Comments for Feeder Fodder

Comment on Amazing Video of Hummingbirds Birth by janine

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:50:13 +0000

i would like to see some pictures of the Hummingbird please?

Comment on When should I bring in my feeder? by Denis

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 02:42:50 +0000

All of the hummingbirds here In Northern Michigan (near Traverse City) departed by September 16 however I left the feeders up for any stragglers. Ironically on October 2 we had one small black hummer stop by for a little necter. I’m sure it was delighted to find them still up.

Denis

Comment on An Unbelievable Response to the Dr. JB Story by Candis

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 03:13:20 +0000

Very nice article. And congrats on all the orders! I’m sure people will be happy with their new feeders. I can’t imagine how you’d improve on them, but I look forward to finding out.

I also can’t imagine going through 165 pounds of sugar a year feeding the hummers!!!

Comment on Hummers Warming to Climate Change? by Administrator

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 23:56:18 +0000

Hi Patty,
Nice observations! I can’t imagine any seasonal animal not being affected by a climate change if it’s significant enough of a change. And hummers appear to be so precisely obedient to climate change, meaning the precision of their migration. Your notes certainly give some credence to extention of the summer.

As for different colors of hummers, I haven’t seen any. It would be nice to see more variety, but I don’t expect it in Kentucky. I believe there are Rufouses and Annas in the Western States.

If you visit www.hummingbirds.net, you can see migration charts that show migrations of the various varieties of hummers in the States, and compare them from year to year.

Comment on Hummers Warming to Climate Change? by Patty Poehls

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:37:49 +0000

Hi Chris,
I was wondering that very thing–it seems our hummers over the passed 2-3 years have been returning a little earlier each time. Ergo
I hung my feeder out earlier last year, and had a hummer feeding within minutes…I did not even think there were any around yet! End of april-early May. I typically see them between the 8th & the 12th of May, consistantly. We live about 80 miles north of Toronto Ontario, Canada.
This year I tried it even earlier. I did get migratory hummers. Some would stay for an hour or two, others for 2 days or so. Then off to the Muskokas, I imagine, or even further–to the Northern shores of Lake Huron. (I know because I have family in both aras, & they have Hummers too.)
My own resident hummers returned very sporadically this year-I thought perhaps some had perished–or changed habitat (that may be true for the oldest birds–I’ve only seen a couple of them this year. But the head hauncho hummer I named Baby, & his nearly twin brother Noddy returned in June-something they have not done. Was it too cold last spring? The weather was very erratic–warm one day and cold the next.
Strangely: A young female (forget term for 2nd year,) stayed with her hatchling long after all the rest had flown south last September. Baby left on the 4th along with others, and most were gone by the 7th. The mom & babe stayed right up till September the 28th. I have never seen one here that long-so I left a feeder up in the front, and one in the back for them.And I changed them regularily–twice a week at least. In that time I saw the odd migrant hummer also. But the last of them was the 22nd. They
liked the flowers–I have extensive gardens on just over an acre in the country, and half of the perrenials are hummer favourites. No matter how inviting I make it though, the birds go when they want to. Interestingly, mom & babe were one of the first ones back, this spring & they showed up together!
I often read how fledglings are shewed away, but this is not the case with at least this mom & babe.
Also the hummer I call Baby–he buzzes me all the time–sometimes regularily, sometimes at 2 week intervals & talks to me in hummingbird chatter when I step out on the deck, the porch & even when I am working in the veggie garden!

A question I would like to add to all you hummingbird fanciers like myself–have you seen any strange coloured hummers in your area? It appears we are getting more than the typical beauties–ruby throated hummingbirds. One pair others refer to as
Rhuefus, this year 2 pairs-but the colouring doesn’t seem right. Then I could have sworn I saw a little black one last summer here for a few days? This year, I’ve noticed yellow from 1 or 2 birds as they helicopter away…anyone else have same/similar sitings? Are there some other hummingbirds from other zones moving north & east/central North America?

Comment on Hummer Shots by Eric Miller

Tue, 08 May 2007 21:46:27 +0000

Go to DyessCreek.com's Hummingbird Photography Page for a lot of tips for hummingbird photography. But basically, just get real close, be very still and use your flash. Eric

Comment on Hummers Away by Chris

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 01:14:56 +0000

Kevin, great stuff.

I wasn’t familiar with traplining, so I Googled it (combined with “hummingbird”) and found more good stuff. Interesting study here, where sugar levels were changed to measure/observe changes in the traplining patterns/behaviors.

http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/10/6/714

When do your hummers head south?

Chris

Comment on Hummers Away by Kevin Morgan

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 06:15:13 +0000

Chris,

Obviously there could be many factors at play here. I’m not sure when the customer’s vacation was, or how long it was before she wrote you, or where she lives, but it’s possible that the hummingbirds she hosted were migrants passing through, not local breeding birds. Even if hummingbirds nest in her general region of the country, she might not have suitable nesting habitat, and it’s possible her vacation coincided with the time the birds left to set up nesting. Here in south Louisiana, birds nest in early May into mid-June, and there are often long stretches in this period when I won’t see a single hummer. During migration, though, I might have 20 or 25 in the yard at a time.

Some birds will “trapline”– that is, move from feeder to feeder in a given radius, visiting several yards on a regular basis. If her feeder was dry/dirty for an extended period, it might take a few weeks or more for any local birds to re-discover it.

The best information I can give her, however, is that she’s almost certainly done nothing to permanently drive the birds away. However, it does illustrate that it’s best to have a neighbor clean and refill feeders when you’re on vacation. You can make a batch of nectar before you leave, and put it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Or, do as I do, and have several extras; when it’s time to refill, I put out clean feeders with fresh sugar water, and then bring the dirty ones in to clean. That way, I never have to “rush” to get clean feeders up within minutes of taking them down.

Comment on What do bees see? by Donna

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 11:47:19 +0000

My feeder has a copper colored base with a red glass top. So at the feeding holes, there are no flowery colors. I had plenty of bees until I used mint extract to discourage them.

My theory is, they just follow the hummers and/or smell of the sugar.

I need one or two more feeders to accomodate all the hummers I’m getting, so I am planning to buy one of the DR JB feeders to see how it works.

Comment on by Chris Whelan

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:10:49 +0000

This is the first dripping incident I’ve heard about, so thanks very much for bringing it to our attention, Shirley. I’d like to figure this one out.

The first thing that comes to mind is that maybe the two base pieces are pressed all the way together. Try that, and if the dripping is still there, you might have the first defective feeder. Not the distinction we’d like you to have, of course! But if that’s the case, we’ll trade you another feeder at no cost, or refund your money. Let us know what we need to do.

Thanks, Shirley!

Chris Whelan