Hummies have arrived

I have a few buzzing the feeder. It isn't the swarms that we get in mid summer when the babies all hatch, but there's at least one female and one male. They don't seem too upset that we had to take down the tree next to the feeder. There's another just 8 feet away, so they've just started perching there in between visits to the feeder. I'll need to make more juice today. Can't run out or they come up to the window and DEMAND dinner.

wish we had hummies here. The only time I ever saw one in it's natural habitat was when I was on a trip to Colorado.

This is the first place I've lived where we had swarms of them. I saw one or two at my suburban house. I'm glad I've seen them this early.

No sightings here yet.

None yet here in N. Illinois, but we have several feeders at the ready, just in case.

The wrens are here too. I got buzzed by the mom when I walked too close to her wonderfully rebuilt nest. It's a nice, tight little nest made out of horse hair, hay, and paper scraps. She has the most adorable little hole just ready for eggs. The whole thing is about the size of a softball with a 3 inch hole in the front. So cute!

Hummies are starting to buzz too. Right after the wren experience, I heard hummy wings.

Haven't spotted any hummies yet but I think I will be soon. Brad has his feeder out all ready for them! I'm hoping his lil hummie family from last summer come back to nest in that same tree again.

Saw my first hummer today too.!!!!!!

Yippee! A male was sitting on the shepherd hook where the feeder is hanging. He was looking in the house as if he was saying, "Hey! I'm tired from flying so far. Thanks for the food."

Still no hummie sightings here.

The swarm behavior is starting here. The females were chasing each other around the feeder yesterday. I'm not going through the syrup as fast as I do in high summer, so I expect more residents soon. I bet you'll start seeing them pretty soon Fiff. Check the feeder at dusk. That seems to be when the early arrivals are most noticeable.

THEY'RE HERE! Brad reported that he saw the first hummie of the season at his feeder early yesterday afternoon. I'm pretty sure it was one of the babies from last years' lil family.

They're starting to eat faster. I wonder if it's time for egg laying.

One of the males sits on the shepherd hook every morning and every evening. It's so funny. I thought he was just resting his wings after his long trip, but I think it's part of his routine.

Sounds like it. Brad said he saw two hummies at the feeder, but wasn't sure if it was one coming twice or two different ones. I was there for 3 hours late yesterday afternoon, when the feeder should've been busy, but saw no hummies at all. Must be a bit too early yet in the season here.

The wren eggs have hatched. The babies were waiting for mom and dad to come back and give them some food. The hummies are not acting like they're feeding kids yet, but I haven't been home during the day to watch.

Brads hummies have moved on. I think they were hummies that normally go a bit further north, and he was a rest stop. So the hummie watch is on again. Our little family hasn't arrived yet.

I think hummies wait until there are more lil bugs and more flowers to hatch out eggs. This month is when they arrive, stake out territory, find a good nest spot, and build.

Brad has two hummies coming to his feeder so far. I was opening the window Friday night and here comes one, a nice lil male. He actually sat on the feeder to eat, and stuck out his tongue a few times between sips. My, but they have LONG tongues. Then a lil female came to eat. I'm thinking these are the babies from last summer's lil family, all grown up. They aren't quite as big as an adult. They were back Saturday night too, and watched us peoples through the window like they did last summer.

Isn't it like they're just looking at you and asking you to keep that feeder full?

It was more like mutual curiosity. They could see us watching them, and they were watching us. Last years babies did that a lot when they were big enough to come to the feeder with mom and dad. I like to think they were also memorizing our faces, so they'd remember the kind people who keep that feeder up and full.

I think they do know people somehow. Our hummies demand food from me, but they don't make as much noise to my husband. It's probably because I'm the one who usually fills the feeders.

I think ours are starting their families. They aren't swarming the feeder as much, which is usually the sign of sitting on eggs. Soon, we'll have loads of hummies all over the feeders and flowers. I have a dilemma though. We are getting our front porch painted, so I don't have my usual hanging plant places. I have some hummie-friendly plants that I want to hang up. I'll need to find some places that aren't in the way for the painters, but are close enough to the usual place so the birds can remember where they are supposed to go for a snack.

Are there trees near enough so you can hang them from the branches, until the painters are done?

Yes. The trees have flowers too. Our magnolia tree is blooming, and the crepe myrtles will be blooming when it gets hot. I'll hang the flowers from the low branches, but I'll probably move them to the barn eventually. The birds seem to like the plants to have lots of open space around them. We'll see how it goes.

If they're hanging from the lower branches, maybe near the tips of the branches (where it's still strong enough to hold them), that should give them enough open space to hover and get a snack from the flowers. Shame you don't have a few shepherd's hooks, you could've hung the flowerpots from those........