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They are arriving!! This morning there were at least 5 at one feeder and 4 at the other. There were more but who can count things that move that fast!! We have 2 feeders and a bed of butterfly weed and purple salvia that they really like. I like to think that they are well fed before leaving on their migration to Central America. I still wonder how on earth they find their way and travel such a long way!! Beautiful flying jewels!!
Ours are getting ready to leave, they are getting more aggressive over the feeders for that last long sip before heading south. I know hummingbirds nest and raise a family in this part of the country when they are here....do they also have a nesting season in your area?
Yes, some do nest but mostly we see them when they are migrating through.
I just refilled my feeders for the little guys so that they would get up to the right weight for the trip which apparently is the deciding factor according to an information session that I attended.
Take care of them and send them back next spring. They did arrive early this year and are able to leave a little earlier, it seems. Usually they start to disappear around Sept 12 but the numbers at the feeders are going down now.
Last year, I had not one monarch butterfly larva at my butterfly weed but this year they are back to their usual numbers. Can you tell me if you see the usual numbers in your neck of the woods, Florence, as they pass through?
I sure will miss my little birds when they leave. I will take my feeders down in a week or two, we are in MI. They are the most entertaining birds ever.
You know, I haven't seen so much as a single hummingbird all year.
It's lovely to have those natural seasonal changes occur, simple but I find them so delightful too. I've lucky to have hummingbirds year round, but I will be on the lookout for maybe a few additional ones as they make their way north. I remember there use to be a regular feature on NPR in the fall, I'm thinking November, about the snow geese and their traditional appearance at a certain spot....yeah, I like the tradition.
Enjoy those birds while they take advantage of your little oasis on the way north Florence.
They usually gather along the Texas Gulf Coast and build up their strength before their long migration in late August and early September. I am surprised that we have about the usual number because the drought has just devastated the wild flowers that they usually feed on; there's virtually nothing green unless it is in someone's yard or along the irrigation ditches. Anyway, I'm glad to see so many survived and I'll bet they are glad to see the last of Texas for a while!!
This morning we had approximately 50 hummingbirds around our two feeders. When DH gets home this evening he will put up the third feeder. So far this week they have been taking in 4 cups of sugar water per day. I think it will go up to 6 cups today.
50 Hummingbirds....WOW! That must be amazing to watch, I know how enjoyable 3 or 4 can be.
50 Hummingbirds....WOW! That must be amazing to watch, I know how enjoyable 3 or 4 can be.
This is the most we have ever had. I guess word got out on the hummingbird internet that there was plenty of flowers and sugar water at our house.
dado potato
9-13-11, 3:02pm
Last week I was sitting in Sawyer Co WI, on a patio which had purple petunia flowers volunteering in the cracks between the patio stones. It was a bright sunny morning. A few hummers came, one after t'other, to drink some nectar from the petunia blossoms. They were right beside me, virtually an arm's reach away. They kinda chirped once in a while! Until that day, I did not know hummers chirped.
Yes, they do chirp especially when they are busily driving each other away from the feeder.
We still have a goodly number of these little guys at our feeders but the temperature is finally dropping tonight so that may help trigger some of the trips south.
One of the things I love best about our little place is that we are on a fall hummingbird migration route. We have a few hummingbirds all summer long, but for 2 to 3 weeks in late August/early September, we have tons! My mom lives a few miles east of us and my sister lives a few miles west of us, but neither of them get the fall influx that we get. I've gone through 16 pounds of sugar in the last two weeks just for the little birdies. :)
One of the things I love best about our little place is that we are on a fall hummingbird migration route. We have a few hummingbirds all summer long, but for 2 to 3 weeks in late August/early September, we have tons! My mom lives a few miles east of us and my sister lives a few miles west of us, but neither of them get the fall influx that we get. I've gone through 16 pounds of sugar in the last two weeks just for the little birdies. :)
We've been using 10 pounds of sugar per week the past couple of weeks. They are also feeding on our salvia and butterfly weed. Gonna get too heavy to fly...LOL...
We've been using 10 pounds of sugar per week the past couple of weeks. They are also feeding on our salvia and butterfly weed. Gonna get too heavy to fly...LOL...
I have a friend in south Texas who loves the hummingbirds as much as I do, so I like to tell her I'm fattening them up so they'll stay with me all year. ;) Alas, they always head south at some point, although we did have one show up during a cold rain in November last year. He spent the night in the garage with a heat lamp and a feeder and then continued his journey the next day.
I took this picture this afternoon. They weren't very happy with me standing near the feeder, but a few were brave enough to come have a drink. (Try to ignore all the drought-stricken trees in the background.)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kpEcZX8gu6M/TnUqNzfN4hI/AAAAAAAADxo/TJ5bcvcdZhI/s640/IMG_9685a.JPG
Oh how gorgeous!! Thanks so much for posting that picture!!
Oh my goodness Daisy! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm impressed by how many will sit together and feed as the few I have in my back yard are very hostile towards each other and seldom even sit on the feeder, preferring to go sit on a nearby tree limb. It must be hard getting on with your day when you have this much of interest going on in your yard.
Oh my goodness Daisy! Thanks so much for sharing. I'm impressed by how many will sit together and feed as the few I have in my back yard are very hostile towards each other and seldom even sit on the feeder, preferring to go sit on a nearby tree limb. It must be hard getting on with your day when you have this much of interest going on in your yard.
I've noticed that when there are just 2 or 3 hummingbirds, they spend all their time and energy chasing each other away from the feeder but they don't do that so much when there's a crowd. Go figure!!
Thanks! And yes, when there are a lot of them, they are much less likely to fight. They will even sit side by side and drink from the same hole on the feeder. Silly birds!
Florence, I think my birds are headed your way. They are using much less of the sugar water this week. Take good care of them! :)
We just bought our 4th 10 pound bag of sugar. We have never seen anything like this year. As soon as one group leaves, we get another wave in. Monday and Tuesday of this week there were 15-20 birds at each of the three feeders. Right now we are seeing about 10 at each feeder morning and evening and 3-4 all day. I think that the drought has meant that there are way fewer native plants blooming for them to feed on but how on earth do so many find their way to our back porch??
flowerseverywhere
9-30-11, 6:54pm
I had a female Ruby Throated today in my flowers and I am almost to the border of Canada! I have never seen one so late. She better hurry up and head south.
They seem to move with the weather fronts. The numbers had built back up here over the last week and I was back to filling the feeders 3 to 4 times a day. But a cold front came through last night and I didn't have to do a single refill today. :( I know they need to head further south for the winter, but I sure will miss the little tyrants.
flowerseverywhere,
We are obviously not at all similar to a Canadian border climate, but my sister-in-law had a hummingbird that spent a couple of winters here. Our winters are mild compared to up north, but we do have frosts most mornings in the winter and we usually have several days of below 20s weather every year. It was very disconcerting to look out of Becky's window on Christmas morning and see a hummingbird at the feeder!
We had a cool front move through last night and it seems that the hummingbirds went with it. We have had only 4-5 hummers at the feeders today.
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