Anyone else have an unusually large number of hummingbirds this year?

[goeduck]

That is a lot of sugar water and a lot of bird visits. Are you dealing with swarms of birds or is your variety an unusually heavy feeder?

I would not say swarms but there seems to be an almost constant presence of 2 or sometimes 3. It will taper off when the travelers to Alaska have all made their way through.

 

[goeduck]

I kept the concept I use during the winter for the resident birds going into spring where I only refill 1 cup at a time in the feeders even though they hold 2-1/2 cups. I then put the fresh refill feeder up in the least visited station and move that feeder (with whatever amount of sugar water is in it) to the most visited station. This method seems to keep the food the freshest. Visitors are up this year and holding at 1 cup a day (which means I refill every day).

 

[goeduck]

The little guys drank 2-1/2 cups today. Most ever for here.

 

[oosik]

You HAVE to be kidding - goeduck. It's 16F here and probably will hit 14F or lower by sunrise. I check every day but don't expect much in this weather.

The Redwing Black birds have been here since Jan 17. Lord know what they have been eating. Not a whole lot of bugs in this type weather.

 

[sixdogs]

The little guys drank 2-1/2 cups today. Most ever for here.

You are living the hummingbird dream with that many birds.

 

[TractorGuy]

Ours are guilt tripping me. I decided not to hang feeders and let them use the natural flowers this year. I have seen several hovering around the hook I had a feeder on last year.

Do you think they remember or is it just a coincidence?

 

[psvfd]

I think they remember.

Thelittlepethouse.com

These birds are generally attracted to the colors orange and red. So the orange or red on your hummingbird feeder is the easiest way to help them find your feeder. Once these adorable birds find your feeder, they will undoubtedly come back to the same spot the following year, even if you are yet to hang the feeder. Hummingbirds have very sharp eyes and have the ability to remember significant feeding locations.

 

[lman]

None here yet.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

We had a few winter over, Annas and Ruby Throat. The huge swarm of Rufous has not returned yet, though I think I may have seen one Rufous this morning. The woodpeckers and flickers have been busily building hummer condos all winter, so there won't be any nesting site shortage.

 

[psvfd]

We have three or four, they go thru a cup a week. We use two feeders, three later as more show.

 

[PILOON]

Ours are guilt tripping me. I decided not to hang feeders and let them use the natural flowers this year. I have seen several hovering around the hook I had a feeder on last year.

Do you think they remember or is it just a coincidence?

From my experience they remember.
Our guys will fly up/down the kitchen window then go to dining room window and repeat same antics until we hang out our feeders.
I swear they then thank us by putting on a show.

 

[dragoneggs]

Well I got a little too anxious and filled the feeder with hot hot water and it broke. So off to the store this morning to look for a new one. I hope I find another like it... had a big mouth opening for easy clean and fill.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Well I got a little too anxious and filled the feeder with hot hot water and it broke. So off to the store this morning to look for a new one. I hope I find another like it... had a big mouth opening for easy clean and fill.

The narrow neck feeders are a PITA to maintain. When they get moldy, a denture cleansing tablet followed by a bleach solution will clean them up. The wide mouth feeders I just use a bottle brush. I'm never going to buy a narrow mouth feeder again.

 

[MoKelly]

None here yet.

None at our feeder yet - we put it out on Easter.

We had lots last year.

MoKelly

 

[dragoneggs]

Our new cheapie feeder. A 14oz all plastic feeder for $5. Half the size of my busted glass one.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I put out my 8 feeders a couple of days ago, no hummers yet. Walmart is selling 16 oz plastic feeders for $4 each. I traded in all my 32 oz feeders for 16 oz feeders so I refill them more which means fresher nectar for the birds.

 

[goeduck]

We had a few winter over, Annas and Ruby Throat. The huge swarm of Rufous has not returned yet, though I think I may have seen one Rufous this morning. The woodpeckers and flickers have been busily building hummer condos all winter, so there won't be any nesting site shortage.

Larry,

They must have flown right over Oregon then, I have the Rufous Ruffians in droves this year and have had them for weeks. My Annas drink about a cup every 4 or 5 days in the winter. Once the Rufous migrate up I am refilling every day.

No Ruby Throats here, the Annas Males have a red throat and head.

Anna's Hummingbird — Coastside Land Trust

**Nature Nugget** One of the great joys of living on the Half Moon Bay Coastside is the population of hummingbirds. Our gardens and prairies are frequented by these little hummers, darting from flower to flower, dipping their long thin bills (and even longer tongues) into narrow tubular flowers, su

www.coastsidelandtrust.org

-goeduck

 

[goeduck]

You HAVE to be kidding - goeduck. It's 16F here and probably will hit 14F or lower by sunrise. I check every day but don't expect much in this weather.

The Redwing Black birds have been here since Jan 17. Lord know what they have been eating. Not a whole lot of bugs in this type weather.

Oosik,

That is because you are on the cold side (in winter anyway) of the state.

Seriously, love your side and I am actually thinking of buying a get away in Walla Walla (sold a house there in 2014 and now thinking of buying another). Wife spent most summers on Williams Lake (somewhere up north) if you know where that is

- goeduck

 

[ArlyA]

Well is snowing here today but I'll need to get those feeders out asap...

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Larry,

They must have flown right over Oregon then, I have the Rufous Ruffians in droves this year and have had them for weeks. My Annas drink about a cup every 4 or 5 days in the winter. Once the Rufous migrate up I am refilling every day.

No Ruby Throats here, the Annas Males have a red throat and head.

Anna's Hummingbird — Coastside Land Trust

**Nature Nugget** One of the great joys of living on the Half Moon Bay Coastside is the population of hummingbirds. Our gardens and prairies are frequented by these little hummers, darting from flower to flower, dipping their long thin bills (and even longer tongues) into narrow tubular flowers, su

www.coastsidelandtrust.org

-goeduck

A few rufous have shown up. I'm expecting more. In my area there are a lot of flowering trees, so they may be around, just not coming to the feeder.

They are territorial little buggers. I have feeders on opposite sides of the house, and the rufous like the sunny side, the Annas like the shady side.