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

[MoKelly]

We have two hummingbirds and a few bats.
Not as much activity as last year. Though the ones we have hit the feeders a lot in the morning and early evening.

Bats! We had a few at the lake place 3 years ago. I hated them. Are you ok with them “hanging around”?

MoKelly

 

[ponytug]

I certainly am. I love having them around eating mosquitoes and other insects. As dusk falls, we see them swooping around feeding. I think it is fun to watch as they move so differently compared to birds, but still quite graceful.

I surprised a small one yesterday opening the truck door- it must have tried to find a niche to stay out of the heat in. Fortunately it only fell six inches to the running board. We looked at each other, and as it seemed fine, I left it. Three minutes later, it had flown off to a hopefully quieter roost.

All the best,

Peter

 

[mcfarmall]

Last year I had several hummingbirds...so many that I bought a second feeder so they would fight less. This year, I have seen two total.

 

[PILOON]

Love bats as they feed on skitters.

Now our hummingbirds actually go from one window feeder to the other then fly up/down to let us know which needs filling. Like 'hey guys' !
Never wear a red hat when filling a feeder or you'll get your ears cleaned.

One neighbor was walking on planks to service his feeders while his porch was being decked.
Dang eager hummers were so impatient that the dove at him and he slipped and was injured.
\But they are sure cute.

 

[goeduck]

My activity picked up a bit lately. Seems to be a roller coaster of sorts. Almost a quart a day at the peak, now about a cup to a cup-and-a-half a day. There seems to be the same number of birds around, just less drinkin' going on. They like to sit on my tomato towers.

 

[BoylermanCT]

We are having the regular number of hummingbirds here. I refill my 8 feeders every 5 days or so. Noticed baby hummers for the first time this year. Seem fatter than the adults.

We have bats too. We like to throw grape tomatoes from the garden up into the air at night. A bat will detect the tomato and swoop down to investigate before it hits the ground. Pretty fancy radar they have!

 

[goeduck]

We have bats too. We like to throw grape tomatoes from the garden up into the air at night. A bat will detect the tomato and swoop down to investigate before it hits the ground. Pretty fancy radar they have!

Fascinating! Do they eat the tomato after it hits the ground? Of are they radar driven looking for bugs?

 

[oosik]

Things around here are all dry and crisp now. Sooo ..... the feeder seems to be the sole source for the humming birds. Four adults - four young. Refills are daily.

 

[jfh28]

I was just talking about this the other day....normally just have a couple a day and a filled feeder would last two weeks......now they're sucking it dry in a couple of days.......Jack

 

[BoylermanCT]

Fascinating! Do they eat the tomato after it hits the ground? Of are they radar driven looking for bugs?

No, they are not interested in the tomato except to see if it is a bug flying through the air. Fascinating to watch as they track it in the dark.

 

[sixdogs]

Any chance songbird deaths are tied to those who experience a reduced number of HB visits this year?

Indiana Songbird Deaths

Reports of sick and dying birds now include more than 40 counties. The following species are principally affected: blue jay, American robin, common grackle, starling, northern cardinal, brown-headed cowbird. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommends all Hoosiers remove their...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[MoKelly]

It’s hard to say - but I’m guessing we have about 1/2 the activity v last year. We usually refill every 5 days. The syrup isn’t quite gone but my wife likes to provide a fresh treat every 5 days.

MoKelly

 

[wisconsitom]

A ruby-throated seems to think my Bobcat ct2025 HST is a big orange and white flower. Twice now in past couple weeks, I'll be down working near 3-pt. or greasing something underneath and I'll hear the little guy in close proximity. Have only seen this (or these) hummingbird(s) when I have the tractor out of the shed, lol!

 

[Wakey]

This year is by far our best year for the humming birds. I picked this up at Walmart and they mostly ignore the other 2 feeders. Potentially 18 birds can feed at once but the birds are constantly jousting. I wonder if they like this feeder more because the perch is higher than typical feeders? I’ve noticed 4 birds feeding at the same time.

I’ve counted 10 birds at once doing the aerial show, no idea how many we have.

 

[lman]

We've got about 12-15 using the feeders at one time. Wife maintains 5 feeders.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

This year is by far our best year for the humming birds. I picked this up at Walmart and they mostly ignore the other 2 feeders. Potentially 18 birds can feed at once but the birds are constantly jousting. I wonder if they like this feeder more because the perch is higher than typical feeders? I’ve noticed 4 birds feeding at the same time.

I’ve counted 10 birds at once doing the aerial show, no idea how many we have.


View attachment 707584

Running the hummer numbers

I just ran across a post from last August on The Fat Finch Bird Brain Blog that addresses the frequently asked question about how to calculate the numbers of hummingbirds visiting your feeders. The…

fieldguidetohummingbirds.wordpress.com

 

[goeduck]

This year is by far our best year for the humming birds. I picked this up at Walmart and they mostly ignore the other 2 feeders. Potentially 18 birds can feed at once but the birds are constantly jousting. I wonder if they like this feeder more because the perch is higher than typical feeders? I’ve noticed 4 birds feeding at the same time.

I’ve counted 10 birds at once doing the aerial show, no idea how many we have.


View attachment 707584

Nice! Do those flower/roosts come off for cleaning? cleaning is always my worry on selecting a different style of feeder.

 

[Wakey]

Nice! Do those flower/roosts come off for cleaning? cleaning is always my worry on selecting a different style of feeder.

The base snaps apart pancake style. To clean the nozzles I have a baby bottle cleaner brush that has a small pick brush that unsnaps from the handle. I clean mine each refill also.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Nice! Do those flower/roosts come off for cleaning? cleaning is always my worry on selecting a different style of feeder.

I clean feeders with pipe cleaners. Nobody smokes a pipe any more, but the cleaners are still available.

 

[Wakey]

A little Friday night drama with the HBs.. The rows on my lawn will be raked up in the morning, I fell behind on the mowing.