but the males are harassing them at both sites.

Their aerial acrobatics are amazing to watch. If a male wasn't sitting on the feeder guarding it the females would come to feed but they won't get much more than 30 seconds or so before a male comes darting in to chase them off. The speed and agility they have almost defy's physics.

We have a stroller that sits outside up there for when my grandson comes up. It has a cup holder on it. My son in law was using it and found a dead Hummingbird laying in the cup holder. I can't imagine how that could have happened. It's not deep enough for him to get trapped in it or drown in it.

I was sitting in my truck up on Blind 35 one evening reading a map and heard a buzzing noise. I looked up and saw a hummingbird hovering just above the steering wheel. He hung out with me briefly before zooming off.

My wife put up some feeders. We are covered up with them, 6-7 at a time. They are very entertaining to watch.

I was mountain biking the other day and one hovered about a foot from my face, must have liked the colors I was wearing.

Hummingbirds are terrific.

putting feeders on each side of the house, preferably in the shade, allows you to see them where ever you are,
also they tend to fight over the feeder less.

we discovered these ant guards this summer
https://www.amazon.com/Perky-P...Single/dp/B00EZRVZIK
they work wonderfully

We hung a string overhead lights on our deck a few years ago. For July 4th we replaced some of the clear bulbs with red, clear and blue. Within an hour, hummingbirds were all over the red ones looking for a meal.
Mike

When I lived in Alabama, a neighbor had multiple feeders and damn near 30 of the little guys buzzing around at any given time. It was nuts trying to watch them all. We have 2-3 at our feeder in WV most of the time.

Pro tip:

Honeysuckle. The variety that looks like red trumpets. They found mine in under a year.

I planted a vine of it, not knowing they liked it, now every year I see 2-3. I've planted more on the privacy screen of the deck.

I thought about the feeders, but if you leave the liquid out without changing it you can poison them.

Between me and the other neighbors with feeders, there are too many to keep track of. It’s pretty crazy as they are very territorial and it’s better than watching aircraft dogfights. They chase each other away, a lot.
As far as the nectar we feed them, all organic sugar and water. It lasts about three days so no need to worry about poison. But like I said, it’s a constant feeding ground here.

I never knew about the possibility of poisoning them. I wonder if that’s what happened to the dead one we found. I change and clean the feeders when they are empty maybe I should be doing it more frequently.

When I was a kid growing up in MO we didn’t have air conditioning. In the summertime I slept in our screened-in back porch. Mom had hollyhocks planted just outside the porch. Very early in the morning I’d see ruby throated hummingbirds feeding from the hollyhocks, two feet away. A beautiful sight!

ETA – I googled “ruby-throated hummingbirds”, then clicked IMAGES. Most of them had gray bodies and wings. But the ones at our hollyhocks had green bodies and wings. This one matches my memory:

https://www.loe.org/shows/segm...13-00026&segmentID=6

Apparently there are different kinds of ruby-throated hummingbirds.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pipe Smoker,

quote:

I thought about the feeders, but if you leave the liquid out without changing it you can poison them.

especially if the feeders are in the direct sun light
,
it can turn to poison,

5-6 days in the shade , 3-4 days in the sun max

when the temps get below 50 deg. F
we up the sugar to 4 to one point two five.

also
knock down your spider webs , if you have some,
they fowl up the birds , terrible

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,

Have you ever watched a courtship dance/flight? It’s very cool, like watching a giant pendulum on a clock swing (except the tiny little bird is describing the arc). Set out an oscillating lawn sprinkler and watch them play (and bathe) in it.
I keep a hanging basket of fuschia by my back door and have visitors every day. We also keep a few flower baskets on our boat, and it’s pretty amazing to watch them come from what seems like nowhere in the middle of the lake to visit the flowers.
My dad is more serious. He has about 7-8 hummer feeders up, and has a very active population there.

I quit putting out feeders when I realized one of my dogs liked to snap them out of midair. The dog has long passed, but that and the easy spoilage ruined feeders for me.

Seems most of them have moved on for the season now. I had maybe one or two at the feeders this weekend and not as frequently as before. I suspect I can quit feeding in a week or two. I'm going to be more diligent about cleaning the feeders next season and research what plants I can plant to keep the attracted and provide other feeding options.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Seems most of them have moved on for the season now. I had maybe one or two at the feeders this weekend and not as frequently as before. I suspect I can quit feeding in a week or two. I'm going to be more diligent about cleaning the feeders next season and research what plants I can plant to keep the attracted and provide other feeding options.

The migration has begun. After a summer of two or three birds, I now have double digits (ever try to count hummingbirds?). Last year I went through 40 pounds of sugar from late August until it was over.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
Pro tip:

Honeysuckle. The variety that looks like red trumpets. They found mine in under a year.

I planted a vine of it, not knowing they liked it, now every year I see 2-3. I've planted more on the privacy screen of the deck.

I thought about the feeders, but if you leave the liquid out without changing it you can poison them.

I will have to plant some. The wife has banned me from putting feeders out after her visit to Costa Rica. The red dye, which I didn't use, just sugar water. And something about stopping their migration and a few other reasons. Happy Wife.....

quote:

Have you ever watched a courtship dance/flight? It’s very cool, like watching a giant pendulum on a clock swing (except the tiny little bird is describing the arc)

We put out several feeders each year. First time we’ve seen this and it’s pretty amazing. Especially in contrast with the fighting!

Ours are moving on, usually gone by Sept 15th. We've had them nest on our patio for several years, this year there was only one that hatched and we found it dead under the nest, very sad.

They are great to watch, I can stand a foot from the feeders and they could care less.