Archive for the ‘Hummingbird Feeders’ Category
Are You Ready
I don’t know about you, but I am sick of snow, cold, wind, sloppy streets, mud, dirty cars and everything that is part of winter. I am tired of the dark mornings and the early dark evenings. I am more than ready for spring.
I am anxious to take my overhauled wren’s nest out and get it hung. I am eager for the hummingbirds and the hummingbird feeder. The hummer helper nesting material is all ready to put out. It’s time for flowers and green grass, and spring smells and the warmth of the spring sun. I am ready - but we have 21 days to go before spring actually arrives. Worse yet, there is more snow predicted for later this week, not once, but twice.
Maybe the daffodils will just pop right up through the snow and nod their yellow heads.
Dreaming Again
Seeing that robin up close and personal this morning had me thinking spring all day. I know it’s too early for it, but I had to at least feed the dream and keep it going for a day. It’s too early to actually do anything about it. They are predicting snow for Saturday, but it not too early to dream about it.
I envisioned filling the hummingbird feeders with sweet nectar for the hummingbirds. I could see myself hanging the hummer helper nesting material so they could build their nests to prepare for their new family. I saw flowers - lots of flowers. There were petunias, honeysuckle, gladiolas, snapdragons and impatiens. It was a very pretty day, the air was far too cold to keep on dreaming, but it sure made my day. I hope you had a good day too.
Biting The Dust On This One
It is my normal procedure to leave the hummingbird feeders out and filled with fresh nectar until November. I do it every year in the hopes of spotting a rufous hummingbird migrating from north to south. I know it is only mid October, but this year I will not be following the normal procedure. I am going to bite the dust.
We actually got some frost last night, and the impatiens that had been continuing to give color to the side yard garden are no long very pretty today. So far, I have not seen a rufous hummingbird, nor have I heard of any sitings of them in the area this year. And, my schedule for the next few weeks is a bit crazy. As a result of these facts, and the fact that they might actually start frezzing, I will be taking down and cleaning all of my hummingbird feeders today.
I don’t know why it is always such a sad day for me, but it is. I counteract that with the delightful thought that the hummingbirds will indeed be back next April!!
You Cannot Fly Too High
Bees at the Hummingbird Feeder?
It is amazing just how many bees there are this year. I think I found a great solution to keeping a good number of them away from the hummingbird feeders. I have a number of hummingbird feeders and a few of them are like the one I have pictured here - shaped like a flying saucer. The bees fly around it and hang on it, but the nectar is too far down for them to get at it. The hummingbirds have no problem as they have those nice long tongues that easily reach it.
I have set a bee trap with an additional hummingbird feeder like the one pictured here. I have filled it with a nectar that is a bit sweeter than the 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water that are in the saucer shaped feeders. The bees love it, and all of them gather there because they can easily get to the nectar. And in the meantime the hummingbirds are enjoying their privacy as the bees leave the other feeders alone
Stay On Track For The Fall
I absolutely love the fall. Even though I hate to see the glory and color and birds and long days of the spring and summer fade, fall is my favorite season. The autumn colors are in such contrast to the bright colors of the summer flowers and the bright green grass. And, by this time of the summer, I start looking forward to the change, and the cool nights and bright sunny but shorter days. I grieve for the birds who have gone and are leaving, and yet take solace and delight from the hummingbirds as they take long drinks of nectar from the hummingvird feeders as they migrate toward the south. And, I also start planning for the 6 months ahead.
With the last 3 nights of extremely cool temperatures, I have noticed that there is already some roosting going on inside one of my decorative bird houses. Ye Gads, I already cleaned it out once/
Stay on track. If you are a winter only bird feeder it is time to put the bird food and feeders out. The feathered friends that stay around for the winter are already planning and you should too. Bring them to you now and share in the fun of watching them play in the snow.
A good many woodpeckers stick around all winter too, so make sure that your suet bird feeder is full of good nutricious seed cakes and suets.
The March Is On
Fall is definitely in the air. I can never really explain myself with that statement. It is after all, still summer. The temperatures are still summerish and the humidity is still at summer levels. It’s just the air “feels different”. The heat of the day doesn’t feel as hot, and the mornings and evenings just feel like fall is on the way.
You might understand that a bit better if you have hummingbird feeders in your backyard. The fall migration has begun. The families of hummingbirds who have been here all spring and summer are still about, and in addition there is a magnificent march of new ones who are stopping to load up on nectar before continuing on their journey south. The parade has been non stop for the last week.
I don’t think I am exagerating when I say that the number of hummingbirds passing through is at least double that of last year, and the good news is it isn’t over yet. I have 3 hummingbird feeders and keeping them full of nectar has been a challenge this week. It’s really amazing to me when I realize that I don’t even get to see but a small fraction of the hummingbird visitors. That would mean a sun up to sun down vigil at the window, and I really don’t have that much spare time
I hope you are enjoying the fall migration as much as I am.
Be On The Lookout
Every Saturday morning there is a local radio station that has a backyard program where birdwatchers call in and share their stories or ask questions.
I have been listening to it for quite awhile now and every once in a while there will be a tid bit of information that is new and interesting. Today, I learned that in the last several years there have been increased sitings of the Rufous Hummingbirds in the spring and fall here in the East. Reportedly they are doing a West to East migration now, where their past habits took them only from North to South and then South to North and primarily in the Western States like Utah, California, Nevada, etc.
Early in the spring, I was sure that I saw a hummingbird at the hummingbird feeder that I was certain was not a Ruby throated Hummingbird and listening to the program today made me realize that I was probably right.
My custom has always been to leave the Hummingbird feeders out through September and even early October so as to accommodate all of the migrants that might be passing through (and to extend my season with them as well). According to the host of the radio program, the Hummingbird feeders should be left out until Thanksgiving to catch site any migrant Rufous Hummingbirds that might be passing through.
Thr Rufous Hummingbird is about the same size as the Ruby throated Hummingbird and the male has the red throat very similar to that of the Ruby throat, but their coat is very brown rather than green. The one in the picture appears to be a bit chubbier as welll, but it could be just because of the way he is perching and posing for the photo.
My hummingbird feeders will be out a little longer this year. I sure would love to catch sight of the Rufous, and this time know for sure what I am seeing.
Birdwatcher’s Sights To Behold
Ancient Roman birdwatchers formed a society of priests and told the future from various signs such as the flight and appearance of certain birds. Today, however, we birdwatchers simply enjoy the beauty, song, grace and charm of the birds. The following is about a couple of common NorthAmerican birds for the bird watching enthusiasts of today.
Between the size of a Sparrow and a Robin, the brown Cedar Waxwing can be identified by the yellow band on its tail and its crest. Often the only means of detecting its presence is the high pitched “zeee” of its song. Adult Waxwings store food for their young in their crop, a pouch located in their throat. and may regurgitate as many as thiry choke berries at one time into the gaping mouths of the young.
Perhaps you have spotted a Yellow-Breasted Chat when hiking along a secluded stream or in a dens thicket. This large bird with white “spectacles” prefers bushy tangles and is relatively shy; therefore, it is more often heard than seen. Its song is a disjointed series of loud clucks, rattles and repeated whistles, sung day and night. At times, it performs a display-glight, flopping awkwardly up and down with legs dangling while singing. It is quite a sight to see.
Then there is the familiar Bluebird. This beautiful bird is a favorite of many people and is eagerly awaited in the spring after a long, cold winter, as it is the first bird to return to the north. Many people mount bluebird houses in their back yards and in open fields in the hopes that the Bluebirds will take up residence and they can watch the amaazing process of them having and then raising their families. A suet feeder with seed cakes will often attract them. For a long time over the course of the last 3 or 4 decades, Bluebirds became scarce in the East for reasons not altogether clear. Perhaps competition with the Starlings for nesting sites may have been a factor, and I for one, am quite pleased that the trend has reversed and they are once again a common visitor.
Finally, but far from least, we see the tiny Hummingbirds. Gems of beauty and marvels in flight, these nectar drinking birds take their name from the noise made by their rapid wingbeats. The small Hummingbirds beat their wings nearly seventy times each SECOND! Hovering motionless, the Hummingbird takes nectar from blossoms or from Hummingbird feeders and then then flies backwards to withdraw his bill from the flower or the feeder. Many bird enthuiasts will go to great lengths to attract this little treasure to their back yard feeders.
Perfect Combination
What a wonderful season we have had with the Hummingbirds. They arrived in late April, and either they just decided to hang around here, or there are hundereds migrating right through my back yard all summer. We were never able to locate one of their tiny little nests, so we really aren’t sure which is the case.
I have an abundance of hummingbird feeders. They were the only invitation the hummingbirds had until mid to late May when the flowers got planted - and I have to admit, I have vast array of many varities of flowers all the way around the house and other perrenial gardens in the yard. I can be a bit of a nut, but I enjoy every minute of it.
On July 11th, my blog ” A Bloomin’ Lesson” told the story of my waiting for the Hibiscus plant to bloom. Well, it has lots of blooms every day now. They are huge big blossoms that are about 6″ or 7″ in diameter. When the Hummingbirds started coming around with what I assumed was their young, it was the Hibiscus that got the real Hummingbird activity. Oh,they still used the Hummingbird Feeders, but the Hibiscus as well as the other flowers, and the tiny insects had more of their attentiom for a while. It was then that I learned that the Hummingbirds teach their fledglings how to fend for themselves and find their own insects and nectar before showing them the free handout of the sweet nectar in the feeders.
So, each and every day, when the Hibiscus blooms are at their peek, the Hummingbirds come right to my patio door and enjoy the nectar of the Hibiscus in addition to the abundantly provided nectar in the Hummingbird feeders. It has turned out to be the perfect combination.