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

[sixdogs]

How are you doing for nesting sites? I have plenty of hummers because I have a lot of snags along a creek where woodpeckers excavate nesting sites. By familiarity and preference, birds will return to a location where they had a successful nesting the year before, or where they were born. My numbers built up over a few years. They fluctuate depending on winter kill, but by the end of summer I always have a nice population. Last year they went through a couple quarts a day, but we were in a terrible drought and the nearest water was three miles away. I kept a wading pool full for wildlife, and the hummers made use of it. Nectar is not all they drink. This year there is more natural food and the creek is still running, so nectar consumption is less than half.

We live on flat farm ground of the midwest. Before we got here there was nothing but corn and soybeans everywhere so we cut out a few acre home site and I planted maybe 500-600 tress. Most were shelter belts--spruce- along the perimeter but lots of cedars and the evergreen types. Some maples and oaks. As the season ends and into winter I have seen many old nests blown down so I know they had been around in the past. Too soon to tell this year.

The last two years were banner years ( see my earlier posts) with many hundreds of birds at our six or so feeders. There years has been a severe drop-off consistent with what others in parts of the midwest have reported. Out here there is either higher cyclical mortality or maybe bird flu.

We are resilient and faithful to the birds so we put up feeder, clean and refill every few days and will wait out the turn of events. There's always next year.

 

[sixdogs]

We've got six feeders up. I counted 20 the other day at all of the feeders. I don't know how much sugar water my wife is feeding them every day. We've had feeders up for about 20 years so I believe most of them are regulars and some of them were probably hatched out this year. We've got a birder's paradise around here with all of the trees and a river at the back of our property. Great Horned owls hatched out in our pine trees early this year.

Well, you've done a great job and it's paid off. Good habitat and good food is pretty attractive.

 

[goeduck]

I have 3 hardy fuchsia bushes that the hummingbirds love. They winter over and produce numerous blooms. I also typically buy non-hardy fuchsia starts at Walmart or outside the grocery store when available to plant in hanging baskets and at the end of the season I don't bother to try to save them in the garage or wherever. This year I was not seeing the starts, so I went to a nursery and bought what I thought were 6 non hardy starts. Yesterday I googled the name of one off of the little tag that came with the plants. Turns out that they are very hardy fuchsia bushes. So next year I will have 9 fuchsia bushes for the hummingbirds.

 

[sixdogs]

All of a sudden the tide of birds has turned here and we've had many dozens of visits the past week. They do not look like the birds of last year, however, and I can only recall one I believe I saw last year. Most of the birds are an emerald green color and there are lots of this year's green baby birds coming to the feeders with them. We have a couple Ruby Throated and at least one young Ruby bird.

Maybe last winter was hard on the flocks or maybe it was the bird flu but the rebuilding process seems to be starting up.

 

[kenmbz]

I still have 2 or 3, never seems to change by my house. May have more in the woods, but unwavering here.

 

[japody]

We've got 3 of the 32 ounce feeders. Have to fill them every day. We love watching the little hummers.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Our hummer volume has jumped up significantly in the past week. They are draining my 8 feeders every two days. Lots of baby hummers. Even had 4 hummers at one feeder which has never happened before.

 

[sixdogs]

We've had enough birds lately that the wife put up an additional feeder to go with the other three. We don't have crowds like the guys in the Pacific Northwest but we are now getting lots of activity.

Also, the migration south will begin in a month or so and in the past we have had lots of travelers well into October. They know they can fill up here and we don't want to disappoint.

Hummingbirds just sort of round out a nice summer.

EDIT--here it is a couple of days later and our HB count continues to increase. From a quiet summer with not many birds we now have many dozens of birds and the need to frequently refill the feeders. There are lots of baby birds and all of them seem to really be tanking up on the food with long drinks. We aren't sure why so many and so late but it's OK by me.

 

[goeduck]

I am seeing hummingbirds all the time but not so much on my feeders right now. Usual up and down summer as far as feeding goes.

 

[goeduck]

I refilled my feeders this morning and for the first time since moving here in 2016 I found ants in one of the feeders. I relocated that one and will get or make some ant moat traps.

 

[Molalla1]

I guess I should have filled my feeders . . . I got hit in my forehead this morning by one .

 

[sixdogs]

We've had enough birds lately that the wife put up an additional feeder to go with the other three. We don't have crowds like the guys in the Pacific Northwest but we are now getting lots of activity.

Also, the migration south will begin in a month or so and in the past we have had lots of travelers well into October. They know they can fill up here and we don't want to disappoint.

Hummingbirds just sort of round out a nice summer.

EDIT--here it is a couple of days later and our HB count continues to increase. From a quiet summer with not many birds we now have many dozens of birds and the need to frequently refill the feeders. There are lots of baby birds and all of them seem to really be tanking up on the food with long drinks. We aren't sure why so many and so late but it's OK by me.

Further update to my above post. The birds have just gone crazy and we have had many new birds show up today. A new feeder my wife just put up was emptied of a half cup of food in just a few hours. For the first time, we saw two birds at a feeder at one time.

The other three feeders are also getting emptied way faster than before. It's hard to know how many birds but it's a near constant stream at the feeders. It's hard to believe a week or so back we were lamenting about the lack of birds.

 

[goeduck]

I guess I should have filled my feeders . . . I got hit in my forehead this morning by one .

Ouch. I mounted mine above the deck on the fascia board which is high enough to not hit them, but when I add moat traps they will drop down and I may be cursing the location.

 

[goeduck]

Further update to my above post. The birds have just gone crazy and we have had many new birds show up today. A new feeder my wife just put up was emptied of a half cup of food in just a few hours. For the first time, we saw two birds at a feeder at one time.

The other three feeders are also getting emptied way faster than before. It's hard to know how many birds but it's a near constant stream at the feeders. It's hard to believe a week or so back we were lamenting about the lack of birds.

^^^ When mine are feeding in spring and fall that is how they do it. No big swarms, just a constant presence, often 2 or 3 birds on multiple feeders. Some fighting, but more drinking.

 

[Molalla1]

Ouch. I mounted mine above the deck on the fascia board which is high enough to not hit them, but when I add moat traps they will drop down and I may be cursing the location.

duck, I got hit by a hummingbird in the forehead.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

We have been cleaning feeders by putting them in the dishwasher. This has washed off the paint around the flowers, making it hard for the birds to locate the feeder hole. We bought a bottle of fingernail polish and used the little brush to paint the flowers. Problem solved.

 

[goeduck]

duck, I got hit by a hummingbird in the forehead.

Free haircut

 

[oosik]

I ended up with six pair plus their offspring. Pretty normal for me. I just now put up a full jug of sauce for them. It looks like this will be the last refill. Most all are already on their way to parts UKN.

 

[sixdogs]

I think some of the migrating birds must be coming through Ohio now because we've had many new faces show up at the feeders the last week. I'll bet we've had more in one day than almost all during the summer. New color variations and a number of emerald green colored birds we hav e rarely seen before. Also, an odd blue colored one has visited. I had no idea there were so many varieties.

 

[ArlyA]

For rubies, this is nomal busy time with chics out of the nest seen at feeders. Males have gone south.