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

[Runner]

I don't know why, but this summer I have had two instances of hummingbirds stuck in my storage building. It is a pole barn with a truss roof 12 foot eaves and 10 foot tall overhead doors. They fly in through the open door, then can't find their way out because the header of the door is so much lower than the roof.

I have developed the habit of making a pass through the building at the end of the day before closing the doors, just to make sure no cats, dogs, birds, etc., have wandered in.

However, it is VERY hard to get the hummingbirds to leave. Their natural instinct is to fly up, but they just keep running into the roof. I walk back and forth to try to encourage them to go the right direction but it is frustrating. Takes about a half hour each time to wrangle them out.

One actually seemed to pass out from the heat/stress and just fell to the floor. I picked him up and laid him in the grass and he eventually got up and flew away.

I'm afraid if any get stuck in there, they won't survive until the next time I go out, which could be several days, and the temperature in that building regularly gets over 100 when it is closed up.

Wish I knew how to keep them out.

 

[deserteagle71]

I don't know why, but this summer I have had two instances of hummingbirds stuck in my storage building. It is a pole barn with a truss roof 12 foot eaves and 10 foot tall overhead doors. They fly in through the open door, then can't find their way out because the header of the door is so much lower than the roof.

I have developed the habit of making a pass through the building at the end of the day before closing the doors, just to make sure no cats, dogs, birds, etc., have wandered in.

However, it is VERY hard to get the hummingbirds to leave. Their natural instinct is to fly up, but they just keep running into the roof. I walk back and forth to try to encourage them to go the right direction but it is frustrating. Takes about a half hour each time to wrangle them out.

One actually seemed to pass out from the heat/stress and just fell to the floor. I picked him up and laid him in the grass and he eventually got up and flew away.

I'm afraid if any get stuck in there, they won't survive until the next time I go out, which could be several days, and the temperature in that building regularly gets over 100 when it is closed up.

Wish I knew how to keep them out.

I have exactly the same problem but it is exacerbated by the skylights in the roof of the garage. I'll be working on something in the garage, with the doors open, when one of the little buggers flies in and checks out the garage interior. Some will hover a few inches in front of my face as I'm standing at my work bench. But when they get ready to leave, instead of going out the 3 big roll-up doors they fly straight up to a skylight and beat themselves against it trying to get out. Most of the time I end up having to get up on a tall ladder, grabbing them out of the skylight, and carrying them outside.

 

[ponytug]

I don't know why, but this summer I have had two instances of hummingbirds stuck in my storage building. It is a pole barn with a truss roof 12 foot eaves and 10 foot tall overhead doors. They fly in through the open door, then can't find their way out because the header of the door is so much lower than the roof.

I have developed the habit of making a pass through the building at the end of the day before closing the doors, just to make sure no cats, dogs, birds, etc., have wandered in.

However, it is VERY hard to get the hummingbirds to leave. Their natural instinct is to fly up, but they just keep running into the roof. I walk back and forth to try to encourage them to go the right direction but it is frustrating. Takes about a half hour each time to wrangle them out.

One actually seemed to pass out from the heat/stress and just fell to the floor. I picked him up and laid him in the grass and he eventually got up and flew away.

I'm afraid if any get stuck in there, they won't survive until the next time I go out, which could be several days, and the temperature in that building regularly gets over 100 when it is closed up.

Wish I knew how to keep them out.

How about some red items close to the door and a red feeder close to the door, and perhaps a second one farther out? It might give them a 50/50 chance of flying out.

I try to sweep our enclosed spaces as well, but I've never had troubles with hummingbirds inside, other than to buzz me at the door when I have something bright red in my hands.

All the best,

Peter

 

[sixdogs]

How about some red items close to the door and a red feeder close to the door, and perhaps a second one farther out? It might give them a 50/50 chance of flying out.

I try to sweep our enclosed spaces as well, but I've never had troubles with hummingbirds inside, other than to buzz me at the door when I have something bright red in my hands.

All the best,

Peter

I've had a few in the barn and I just leave the 20ft doors wide open and the lights off. As the day winds down, they fly out. I think they just fly to the daylight?

 

[psvfd]

I have just one in my shed this year, I just leave the roll up door open till it is dark. So far that has worked, I did hang a old DVD disk just inside the door to maybe scare them from going in. time will tell.

 

[Runner]

How about some red items close to the door and a red feeder close to the door, and perhaps a second one farther out? It might give them a 50/50 chance of flying out.

I try to sweep our enclosed spaces as well, but I've never had troubles with hummingbirds inside, other than to buzz me at the door when I have something bright red in my hands.

All the best,

Peter

Might be worth a try, although I'm hesitant to put a anything even close to the door that might encourage them to approach.

The building does not have a ceiling or insulation and there is about an inch of daylight visible at the peak of the roof at the ends, so maybe if one was trapped in there it would fly toward the light to escape.

We've always had them around here, so it's hard to believe they just started flying in there this summer. But this is the first summer I've seen it happen and I've never found any dead ones in there.

Other birds, like Martins, etc. fly in all the time, but never seem to have any problem getting out.

 

[Runner]

I just thought of something that is different about this summer: I bought a Cub Cadet ZTXS5 that is parked just inside the door, in the same spot where I used to have a JD lawn tractor.

I wonder if they are being attracted by the yellow color of the new machine. Man, I hope not....

 

[sixdogs]

I just thought of something that is different about this summer: I bought a Cub Cadet ZTXS5 that is parked just inside the door, in the same spot where I used to have a JD lawn tractor.

I wonder if they are being attracted by the yellow color of the new machine. Man, I hope not....

Wow, that could be. Throw a sheet over it and see what happens.

 

[ArlyA]

Our male rubies seem to have gone south a week ago. Now females and juveniles at the feeder.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Our male rubies seem to have gone south a week ago. Now females and juveniles at the feeder.

Don't feel lonesome - Yesterday we had 50 hummers. Today - 6. Normally they hang out here until mid-September. But, with the temps pushing 100* daily, I suspect they found a better spot to hang out. Can't blame 'em!

 

[ultrarunner]

Saw my first of the season in Oakland.

After years having a large feeder and the airspace around the feeder akin to Chicago O’Hare nothing…

I did buy a new feeder with new nectar and though all for naught until a single showed up later in the week.

My thought is the formula changed in the nectar was not well received?

New feeder is much smaller and glass like the old one.

So many feeders seen are all plastic…

 

[Runner]

I planted four Rose of Sharon bushes over the last couple of years. They LOVE to hang around those. As a bonus, I had to surround them with 4 foot high fencing to keep the deer from eating the bushes and the humming birds like to sit on the fence wire to take a break while feeding.

 

[japody]

Saw my first of the season in Oakland.

After years having a large feeder and the airspace around the feeder akin to Chicago O’Hare nothing…

I did buy a new feeder with new nectar and though all for naught until a single showed up later in the week.

My thought is the formula changed in the nectar was not well received?

New feeder is much smaller and glass like the old one.

So many feeders seen are all plastic…

Make your own solution - 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Better than store bought.

 

[sixdogs]

Saw my first of the season in Oakland.

After years having a large feeder and the airspace around the feeder akin to Chicago O’Hare nothing…

I did buy a new feeder with new nectar and though all for naught until a single showed up later in the week.

My thought is the formula changed in the nectar was not well received?

New feeder is much smaller and glass like the old one.

So many feeders seen are all plastic…

I have read that we should use glass feeders because plastic feeders feed small bits of plastic into the HB food.Much worse as the plastic ages and breaks down. We only use glass feeders now.

We humans have the same problem from drinking and eating from plastic containers. It's said that we all have bits of plastic in us and even in our bloodstream.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Most glass feeders still use a plastic base and feeder ports. We do have one with a metal base that was a gift. Our friends say that it is "their" birds go to feeder. While the birds we have do use it, the glass and plastic feeders are still their go to feeders.

 

[sixdogs]

Most glass feeders still use a plastic base and feeder ports. We do have one with a metal base that was a gift. Our friends say that it is "their" birds go to feeder. While the birds we have do use it, the glass and plastic feeders are still their go to feeders.

Any feeders out there that are all glass, even on the base?

 

[goeduck]

My glass feeders use a plastic pan, but metal flower lid. The metal rusts a little. It would seem to be an easy thing to make one that is fairly carefree. Disassembles easily, sized for a bottle brush, rust free, smooth washable surfaces, no crevices.... I have never seen one that meets all of those.

 

[ultrarunner]

Uptick today... actually 2 jockeying for position...

Until this week not a single visitor so maybe the new compact feeder generated interest?

 

[oosik]

My young ones all fledged - got their last belly full - bugged out around two weeks ago. This year I had twelve adults ( best available count ).

 

[John0829]

We still half a dozen but I expect to see them pack up and leave any day now