Hummingbird birds

[snow1]

Been awhile since I seen one but my feeder with home maid nector is almost gone so they must be around mid day?,I'm told some hummer's hang around until freezeup.

Side note,monachs have showed big time lately,had a couple dozen hangin on my tree's lately.

[Dotch]

Just checked back in my columns and noted the hummers were last seen at our feeders Sept. 29th last year & the 30th the year before. In town sometimes the gal at the grocery store I compare bird watching notes with will see them a few days longer than we do. She told me recently about putting more jelly out for the orioles. Her 3 years old granddaughter was convinced there was a dimple out of what was still in the dish. Never argue with 3 year-olds when it comes to filling bird feeders she said.     

[snow1]

Gosh my orioles are long gone by mid summer here in central minn.

can you see the young oriole? perfect camoflage

[Dotch]

Saw no hummingbirds this a.m. at the feeders.  Doesn't necessarily mean they're not around as snow said previously. Have seen them show up after a day or so missing them in the morning. Still plenty of clean nectar in the feeders and flowers for them to feed on. 

[snow1]

Well its been a couple weeks,no hummer's and full nector feeder's so maybe its time to pull em,one more week as temps will rise again next week,but got a feeling they bugged out,hoping for some migrators to stop bye,monarchs are gone too,watched 100's of night hawks migrate the other evening all heading south bobbing and weaving as they went.

[delcecchi]

Roger the chasing.    I see all those pictures of feeders with multiple hummers on them.     I never have more than one, and that one will hang around to chase off any others...  And it is like that all summer.

[LPS]

Oops.  I see some on my feeder is frozen.  Today is the day for them to come down.  I may take the screens off the windows today too.  Then we can see outside better during the winter months. 

[mike89]

so is the bird bath here..

[glenn57]

so has anyone put there hummingbird feeders out???? this putz that puts a piece in the paper said they've been spotted in the metro area already?? i read his little blurb, but it leans to buying his expense stuff. he owns this wild bird center in st cloud.

it is getting close to that time, i usually put them out around fishing opener!!!!!

how about the orioles????? seen any of them?????

[Gunner55]

Put ours out before we went home last time, then had 1 that was ~ 1/3 slush a couple day later. I told him it would be a month yet but he listens to me just like you listen to your brother.    
 

[LPS]

Put ours out the other day. Just looked at TWC  29, 30, 30, 30 for lows the next 4 nights.  One is glass and one is plastic.  Wonder if there is enough sugar to keep it from breaking?

[snow1]

Gotta think our cold nights  is to much for these little critters,freeze babies.

[Dotch]

Haven't seen any hummers at our place yet but have had a nectar feeder out since Friday that both the hummers and orioles can use. Jelly feeder w/oranges was also put out. Roony did spot an oriole late last week. This cooldown along with the slow development of leaves & flowers primarily outside of municipalities & wooded areas may slow their sightings elsewhere.

There are several migration progress sites when you search for them. Here are a couple:

https://www.hummingbird-guide.com/hummingbird-migration-map-2021.html#spring-migration-map-2021

https://maps.journeynorth.org/map/?year=2021&map=oriole-first-baltimore

[roony]

No hummers (birds) here yet either. Still seeing an occasional Oriole and had an Orchard Oriole today. I also saw my first male Rosebreasted Grosbeak of the year this morning.

[Dotch]

I caught a Bethune's pinion in my armyworm moth trap so there! 

[roony]

You get all the good bugs.

[Dotch]

 

[glenn57]

The hummingbirds are nuts here at the cabin
 We have 5 feeders out and since I got here Saturday I've filled each one once already.

Not much for other birds though.

[Dotch]

They were nuts here last nite around dark too. Between the flowers and feeders they're like kids in a candy store. I have no idea how many orioles we have. At least a couple pair each of orchard and Baltimore's & an assortment of immature birds of both species. And catbirds.

[snow1]

The hummingbirds are nuts here at the cabin
 We have 5 feeders out and since I got here Saturday I've filled each one once already.

Not much for other birds though.

dang it glenn,no hummer's at my place yet,do you have other attrators out? flowers? curious,only have one hum feeder out,yet to see one show,clueless how to attract them.

[glenn57]

  I have no clue why they're like that up here? Gets worse come fall, some days I can fill the same feeder twice. does have flowers planted but I wouldn't exactly call them hummingbird magnets

[roony]

Dotch gets all the immature birds.

[snow1]

  I have no clue why they're like that up here? Gets worse come fall, some days I can fill the same feeder twice. does have flowers planted but I wouldn't exactly call them hummingbird magnets

what ya using for nectar? home maid or store bought?,right now I used up some store bought orange but thinking making up a batch of sugar water someone posted here 4 to 1...this weekend.

[glenn57]

Home brew. Early year 3 to 1 water/ sugar mix with red food coloring. Same ratio in the fall. Summer 4 to 1.
Orange is for orioles.

[Steve-o]

[mike89]

never seen a fat humming bird yet!!!   

[snow1]

reading up on our feeders birder's claim food coloring is harmful to hummer's also in warm weather our feeders need regular cleaning as mildew will kill these tiny birds,have a friend that is a ornithologist,worked many years at our U of M,infact he headed the bird museum at the U now teaching,residing in nebraska,interesting feller,earlier in life he showed me pic's of one of his many field trips collecting bird species,this one event he spent a few weeks collecting hummingbirds in south america,claimed they used badmitten nets to capture them,the goal was to collect as many species for grad students to study back here in minnesota,,they/ he would stuff these birds for years of doing research,he had a 1900 era passenger pidgeon stuffed  that came with the museum when he took over I had a chance to see up close,looked like a large mourning dove with tail feathers like a pheasant

this doctor of science tells me sugar water like you discribed glenn is the best source for our feeders,guess my metro minn area isn't a hot spot for hummer's,they sure are interesting critters.

[fishwidow]

For what it’s worth, I’ve heard-and my personal experience is-that nearby water enhances your chances of attracting these guys. That doesn’t explain the plethora of humming bird varieties that inhabit the desert southwest, but I know the ruby throated ones around here seem to be more prevalent where there’s a natural water source nearby.
To Glenn’s point, they have been crazy around here lately. I got buzz bombed tonight taking window boxes of red geraniums down to shelter them from the likely frost.
A good, but slightly dated, source of information for all kinds of bird feeding are books authored by George Harrison—not the late Beatle.

[glenn57]

Maybe years past the food coloring wasn't good for them but I don't buy it now.

[LPS]

I don't use any coloring.  Just 4 to 1 water to sugar.  I just use warm tap water.  I used to heat it on the stove but don't do that any more.  We have hummers around again this year.  I fill my feeders maybe once a month.