return of the hummies

Haven't seen any here yet but we are preparing for them. Shepherd hook already in the ground, feeder found in the garage and cleaned up. Just need to make the solution and hang it out there.

Keep an eye open at dawn/dusk. They seem to be most active at those times right now. I think they'll start being real active once they finish nests and hatch the kids.

Nobody here has seen them yet but there are several feeders out now in the neighborhood. Wish my flowers were bigger so they could be seen better from the air...that way the hummies will find my feeder.

I am planning a hummingbird/butterfly garden. I have some small purple flowers for the butterflies. I need some petunias and hanging pots for the birds. I'll keep the feeders near the windows so they can visit, but the garden just sounds like fun to me.

So cool in our new area that hummers are here all winter long!

OOO! Are they the regular green ones with the ruby throats, or are they different?

The hummers started showing up here Tuesday....we're scrambling to get the feeders out. Don't know if these particular hummers are just passing through on their way further north or are the ones who stay here for the summer.

I think the ones here are visitors on their way farther north. We have tons one day and only a few the next. I think the residents will be settling in the next week or so.

We saw one at Brads' feeder, so this one has been here before. Knew exactly where to go to get a good meal. Nobody at my new feeder yet.

I had a hummie at my feeder yesterday!!!  **squeal of delight**

A little female from the look of it.  I hope she brings the kids later this summer when they're big enough.

I saw a couple nesting in the crepe myrtle tree today. They really like that tree.

Brad reports two hummies coming to his feeder regularly. Bet they're male and female, with a nest in the big nearby tree.

My hummie is still a single...but coming regularly to my feeder now. Hope she has a date or a hubbie. I want to see baby hummies again! They're so tiny and cute.

I would love to see some hummies. All I'm seeing are jays who are harressing any and everything that moves

Try some pink petunias. Hummies aren't easily scared off, so maybe they'll show up for some pretty, tasty flowers. If you see one, more are hanging around somewhere. You can put out a feeder with watered down simple syrup.

I may do the feeder. We do have flowers that they like.

No guarantees, of course. This is the only place I've ever lived where we have swarms of them.

I purposely planted hot pink and red petunias where they could be seen from the air. Hummies fly just above the trees. My feeder is kinda under the small tree so it's shaded but the petunias bring them in...then they spot the feeder. They get to take their pick: flowers or feeder.
You could try that too. Only took a week for my hummie to find my feeder and there never was one near where I have mine before.

I might right now Fif, it's so wet I'm not even putting food out in my regular feeder.

They'll do fine with the flowers or they'll relocate for the season. When we have terrible weather like that, a few stick around, but most seem to fly elsewhere. The next year or later in the same season, they show up again.

Brad's hummies obviously knew where his feeder would be. We figured they are either the adults from last years nesting or the kids from last year. They are eating him out of house and home!

So is my lone lil female hummie.

One of our females is getting territorial about the feeder. She swooped and yelled at a sparrow who was at the seed feeder nearby. Tough little birds.

They sure are.....I've seen the males several times harassing much bigger birds who were too close to their nest.
Still only the one female at my feeder, but the same two at Brads and moms'.

I put a feeder near my new garden (still in progress). I got buzzed by two little birds yesterday. They've been quiet during the really hot days. They are out in the mornings and evenings.

When it's cooler, makes sense. Takes less energy to fly in cooler temps than trying to stay cool flying in the hottest part of the day. Bet you could lure them out with a sprinkler turned on so they could play.

Still only one hummie at my feeder, I think. Very thirsty one if only one (I've only seen one so far).

No sprinkling for me. But, the hummies do love to fly around in the rain. We've had pretty nice evening showers the past couple of days.

I made more syrup yesterday, and almost boiled it to hard candy. I turned it on, went back to my desk, and forgot. Fortunately, I caught it just in time that adding some water brought it back to normal gummy food.