First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

[bjcsc]

Two at the feeder this morning. Texas report??

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I just went yesterday and bought a new feeder for the 3 or 4 that come here every year,I guess i better get it put out this weekend.

 

[LadyFish]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

None in my neck of the woods yet.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I live in Northwest Louisiana and we had a couple about a week ago (we were shocked as this is pretty early for us). However, the little varmint hasn't been back since and we haven't seen any. He must have been an "early bird".
We did have several "swarms" of like 20 birds on ours last summer which was pretty impressive. They seem to really come out on cloudy, drizzly days in the summer and of course, late in the evening when it's cooler. Anybody else notice that? I miss the little devils, too.
JBJ

 

[DJ]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I was just about to start a thread on this subject.

Nothing here in AZ yet.

How about JB and QC?

 

[JB]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

First one two days ago. There is already a territorial war on.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

would several feeders stop them from dive bombing each other while feeding?
They do have their little wars over the feeder.
I had one of them last year hover just in front of my face looking at me.They are the most fearless of any bird.

 

[JB]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I have three feeders up. One bird tries to rule all three. Territory doesn't seem to be a feeder, but an area of about 1/4 acre.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I was going to say it don't matter to them.
I had 5 up last year around the place and one would try to run the rest of them off from all of them.
I guess it was the same one.
They sure don't care to fight each other.
They have no fear.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I made the mistake of putting a feeder on my back porch which is really small and it was pretty dangerous to walk outside to go to the car. The little blaggarts almost speared me in the eye a couple of times. They're so greedy, they dive in there about 100 mph right past the side of the house and if you're in the way, somehow they manage to miss you but I swear I've had some close calls. I wonder if they've ever actually stuck someone accidentally going to one of those feeders. I put out 3 and they seem to have favorites and all go to one or two in particular and only use the third one as a "last resort". By the way, fat boy was back today, so I guess he's still hangin' around. No others though.
Anybody hear of this rumor before? I hate to repeat it but it was so ludicrous that I get a laugh out of it and maybe someone else will, too. I heard that the hummingbirds hitch a ride across the gulf by burrowing in the feathers of migrating geese and get a "free" ride. Any verification of this???
Later,
JBJ

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I should get a feeder. My neighbor has one and a couple of them come around his place. Do you literally just fill them with sugarwater, or is there something else you need to add?

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I should get a feeder. My neighbor has one and a couple of them come around his place. Do you literally just fill them with sugar water, or is there something else you need to add?

They make regular food for them, but I have used sugar water and red food coloring.
They like the color red.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

Thanks SBN, I might just pick a feeder up tomorrow and hang it off the corner of the house.

They like the color red.

A bit off topic, but I wonder what it is about the color red that makes it so special... most plants grow better with red light reflected at them, Most fish have difficulty seeing red but no problem seeing blue, and hummingbirds like red.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

Occasionally my wife sees everything in red, and then all I see is black.

 

[millwood]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

They say that the red food coloring is not good for the little birds. I always make my own food. I read online that the recipe should be 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. Heat the water to a boil, dissolve the sugar, and let cook for 2-3 minutes, then cool. I alter this recipe and go 3 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. For some reason they seem to like it better. You can store the extra in the fridge for a week or so with no problems. Usually have 20 birds or so here, but it is way too early in MI.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

A bit off topic, but I wonder what it is about the color red that makes it so special... most plants grow better with red light reflected at them, Most fish have difficulty seeing red but no problem seeing blue, and hummingbirds like red.

Hummingbirds like red because trumpet flowers are one of their favorite food sources.

Plants grow better with red light reflected at them because they are green. Red is the color most absorbed by things that are green, more light = more growth.

No idea about the fish, but I suspect it's biological, i.e. they just don't see in lower wavelengths...

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

Actually red is a higher wavelength so maybe they don't see the higher wavelengths.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

That's right...sorry...I meant to type "just see in lower wavelengths"...the don't sneaked in on me.

I did a little research on it and found that it's true that deep sea fish don't see red (most of them anyway) and researchers think that they are not developed to see red because no red light makes it to the ocean depths. It's a blue and green world and thus those colors are what they see the best. Makes sense...

 

[JB]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

I use a 4:1 ratio and a variety of food coloring.

Careful observation and the length of time it takes them to empty a feeder suggests that the color of the nectar is irrelevant to them, and they don't care if there is no coloring at all. I use red, yellow, blue, and plain with no difference in the feeding rate. The colors are to please me. The hummers don't care.

It is the little yellow plastic blooms on the feeder that seem to attract them, but I have seen them feeding from feeders that don't have the yellow blooms attached.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: First Hummingbird Arrived This Morning!

No hummers here in Mi. yet but it won't be long. Feeders going up in next couple of days.
A couple years ago we were a little late with them and a hummer came looking under the awning where we hang one. There was no doubt the little bugger had been here the year before and knew exactly where to look after returning from S. America. I was amazed.