First hummingbird yesterday
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kyoutdoorsman
12 pointer
- Jan 19, 2016
- 3,394
What kind of feeder do you have? Do you make you own humming bird feed
HuntressOfLight
12 pointer
Very cool!! I love them! Guess I should go ahead and clean/restock my feeder. I think that I previously read Kentucky has four resident species.
I had a hummingbird become trapped within the primary garage last year. It occured twice. Poor things can't seem to easily find their way back outside of it, maybe because the windows face south, while the door fronts east? I don't know.
They like to perch upon the red pull knob attached to a string for the motorized door opener. The only manner I found of helping them find their way back outside, was to temporarily move the feeder into the garage, baiting them to it. I opened the windows, hanging it on the bottom, directly below one of them. It worked quickly the first time, but took an hour the second time.
All did provide me with much time to observe them, though. Poor little pretty critters were simply wearing their little wings out, rarely perching, except for when beyond exhausted. They were the green ones.
HuntressOfLight
12 pointer
Meatstick
12 pointer
The little lady hung up her 13 feeders this past weekend. Yesterday morning was the first time I'd seen hummer feed turn to ice lol
kyoutdoorsman
12 pointer
- Jan 19, 2016
- 3,394
That's means hummingbird feed does freeze
Meatstick
12 pointer
It's just sugar water
Gforcetrivers
12 pointer
We had one in the house last year. Trapped it in a towel and released it.
HuntressOfLight
12 pointer
That must have been one heck of a towel toss, fast as they happen to be, lol. I've caught quite a few birds with large bed mattress covers, both inside and out of the house, but I would be afraid to try with a heavier towel, especially with delicate little hummingbird wings.
I have never seen a hummingbird nest but would love to do so. I have strung a clothes line not far from the feeder, just to see if they might perch there this year. They typically fly up and perch upon a large hardwood tree's low hanging limb, located close to the feeder. My father has often told me about how he would frequently see around 30 perched upon his mother's clothes line, when just a small boy.
One hot day last year, when the feeder was dry, one of the hummingbirds came down from the tree, as soon as I turned on the water for the garden hose. It fluttered at eye level, approximately 10 feet away from me. I considered it might be hot and sprayed the water toward it, without hitting it. Sure enough, that little hummingbird danced within the very edge of the spray, flew back to its perch for a moment, and then returned for more. I couldn't believe it. It was a very cool experience.
One day in Atlanta, a hummingbird seemingly tried to decapitate me at lightning speed. It flew within inches of my face, startling me for a moment. I watched as it then hovered directly in front of a spider web, picking off the spider and then quickly eating the web. I was shocked. I then issued a query learning that they eat insects (didn't know that) and utilize spider webs to make their nests (didn't know that, either).
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HuntressOfLight
12 pointer
Thank you. I think that I shall look for a new feeder with perches. Last year was the very first time that I ever set out a feeder for them, while my father has done so for decades. I have always been accustomed to seeing the little hummingbirds, though, due to some of the types of flower bulbs I typically plant.
Maybe they are nesting in that previously mentioned hardwood, and I have simply failed to look closely enough for their nests. I just now learned what the nests can look like and am amazed that they are so very tiny. This was an extremely informative read about them, and it's really a great magazine. I ordered a hardcopy subscription for it a few years back, as a gift for my father, and it's regularly delivered to him.
http://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/attracting-hummingbirds/hummingbird-nest-facts/
1wildcatfan
12 pointer
Have mine ready to go after the cold spell passes.
Martin scouts showed up the last day of March.
Martin scouts showed up the last day of March.
That's some interesting info on the nests.
We did it for the first time last year too. If anyone wants to try it, you can get feeders for just $1 at Dollar Tree, but they don't have perches on them. And to make the nectar, it's just 1 part sugar to 4 parts water--so 1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water (use hot water so all the sugar dissolves and then just pour it in the feeder once it's cooled).
You can also find them at yard sales. We started with just 2 from Dollar Tree and have since found 3 more. But all-in-all, I don't think I've got but $5 or $6 in total in them.
HuntressOfLight
12 pointer
Thank you once again. Last year, I read to adjust the mixture during very hot days, less sugar, in order to prevent dehydration, and so I did that then. I can go down the street and purchase one without having to go inside the store, and so I may opt to spend a bit more, only for that reason (depends upon how much more, lol). They will bring what they may have outside and show them to me (good people). Yes, that magazine is fantastic and always contains outstanding photographs of both flowers and birds, along with good articles.
