Great pictures there. Post more when you get a chance.

Wow, what great pictures :) Especially on your B&B.

I have been trying to take pics. of the hummers for two years now and cannot get anything near that good.

Male? I thought the males had red throats or at least hints of them for juvies. What would indicate that this is a male? Guess I'm back to SEX 101. Sandy

Yes, very nice pics indeed!

breenthunb-- Yes, it is a young male. Young males will get the streaks or dots under the neck as you see in the pic and very seldom get the entire red throat till after they come back from their wintering grounds. They will also have the same white tips on their tails that females have till later on , so that will also throw you off. Once in a while you can see one with a single red feather before they leave, but usually not.

Thanks, y'all!!

breenthumb, 2 pics to illustrate hummersteve's point...

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My wife and I are new to this, here in Upper East Tennessee, so bear with me.

My question is how do you ID the juvenile females from the adult females.

The reason that I ask, we have three feeders on our front porch where we sit in the early morning and in the evenings.

The hummers hover just a couple of feet from our heads,having become acclimated to our presence.

There is one female or juvenile that does not take any guff off of the territorial males, who attempt to ward off any interlopers.

Again, how can I tell if we have an adult female or a juvenile that is full of vim and vigor?

ronmann, I can't tell the difference. Sibley's Field Guide says the adult female is "bright golden-green above" (her back), and "wingtips narrow and straight". I'm going to pay close attention for the next few days and see how pronounced the differences are.

What is that gorgeous blue flower and can I grow it in Maryland??

Ann

catlady, The flower is Salvia guaranitica "Black & Blue", a favorite of hummers and hummernuts alike. And yes, you can grow it in MD.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lots of info on B&B

wow, wow, wow....I read about it but obviously didn't quite get it... I've never really planted for hummers because I don't like red, but they JUST YESTERDAY showed up at my PINK feeder (which is surrounded by pink petunias) so now I'm so excited and must immediately plant some things for them!! This salvia is PERFECT for me and my taste!

Thank you!!

Ann

Will B&B spread ...or does it pretty much stay as one clump? Reseeding sounds pretty iffy. I'm just trying to figure out how many to buy!
Thanks,
Ann

Behavior is another way to differentiate juvenile males from females. Males can be (and often are) territorial regarding nectar sources, even the juveniles. Females can be, but are usually rarely territorial, although true to most hummingbirds they will engage in aggressive behavior, such as dive bombing competitors at a feeder. That's why we love them!

By the way, if you have juveniles, it's a great sign! They will likely return to your feeder next year when they migrate back in the spring. Keep it up and in 3 or 4 years you will likely have more hummingbirds than you can count.