Welcome home hummers

[judygram]

I'm so excited, I saw my first hummingbird this year today, they have come home from their long journey across the Gulf of Mexico and part of the US to Virginia. I will make them some sugar water and put it out in feeders for them to drink while they are here for the summer.

 

The one I saw was a Rufus hummingbird, the male has a ruby red throat, I just love watching them come to the feeders and fight with each other over the food. One will sit nearby and defend his feeder from the others and they zip thru the air so quickly for such a small bird, I have actually had them run into me trying to keep the others away.

 

Do any of you put out feeders for the hummingbirds?

[dblhelix]

Oh yeah. I love the little guys/gals. In california we have them here all year long and they nest/raise young in the spring. We have several species and of course some that migrate in with the seasons as you describe. I have a feed out all year and fill it every week or so, depending on how much they consume. I too really enjoy watching them play, defend their territory etc. I can sit outside on a weekend and happily watch them for hours! What man can resist a little hummer?!? :laugh: :woohoo:

 

Hey, thats 1000 posts for me finally!<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/04/24 05:27

[lovemyGreys]

Not a bird we have here in the UK.I bet they are great to watch

 

congrats Mark

[siobha9]

Congratulations on the 1000 posts Mark!

 

 

No hummingbirds in Ireland either.

[Lyric]

Hi Judy- We do get hummingbirds here (in Missouri) in the middle of summer. I have put feeders out for them but don't get enough to make it worth the effort, at least not at my house. My parents live in the country and they usually have them at their feeders every day. I don't know what variety they are but I just love to see them. They are like little feathered jewels. Enjoy yours.

[judygram]

They are so beautiful for such a small bird and I do live in the country so I have lots of them sometimes half a dozen at the same time zipping thru the air chasing each other. I love them so much I have a tattoo of one on my leg:P

[dblhelix]

OK, many of you may have seen this before (or one similar as I have a couple from the same evening)...but its a cool pic I took a few summers ago hanging out by the feeder at dusk waiting for the little ones to come feed. I took this one with a flash from about 5 feet away. Cute!

 

[judygram]

Thanks Mark for posting that again, I have seen it before and it is a beautiful shot of a hummer.

 

When we were adding on a new room several years ago as it was just under roof the openings where the windows and the french doors would be we had hummingbirds come flying thru those openings. Later just after the windows were put in and before the door went up they would attempt to zip thru and slammed into the windows and then were trapped inside. I don't know how many times I had to rescue them and put them back outside and one sort of knocked itself out for a bit. I picked it up and held it, they are so tiny and weigh practically nothing but soon it came around and flew off. As soon as the door went up it remained closed so no more of them would try that stunt again.

 

I have one feeder right outside the kitchen window and sometimes one will sit on the feeder perch and as it turns its head those feathers on the throat shimmer that red color if it is a Rufus male. They truly are little jewels.