Special gift you got there Preston.

12 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Special gift you got there Preston.

I hate to see the special gifts go south for the winter but I'll see them next spring.

 

Preston

28 minutes ago, steamshovel said:

I hate to see the special gifts go south for the winter but I'll see them next spring.

 

Preston

Know exactly how you feel Preston; always hate to see them go in the fall.  Everyone here enjoys their presence each summer.

 

Ours have been loading up heavy at the feeders for the past couple of weeks and have become more "chatty" than earlier in the summer and very possessive of "their" feeder. I've had them follow me into the garage a couple of times lately and scold me because a feeder was empty.

 

I'll try to get some pictures posted where ours landed on the feeders while I was holding a fresh filled feeder. That was very cool but your pictures of them still in the nest is simply amazing. Everybody here has really enjoyed all the pictures you've posted thus far. 

I have some more pictures to post. I took lots of pictures and many short videos. They kept us busy at first as we all felt it was our fault when we trimmed the tree. Everything worked out fine and we like to think they came back to us the next year. I will post some more pic soon. We are happy you enjoyed the pictures.

 

Preston

Thank you for posting all the pictures. It's a nice way to start a Monday mourning. It's been a few years but I had a feeder on the front porch. I could stand by the feeder and a bird would set on my finger. I thought that was so neat. 

I enjoyed reading through this.  We have several feeders that we just hung a week or so ago.  There is a lot of activity at the feeders.  And some are very territorial.  We watch them throughout the day.  Have not seen any nests, but we live by a wooded stream bed.  We also have a finch feeder in the same location.  They love the Nijer (sp?) feed.  My wife works at a local nursery and her boss suggested another food he uses that is very popular with his finches.   Ours did not like it.....

 

I did have a local policeman who had pulled over a driver on our street come to the door after giving the ticket.  He wanted to know how we were able to attract the number of birds (finches and Hbirds).  Whilewriting the ticket, he had watched the feeders and was impressed.  For the Hbirds, we use a 1:4 ratio and he was using 1:3 or so...don't know if that helped him our not.  I did thank him for keeping us safe.

Thanks for the interest. We mix 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup of water with no dye, just plain water. They will smell and find it.  All of our hummingbirds are gone as they have all gone south.

 

Preston

1 hour ago, steamshovel said:

Thanks for the interest. We mix 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup of water with no dye, just plain water. They will smell and find it.  All of our hummingbirds are gone as they have all gone south.

 

Preston

Yep, that's how we do it as well.  We have Hbirds here most of the year.  They are still very active.

2 hours ago, pdexter said:

Yep, that's how we do it as well.  We have Hbirds here most of the year.  They are still very active. 

Lucky you, I wish we had them longer. They draw interest from almost everyone. I always take my breaks under one of their nesting trees.

 

Preston

7 hours ago, steamshovel said:

All of our hummingbirds are gone as they have all gone south.

 

Ours too Preston...I saw the last one a week ago today. Last year I had some hang around until about mid-October, but typically they are gone by the end of September at the latest. They return here each year somewhere between the 5th-10th of May. 

 

The week to 10 days prior I knew they were getting ready because they were draining the feeders almost daily. As seems to have become the custom, they would follow me into the garage through the overhead door and "scold" me if even one feeder was empty. I like to believe they also follow me in there to tell me Thanks, Goodbye & See Ya' Next Year, but that may be wishful thinking. I marvel at these amazing little creatures.

 

I've got some pictures of that last week I'll try to get posted here tomorrow. Thanks for starting this thread. I've enjoyed it.

Plain sugar water for the hummers and black oil sunflower for everyone else.   About the only thing that doesn't eat it are the raptors, owls, buzzards, and hummers.   Easy to go through a lot of it in a year.   Looks like my hummers may have departed for warmer climes. 

12 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Ours too Preston...I saw the last one a week ago today. Last year I had some hang around until about mid-October, but typically they are gone by the end of September at the latest. They return here each year somewhere between the 5th-10th of May. 

 

The week to 10 days prior I knew they were getting ready because they were draining the feeders almost daily. As seems to have become the custom, they would follow me into the garage through the overhead door and "scold" me if even one feeder was empty. I like to believe they also follow me in there to tell me Thanks, Goodbye & See Ya' Next Year, but that may be wishful thinking. I marvel at these amazing little creatures. 

 

I've got some pictures of that last week I'll try to get posted here tomorrow. Thanks for starting this thread. I've enjoyed it.

I used to take everything for granted when I was young including hummingbirds. Now I think they are a very special living thing.

I like birds of all kinds. Predators, Owls, swallows. I like bats too. Now that I am older I enjoy them very much more. I have many stories about birds of different kinds. I'm glad my pictures are being enjoyed. I said the hummingbirds are gone but in reality they are not, I go to my computer and go to pic & videos of them.

 

Preston 

1 hour ago, steamshovel said:

I used to take everything for granted when I was young including hummingbirds. Now I think they are a very special living thing.

I like birds of all kinds.

Right there with you Preston...enjoy "my" finches yellow, red & common, downy & red breasted woodpeckers, siskins, wrens, cardinals, blue-jays, plus the indigo buntings we usually attract for 2-3 weeks in the spring then again in the fall, even the various types of sparrows and others who stop in going to/ coming from their migratory points. We have an occasional hawk including red-tails and on a rare occasion have had a bald-headed eagle which is quite humbling. Although mammals, our summers would be incomplete without the pair of brown bats that keep returning.

 

I keep a few feeders with a blend, plus finch feeders with nijer seed, 3 suet feeders plus cracked corn, black oil sunflower seeds and peanuts on the ground in protected areas out year-a-round. A lot of work keeping them clean, dry, especially during freezing weather. The enjoyment offsets the labor.

1 hour ago, steamshovel said:

I said the hummingbirds are gone but in reality they are not, I go to my computer and go to pic & videos of them.

If you've never seen the PBS Documentary on hummingbirds, well worth the watch. About 50 minutes long. I bought the DVD a few years ago right after this first aired. Amazing story.

 

These were taken <month ago when their feeding habits became ravenous in preparation for the journey South. I've yet to get one land on me, but a few have come very close.

 

This feeder had been empty less than an hour and they let me know it. 

It normally hangs on he hook below...have two like this close to the garage and yes...

the boxwood needs trimmed bad. The dirt spot on the siding is courtesy of the dog rubbing

  

 

Same feeder immediately after I placed on hook. What I couldn't catch was the other two hummers also swarming me or perched near by keeping a close watch on the other feeder...

I'm crouched down less than an arm length away at this point.

  

 

I keep a couple of these feeders out also but in separate locations. They feed at the small ones then buzz off to protect these. I started out holding this one by the steel hang cable.

   

Moved to holding by the glass cylinder...didn't phase them.

      

 

One in a million pure luck shot here...

 

 

Edited October 6, 20187 yr by Grandpadave52

4 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

These were taken <month ago when their feeding habits became ravenous in preparation for the journey South. I've yet to get one land on me, but a few have come very close.

 

This feeder had been empty less than an hour and they let me know it. 

It normally hangs on he hook below...have two like this close to the garage and yes...

the boxwood needs trimmed bad. The dirt spot on the siding is courtesy of the dog rubbing

  

 

Same feeder immediately after I placed on hook. What I couldn't catch was the other two hummers also swarming me or perched near by keeping a close watch on the other feeder...

I'm crouched down less than an arm length away at this point.

  

 

I keep a couple of these feeders out also but in separate locations. They feed at the small ones then buzz off to protect these. I started out holding this one by the steel hang cable.

   

Moved to holding by the glass cylinder...didn't phase them.

      

 

One in a million pure luck shot here...

 

 

It seems like you have a lot of male hummingbirds, most if not all are female around my place. That is quite a video of hummingbirds you posted. I will show everyone here. Thanks very much for posting it. It will be viewed a lot at our house.

 

Preston

14 minutes ago, steamshovel said:

That is quite a video of hummingbirds you posted. I will show everyone here. Thanks very much for posting it. It will be viewed a lot at our house.

Glad you enjoyed it. I've seen it several times...in fact, I watched most all of it again today after posting Amazing video to catch everything that they showed.

We usually have equal numbers +/- of males & females...males seem to be more aggressive and bold just prior to departing.

5 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

What I couldn't catch was the other two hummers also swarming me or perched near by keeping a close watch on the other feeder...

look straight up and you should see a bunch of them in a holding pattern...

 

5 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

I've yet to get one land on me,

 

hang the feeder and stand near it w/ your arms down......

after a bit point at the feeder w/ your finger almost touching it...

do this several times a day... won't be long before they will land on you..

when they do land you they will do it so lightly and politely you more than likely will never notice till you see one that has landed...

you know you can sit next to the feeder instead of stand..

then they'll land on your head or shoulders (if your head is about the same elevation of the feeder) as well as your finger..

wear a hat...

Edited October 7, 20187 yr by Stick486

21 minutes ago, Stick486 said:

you know you can sit next to the feeder instead of stand..

the they'll land on you head or shoulder (if your head is about the same elevation of the feeder) as well as your finger..

I have sat on a 5 gallon bucket next to the single feeder before...early in the spring they're pretty skid-dish and stay away, but by mid summer on, they get much more comfortable and kinda' bossy.

I couldn't show it, but in one of the pictures of the big feeder, while the one is on the feeder, two others were by my head using it as a shield for their confrontation. Both were so close, I could feel the air movement from their wings and the chattering was intense. They didn't mind making me collateral damage.