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Hummingbirders?

kkott

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Oct 26, 2001
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Anyone else a hummingbird enthusiast? I've generally always put a feeder up, but last fall I visited a pottery studio near Seagrove NC and they had about a dozen feeders and lots of hummingbird friendly plants and they had hundreds of hummers buzzing about. It was mesmerizing, as they'd be shooting by just inches from your face. I also found this live link below, and so I've added a couple more feeders and enlisted several of my neighbors to put them out too to see how many we can attract. Mine here in Rock Hill SC started hitting my feeders this weekend and I'm getting regular visitors now every few minutes. Probably a little early for farther north and I know out west they get lots more and various species. If you'd like to try I'm happy to share any info I can on feeders, nectar, etc...

 
We are. Love sitting on the porch and having them fight and buzz our head. Sadly we haven’t had them yet around home (near Btown)...but should any day now.
 
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Northside of Indy and we put a feeder out 2 weeks ago. Saw our first one last week and have gone through a pint of nectar since then. We're putting a second feeder out tonight.

Hummingbirds and Carolina Wrens have become our favorite birds to feed and watch.
 
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Anyone else a hummingbird enthusiast? I've generally always put a feeder up, but last fall I visited a pottery studio near Seagrove NC and they had about a dozen feeders and lots of hummingbird friendly plants and they had hundreds of hummers buzzing about. It was mesmerizing, as they'd be shooting by just inches from your face. I also found this live link below, and so I've added a couple more feeders and enlisted several of my neighbors to put them out too to see how many we can attract. Mine here in Rock Hill SC started hitting my feeders this weekend and I'm getting regular visitors now every few minutes. Probably a little early for farther north and I know out west they get lots more and various species. If you'd like to try I'm happy to share any info I can on feeders, nectar, etc...

I don't particularly like hummingbirds. They never know the words to songs.
 
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I usually keep around 20 feeders out. I have not started yet this year, but we saw our first one in Gosport 2 weeks ago. An arrant fly by, but I have to think it was one of our normal little Fluckers. (My nick name for the irritable males, much like Hoosier fans on message boards).
 
I usually keep around 20 feeders out. I have not started yet this year, but we saw our first one in Gosport 2 weeks ago. An arrant fly by, but I have to think it was one of our normal little Fluckers. (My nick name for the irritable males, much like Hoosier fans on message boards).
We live outside of Nashville about three miles by what was a forest preserve until the prick of an owner literally raped the land before he sold about 700 acres. We started putting out a couple feeders about 20 years ago and then kept increasing each year. They have leveled off the last couple of years but we still put out 28 feeders by the middle of July. We started buying the larger 40oz. ones so we we don’t have to fill them up as often. By the middle of August we go through about 10-15 lbs. of sugar a week. When they start to leave in late August to early September we’ll make 2-3 gallons a day for 3-4 days. The lady nature reporter from the HT who has since left estimated we had well over 400 at peak times. We have people ask us if they can come over and sit on our porch and watch them. If you hold real still we have the finger feeders that they feed from. They are fun to watch but it takes some time to clean and refill the feeders. Not trying to one up anyone but proud of what we have.
 
We live outside of Nashville about three miles by what was a forest preserve until the prick of an owner literally raped the land before he sold about 700 acres. We started putting out a couple feeders about 20 years ago and then kept increasing each year. They have leveled off the last couple of years but we still put out 28 feeders by the middle of July. We started buying the larger 40oz. ones so we we don’t have to fill them up as often. By the middle of August we go through about 10-15 lbs. of sugar a week. When they start to leave in late August to early September we’ll make 2-3 gallons a day for 3-4 days. The lady nature reporter from the HT who has since left estimated we had well over 400 at peak times. We have people ask us if they can come over and sit on our porch and watch them. If you hold real still we have the finger feeders that they feed from. They are fun to watch but it takes some time to clean and refill the feeders. Not trying to one up anyone but proud of what we have.
Sounds a lot like the pottery place we visited that had so many. I could've sat there all afternoon. Nashville IN or TN? Not trying to one up anyone: why not... that's cool!
 
Anyone else a hummingbird enthusiast? I've generally always put a feeder up, but last fall I visited a pottery studio near Seagrove NC and they had about a dozen feeders and lots of hummingbird friendly plants and they had hundreds of hummers buzzing about. It was mesmerizing, as they'd be shooting by just inches from your face. I also found this live link below, and so I've added a couple more feeders and enlisted several of my neighbors to put them out too to see how many we can attract. Mine here in Rock Hill SC started hitting my feeders this weekend and I'm getting regular visitors now every few minutes. Probably a little early for farther north and I know out west they get lots more and various species. If you'd like to try I'm happy to share any info I can on feeders, nectar, etc...


I plant rows of sunflowers. Should have 10s of thousands this year. The gold finches love the black oil variety. Some blue birds as well, but I’ll have 100s of finches when the sunflowers are blooming. Bad ass.
 
We live outside of Nashville about three miles by what was a forest preserve until the prick of an owner literally raped the land before he sold about 700 acres. We started putting out a couple feeders about 20 years ago and then kept increasing each year. They have leveled off the last couple of years but we still put out 28 feeders by the middle of July. We started buying the larger 40oz. ones so we we don’t have to fill them up as often. By the middle of August we go through about 10-15 lbs. of sugar a week. When they start to leave in late August to early September we’ll make 2-3 gallons a day for 3-4 days. The lady nature reporter from the HT who has since left estimated we had well over 400 at peak times. We have people ask us if they can come over and sit on our porch and watch them. If you hold real still we have the finger feeders that they feed from. They are fun to watch but it takes some time to clean and refill the feeders. Not trying to one up anyone but proud of what we have.
Wow. Just filled and set out my two feeders, you got me thinking maybe I'll buy a half-dozen more. Just have to find something durable (glass) that isn't ridulous looking and absurdly expensive.
 
I plant rows of sunflowers. Should have 10s of thousands this year. The gold finches love the black oil variety. Some blue birds as well, but I’ll have 100s of finches when the sunflowers are blooming. Bad ass.
Very. Am mostly in the woods so resident goldfinch population is small (but loyal), but have seven species of woodpeckers chowing down on suet all winter long, including Pileateds. Very bad ass.
 
Very. Am mostly in the woods so resident goldfinch population is small (but loyal), but have seven species of woodpeckers chowing down on suet all winter long, including Pileateds. Very bad ass.
Pileated’s were my dads favorite bird. I see them almost daily around my property. Plenty of food sources around for them. I have one woody that has been at my sunflower feeder for a few years but no clue what variety of pecker.
 
Pileated’s were my dads favorite bird. I see them almost daily around my property. Plenty of food sources around for them. I have one woody that has been at my sunflower feeder for a few years but no clue what variety of pecker.
Everyone here mostly abandons the feeders come Spring - see that as a good thing. During the cold season I'll set the suet feeders out (have to bring them in to keep the coons at bay) pre-dawn while the coffee's brewing and within a minute there's usually a Pileated already chowing down. Am used to having squirrels hanging out waiting for breakfast (I don't feed them once it warms up so they stay honest) but giant woodpeckers? I'll take it.
 
Wow. Just filled and set out my two feeders, you got me thinking maybe I'll buy a half-dozen more. Just have to find something durable (glass) that isn't ridulous looking and absurdly expensive.
Go to Amazon and punch in large hummingbird feeders. What should come up are the 40oz feeders that are glass. They were around $17 and the hummers love them. You can get the same ones for close to the same price from some hardware stores.
 
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I put out a couple feeders every year. One year I was late getting it out and noticed a hummer hovering at the exact spot the feeder was placed each year, telling me it was the same bird who fed from there the previous year. I saw my first one of the year in Brown Co. this morning so cleaned my feeders tonight and will start the sugar water tomorrow.

I usually put out half an orange, too, for orioles.They only eat fruit for a couple weeks each Spring before switching to an insect diet.
 
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Everyone here mostly abandons the feeders come Spring - see that as a good thing. During the cold season I'll set the suet feeders out (have to bring them in to keep the coons at bay) pre-dawn while the coffee's brewing and within a minute there's usually a Pileated already chowing down. Am used to having squirrels hanging out waiting for breakfast (I don't feed them once it warms up so they stay honest) but giant woodpeckers? I'll take it.
Never doubted you liked giant 'peckers!
 
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I put out a couple feeders every year. One year I was late getting it out and noticed a hummer hovering at the exact spot the feeder was placed each year, telling me it was the same bird who fed from there the previous year. I saw my first one of the year in Brown Co. this morning so cleaned my feeders tonight and will start the sugar water tomorrow.

I usually put out half an orange, too, for orioles.They only eat fruit for a couple weeks each Spring before switching to an insect diet.
The gal who keeps that live youtube feed up I linked above said that she's got generations of hummers returning, which accounts for why she has so many, so yes, they do return! I enlisted several neighbors and we've probably gone from about 5 feeders on our row of about 12 houses to 12 so I'm hoping to see greater #s this year and more if we all keep putting them out each year.

PS. that lady posts a lot of info about hummingbirds so if you have an interest or want to learn more, she's a great resource. Think she's trying to photograph every species of hbirds in the world!
 
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I plant rows of sunflowers. Should have 10s of thousands this year. The gold finches love the black oil variety. Some blue birds as well, but I’ll have 100s of finches when the sunflowers are blooming. Bad ass.
I added a finch feeder with niger seed last year after spotting a gold finch flying by. Had little activity last year, but they mobbed it over the winter and this spring. The state of SC recommended taking them down for 4 weeks because of an outbreak of bird salmonella, so I took it down, cleaned and put it back a couple weeks ago. They are still visiting but not in the #s as before. They, bluebirds and the hummers are my favorites. American canary to me!
 
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I added a finch feeder with niger seed last year after spotting a gold finch flying by. Had little activity last year, but they mobbed it over the winter and this spring. The state of SC recommended taking them down for 4 weeks because of an outbreak of bird salmonella, so I took it down, cleaned and put it back a couple weeks ago. They are still visiting but not in the #s as before. They, bluebirds and the hummers are my favorites. American canary to me!

i saw my neighbor plant sunflowers 5 years ago or so, and I am game for anything that is easy that produces great results.

Take some rips, attach the tiller to the tractor, and play Johnny Appleseed for a hour or 2. Amazing how many you can plant and see amazing results with just a few hours work.

I am planting in 2 week intervals this year to have blooms all summer. Just did my second planting yesterday and love the rain we got over last 24 hours. Gonna be poppin come mid next week! I planted cucumbers, spinach, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, beans, and watermelon in my garden yesterday as well.

I like to grow shit!!! ;)
 
i saw my neighbor plant sunflowers 5 years ago or so, and I am game for anything that is easy that produces great results.

Take some rips, attach the tiller to the tractor, and play Johnny Appleseed for a hour or 2. Amazing how many you can plant and see amazing results with just a few hours work.

I am planting in 2 week intervals this year to have blooms all summer. Just did my second planting yesterday and love the rain we got over last 24 hours. Gonna be poppin come mid next week! I planted cucumbers, spinach, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, beans, and watermelon in my garden yesterday as well.

I like to grow shit!!! ;)
More like Johnny Deere - the Appleseed fellow was strictly no-till. 🍎
 
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I put out a couple feeders every year. One year I was late getting it out and noticed a hummer hovering at the exact spot the feeder was placed each year, telling me it was the same bird who fed from there the previous year. I saw my first one of the year in Brown Co. this morning so cleaned my feeders tonight and will start the sugar water tomorrow.

I usually put out half an orange, too, for orioles.They only eat fruit for a couple weeks each Spring before switching to an insect diet.
So where in Brown Co do you live? We live off Clay Lick Rd. We had one particular hummer who was the first to come back every year for about 8-10 years. We called him ‘The little general’ because he was such an asshole. You might guess who he was named after. We had to chase him away one time when a second hummer arrived and tried to feed at HIS feeder. He had taken the other one to the ground and was pummeling it and probably would have killed it. And they will do that to protect their food source. We did eventually give him his own feeder away from the others. So they must return to their birth area as until last year our numbers had increased.
 
Pileated’s were my dads favorite bird. I see them almost daily around my property. Plenty of food sources around for them. I have one woody that has been at my sunflower feeder for a few years but no clue what variety of pecker.
If you haven't already, try the Cornell Labs Merlin Bird ID app. Not only is it good for putting a name to a bird, it includes sound files of their songs and calls. Connect the phone to a portable Bluetooth speaker for extra volume and the more territorial birds, like owls and pileated woodpeckers, will fly-in in an attempt to locate the trespasser.
 
If you haven't already, try the Cornell Labs Merlin Bird ID app. Not only is it good for putting a name to a bird, it includes sound files of their songs and calls. Connect the phone to a portable Bluetooth speaker for extra volume and the more territorial birds, like owls and pileated woodpeckers, will fly-in in an attempt to locate the trespasser.
A friend of mine who lives here in Brown Co, IN did a lot of those audio bird recordings for Cornell. He'll continue to get royalty checks for the rest of his life and then it goes to his heirs. He retired early.

It's probably best to not get too carried away on the loud speaker bird calls, especially during nesting season. It just gets birds agitated when they don't need to be and may keep a bird from nesting in an area it otherwise might have. That said, I've done it myself and it's fun to draw birds in, especially owls. My son-in-law did his hunting speaker off our back porch and he drew in about 50 crows with it. You can also slip away from the house in the dark of night and play a panther growl in the woods, unbeknownst to your house guests. That always livens up a party, what liquor won't do.
 
A friend of mine who lives here in Brown Co, IN did a lot of those audio bird recordings for Cornell. He'll continue to get royalty checks for the rest of his life and then it goes to his heirs. He retired early.

It's probably best to not get too carried away on the loud speaker bird calls, especially during nesting season. It just gets birds agitated when they don't need to be and may keep a bird from nesting in an area it otherwise might have. That said, I've done it myself and it's fun to draw birds in, especially owls. My son-in-law did his hunting speaker off our back porch and he drew in about 50 crows with it. You can also slip away from the house in the dark of night and play a panther growl in the woods, unbeknownst to your house guests. That always livens up a party, what liquor won't do.
I am gonna look into this app for sure. I have barn owls, and other varieties of owls all over my property. I enjoy going out in the winter nights, and they are very active. I’ll have to play with it then. I could see why right now would puss the birds off.
 
I am gonna look into this app for sure. I have barn owls, and other varieties of owls all over my property. I enjoy going out in the winter nights, and they are very active. I’ll have to play with it then. I could see why right now would puss the birds off.
downloaded it. Barred owls? I always thought it was barn! This thing is sweet.
 
downloaded it. Barred owls? I always thought it was barn! This thing is sweet.
Yeah, I was just getting ready to question your “barn” owl claim. They are pretty rare, whereas barred owls are the most common in IN, followed by great-horned, screech and saw-whet. I’ve been bird watching for over 50 years and have yet to see a barn owl in the wild. I do have a feather of one though, that a young lady bestowed upon me as a token of her appreciation.
 
downloaded it. Barred owls? I always thought it was barn! This thing is sweet.
Lots of barred owls down here around the Charlotte area. Sometimes sound like gorillas hooting and hollering, especially when mating.
 
I am gonna look into this app for sure. I have barn owls, and other varieties of owls all over my property. I enjoy going out in the winter nights, and they are very active. I’ll have to play with it then. I could see why right now would puss the birds off.
Have you ever heard a rabbit screech when trapped? They actually make a very loud scream, believe it or not. My grandfather claimed you could call in coyotes or foxes by imitating the screech of a rabbit by stretching the neck of a balloon and making it screech. Said a fox or coyote in the area will come by and see whats up. I've tried it a few times on my deck because we have some coyotes around, but no luck. Might be another thing to try on one of those winter nights and see if you can call one in.
 
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