Hummers 2019

Cosmo spring garden · Sep 15, 2019

We have one feeder and see 4 or 5 hummingbirds coming daily. I also have a pineapple sage plant blooming in the garden. Another source of food for them!

HomesteaderWife · Sep 16, 2019

I really want to hear some funny or unique stories from you all about experiences with hummingbirds.

My Grandmother always told me they would come look for you if they were hungry. I used to think she was telling my a fib until a few years back when I started noticing it to be true- if the feeders weren't out or they were empty, they'd hawk you down and hover in your face until you noticed.

Today we were out in the woods where I have a homemade feeder for a single Ruby-Throat female living out there. I had no idea her feeder was empty until I heard her hovering in the tree above me and wondered why she wouldn't come down. I checked and took it back home to clean. I walked back out a few hours later, without the feeder as I waited for the sugar water to cool. Darn if she didn't find me sitting down by following my voice and came, hovering back and forth in my face as if to say- Where's my food, lady? She gave me a good laugh for the day with that!

flowerbug · Sep 17, 2019

we don't put out feeders for them here but grow plenty of flowers for them. they're quite the characters.

thistlebloom · Sep 17, 2019

Our feeders are in front of windows and when they need refreshing the hummers will hover in front of the glass looking in.

When I was a kid we had a male that would chirp a racket if the feeder was empty, then when you carried it out he would drink from it before you had a chance to get it hung.
I love their individual personalities. God made them so wondrously perfect.

so lucky · Sep 17, 2019

We've had a few unique experiences here with hummers. We have a photo of one little male hanging upside down by his feet on the feeder perch, lunging at another hummer as it swept by. After he fought that way for a while, he let go and flew off.

We also had one get trapped in between the perch and the body of the feeder. My DH freed him, and off he flew, as well.

Last year we had a sparring/mating pair crash into the sliding door at the same time, killing both instantly. We have a bunch of crisscrossing orange tape on the door now, to avoid that situation again.

Several years ago we had a little rufous male show up around the first of November, and came many times per day till the first of February, when a terrible ice/sleet/wind storm froze him, I feel sure. OR, he was blown south to better weather. We don't normally get rufous here, so he was quite a surprise. I put up a light to heat the feeder, to keep it from freezing during the day, and changed it out with an unfrozen one every morning. The little guy would sometimes just sit under the light, warming himself, too.
That was one time I really wished I had a greenhouse, so I could protect him better.

Those are my hummer stories. For now.

Carol Dee · Sep 17, 2019

thistlebloom said:
Our feeders are in front of windows and when they need refreshing the hummers will hover in front of the glass looking in.

When I was a kid we had a male that would chirp a racket if the feeder was empty, then when you carried it out he would drink from it before you had a chance to get it hung.
I love their individual personalities. God made them so wondrously perfect.

He certainly did

thistlebloom · Sep 17, 2019

so lucky said:
We've had a few unique experiences here with hummers. We have a photo of one little male hanging upside down by his feet on the feeder perch, lunging at another hummer as it swept by. After he fought that way for a while, he let go and flew off.

We also had one get trapped in between the perch and the body of the feeder. My DH freed him, and off he flew, as well.

Last year we had a sparring/mating pair crash into the sliding door at the same time, killing both instantly. We have a bunch of crisscrossing orange tape on the door now, to avoid that situation again.

Several years ago we had a little rufous male show up around the first of November, and came many times per day till the first of February, when a terrible ice/sleet/wind storm froze him, I feel sure. OR, he was blown south to better weather. We don't normally get rufous here, so he was quite a surprise. I put up a light to heat the feeder, to keep it from freezing during the day, and changed it out with an unfrozen one every morning. The little guy would sometimes just sit under the light, warming himself, too.
That was one time I really wished I had a greenhouse, so I could protect him better.

Those are my hummer stories. For now.

So Lucky, the mental picture of that little hummer hanging upside down to fight is so funny!
That warming light was such a good idea. My folks had a confused female one year that stayed all winter (it was So. Cal. But they -the hummers - were not year round residents, so it was unusual) she hung around and even built a nest in the leafless tree.

Cosmo spring garden · Sep 18, 2019

Only story I have is when they get in the garage and cant get out. So DH and I have to gently catch them in a net and bring them outside. Holding them in your hand is an amazing experience. They weight almost nothing and before you can blink an eye they fly away! Every year one gets in the garage. My kids thinks it's hilarious that mom and dad are tripping over stuff to try to catch the bird.

valley ranch · Sep 18, 2019

When we were in Armenia, few years back, we took the underground transit to the end of the line, this is in the city of Yeravan, there was a store that sold Bongig a cream filled pastry, a flower vendor outside this store had a tall rack of beautiful flowers, high up a bumble bee was feeding ~ looking closer reviled that it was in fact a humming bird, so tiny it was hard to believe ~ it's true ~ we saw them in the country side as well ```

digitS' · Sep 18, 2019

It's odd for me to be talking about bird sounds even years ago but, this was on several quiet nature walks, years ago.

Maybe, I was just in the wrong place at the right time. Or, the right place at the right time. But, I wasn't really aware of the hummingbirds interacting until:

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2011/09/dive-bombing-hummingbirds-let-their-feathers-do-talking

. A little startling!

Steve

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