Hummingbirds, no not the fish locator type

[sphelps]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx-T137FKM4

 

[82rude]

Pic taken a a local home not my hb.A few miles from me theres a well known route to the local dump,if your silly enough to be on it at about 4.30 pm you will get run over by a virtual flock of them as they make a beeline for the buffet.No biting ,no chaseing,just get out of my way I'm late for dinner.Of the small type like gm280 has pictured we have a healthy bunch also.

 

[DBG40]

I love those little creatures. My wife has a feeder, but we only get a couple of them. They come all day long every 10 or 15 minutes or so, but just one at a time. I managed to sneak a shot of one last year.

 

[avenger79]

yep we have a very similar feeder (similar to the op's)right outside our kitchen window. generally see 3-4 different ones throughout the day. Did find what I assume was a hummingbird nest in my lilac bush. nicely built and only about 2-3 inches in diam

 

[gm280]

We are now refilling the three feeders at least once a day and sometimes twice a day. And each one holds right at 32ozs. I know it is hard to imagine those little birds sucking down that much liquid, but they do. I don't know how to upload a video or I would post one. Amazing to see and even some times scary all at the same.

 

[sphelps]

Gm , your using photobucket right ? If you don't want to go youtube you can post very easy with PB ...Copy and paste as you would a pic then we can just click the pic and watch ...

 

[gm280]

Okay Sam, I am going to try this to see if it works.

Here is one little sample of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds we have around our house. This goes on nearly every day full steam. So you can imagine three feeders not going very far with this amount of activity.

http://vid1116.photobucket.com/albums/k568/gm280/MVI_0003_zpsn10clkpc.mp4

 

[mjf55]

Here is a little one hanging out on the Chesapeake.

 

[sphelps]

Wow gm ! They look like really big bumble bee's !

 

[gm280]

Wow gm ! They look like really big bumble bee's !

Yes Sam, it does look like somebody whacked a hornets nest lots of times. Like I said neat to see so many, but scary some times as well. And I have three feeders that get refilled daily and some times twice daily. Luckily their food is only sugar and water and a few drops of red food coloring. We tried all different colors and even without color added. And they don't seem to care one way or the other. However, we settled on red because that are attracted to red more then any other color and it allows us to quickly tell how much food is still there. I have lots more videos and some have a lot more birds as well.

 

[BWR1953]

Okay Sam, I am going to try this to see if it works.

Here is one little sample of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds we have around our house. This goes on nearly every day full steam. So you can imagine three feeders not going very far with this amount of activity.

http://vid1116.photobucket.com/albums/k568/gm280/MVI_0003_zpsn10clkpc.mp4

Man, that really is a big ol' pile of hummers! Very cool. My wife is envious! :lol:

Here is a little one hanging out on the Chesapeake.

Where on the Chesapeake? I lived in MD for much of my life. Really enjoyed getting out on the bay. Nice hummingbird pic too! :encouragement:

 

[mjf55]

Where on the Chesapeake? I lived in MD for much of my life. Really enjoyed getting out on the bay. Nice hummingbird pic too!

Lower bay, near Mathews. Thanks on the picture. Got lucky, took it with my phone.

 

[gm280]

Those birds are always interesting to watch.

I had a new experience this morning with one hummingbird.

My older son was over to help me flip my boat so I could prep the hull for a paint job. And while we were walking out to the boat, we stopped at the feeders. Usually they scatter if we get too close, but this morning one male bird just sat there. My son asked it they allowed us to get that close. We were merely about a foot away. I said usually not, but I reach over to that one male bird and actually petted it and he didn't even mind. After a little time, I told my son to try and that was if. He took off light greased lightening. I have no idea why he stayed there with me petting his feathers, but he wasn't going to allow my son to do it. I have no idea why either. :noidea:

 

[MTboatguy]

He knows you GM, but not your son, believe me they come back year and year again and get used to who they are around all the time in the summer, I have them allow me to pet, they land on my hat, they will come in the house if we leave the screen door open, they just know us.

 

[gm280]

Update on the hummingbirds.

Seem they have gone into a feeding frenzy this week. We are now refilling the feeders twice a day and that is not going for the entire day now either. Each feeder holds between 28 to 32 ozs of fluid. And we are refilling them twice a day. So you can imagine the amount of fluid they are consuming. But each year around this time (fall time) they feed up for their long journey across the gulf of Mexico to South America. The number of bird is uncountable now. There are constantly feeding and fighting. So many birds that there is no way to try and count them. We just bought another load of sugar because they had it on sell for $0.99 cents for four pounds. So we bought 40 pounds. I hope that will last until they clear out, but at the rate we are mixing up food and refilling the feeders, it may not. Just wondering if others are seeing such action in your feeders now? :noidea:

 

[BWR1953]

We switched from the store-bought nectar formula to the recipe you provided and the hummers are loving that home made nectar. They previously ignored the store stuff.

So we only have 2 regulars right now, a male and a female. We're hoping that as autumn progresses that we'll get more action. We have the feeder right next to the living room directly outside a window and it's really neat seeing them buzzing around out there.

 

[gm280]

We switched from the store-bought nectar formula to the recipe you provided and the hummers are loving that home made nectar. They previously ignored the store stuff.

So we only have 2 regulars right now, a male and a female. We're hoping that as autumn progresses that we'll get more action. We have the feeder right next to the living room directly outside a window and it's really neat seeing them buzzing around out there.

Don't give up. Each year those birds come back and seems to bring others with them. And before you know it, you will have more birds then you ever thought existed.

Yea if you read the store bought formula, it has the exact same ingredients in it but with some other preservatives. And since the sugar water and red food coloring doesn't stay in the feeder very long, you don't need any preservatives added.

 

[BWR1953]

Don't give up. Each year those birds come back and seems to bring others with them. And before you know it, you will have more birds then you ever thought existed.

Yea if you read the store bought formula, it has the exact same ingredients in it but with some other preservatives. And since the sugar water and red food coloring doesn't stay in the feeder very long, you don't need any preservatives added.

Oh, fear not, we're not giving up on anything! :lol:

My wife keeps planting and cultivating plenty of hummingbird/butterfly attracting plants around the place. I've seen 2 females plus one male all at the same time this week but the male drove the ladies away from the feeder.

Anywho, I took these pix this evening. I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the cell phone images. Our regular camera took a dirt nap about a month ago. Literally. Fell with the lens open and extended, straight down into the sand. Not recoverable and certainly not worth putting into a shop for repair.

The male started a new behavior today. After taking a drink, he'll perch on the feeder stand for a bit, then get another drink. Just before I took these pix, he'd sipped and perched 5 times in a row. Made for some great viewing. I sit eight feet from the feeder. My wife and boy are even closer.

 

[gm280]

Oh, fear not, we're not giving up on anything! :lol:

My wife keeps planting and cultivating plenty of hummingbird/butterfly attracting plants around the place. I've seen 2 females plus one male all at the same time this week but the male drove the ladies away from the feeder.

Anywho, I took these pix this evening. I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the cell phone images. Our regular camera took a dirt nap about a month ago. Literally. Fell with the lens open and extended, straight down into the sand. Not recoverable and certainly not worth putting into a shop for repair.

The male started a new behavior today. After taking a drink, he'll perch on the feeder stand for a bit, then get another drink. Just before I took these pix, he'd sipped and perched 5 times in a row. Made for some great viewing. I sit eight feet from the feeder. My wife and boy are even closer.

Oh yes, definitely a Ruby Throated Hummingbird and definitely a male as well.

Yes they do have some quirky ways about them. And they fight constantly as well. We have three feeders. Two have six feeder holes and one has four feeder holes. Our feeders are located just outside our breakfast window about three or four feet. I've seen all the feeder holes totally covered up and other birds sitting on the top of the flower openings and feeder holders waiting for an opening to come open. And all the while others are flying around trying to get their fluid. I suspect we now have close to 100 bird feeding daily at ours. Two days ago I was out there and two birds were fighting and flying and they came so close to me, I actually felt their wings against my ear. That was too close for me. But they never ever tried to attack me ever. I picked them up, clean them off, dried them when the couldn't fly because of the wet grass they got grounded on, and even pulled cob webs off them to free them up again. They weigh nothing. I mean you literally can't feel any weight when you pick one up. And for them to go through well over a half gallon fluid a day is amazing.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Looks like my hummer took off for winter..... He turned into a snowbird...