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wantoretire_did

My first Hummer!!

wantoretire_did
16 years ago

They love the phlox which are in full bloom now. Right outside my "computer window" so I really get a show. It looked like a young one....

Comments (16)

  • pixiegardener
    16 years ago

    They are the coolest!I was out water my flower boxes the other day and one stopped right in front of my face and hovered for a few seconds. It was the most amazing thing.

  • penny1947
    16 years ago

    The young have fledged the nests so you are probably right. It probably is a juvenile that you saw at the phlox. I have two very large phlox but have never noticed my hummers using them. I guess I have too many hummer plants for them to choose from. Mine have gotten so used to me being outside that they come right up to the feeders and the flowers while I am standing there. This is my favorite time of the year.

    Penny

  • penny1947
    16 years ago

    The fall migration has started so some of you that run feeders might want to switch to a little higher sugar concentration than the regular 4:1 ratio (4 parts water to 1 part sugar). I normally switch to 3:1 ratio at this time to help them fatten up for the long journey south.

    Penny

  • phylrae
    16 years ago

    A few weeks ago my husband was standing in the front yard next to a clump of his favorite roses (Veteran's Honor). Next to them is a large planting of Jacob Cline monarda, about 6 feet tall. He was amazed, like you, when he looked over his shoulder to see 2 hummingbirds hovering in mid-air (as if in a holding pattern), just waiting for him to MOVE out of their way so they could make a b-line to the monarda! He was awestruck. Now he wants MORE monarda-I told him we'd just divide and transplant some out back...they were just 2 small plants last August (bought on clearance) and increased about 500% in this, their second year. I had no idea they'd get so tall!
    :0) Phyl

  • korney19
    16 years ago

    I have had my first hummer here in Buffalo EVER a couple weeks ago today (Saturday.) I spend hours in the yard and never have seen one here. I've been trying for about 7 years now. I grow mostly tomatoes, peppers, corn and giant pumpkins, etc, but have been growing a few shades of bee balm, some borage, and last year planted Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle in 5ft & 8ft tall concrete reinforcing wire tomato cages.

    Anyway, I was sitting in the driveway about noon less than 5ft from one of the 2 Honeysuckle plants and saw something and looked up and it was a hummer! I couldn't believe it because I'm right in the city, with houses barely 8ft apart, and no real wildlife.

    It was going from flower to flower on the honeysuckle, then landed on the concrete wire with its back to me, stayed there for about 10 seconds, then went back to the honeysuckle. I got up slowly and went to get the digital camera but it was gone when I came back.

    I went out there for the next 3 or 4 days from about 9 to 1pm but haven't seen it since. It looked all grayish/dark green, no red throat. I got bored sitting around doing nothing and that was the end of me waiting daily. Maybe it was a stray. Am I getting my hopes up?

    I thought maybe the bee balm would be more attractive but now most of the flowers are spent & have fallen. I actually had 3 different shades of red, but one, for some reason, this year was almost violet. I also have a dark pink.

    My GF has a trailer for the summer at Sleepy Hollow near Akron/Alden and I gave her bee balm (light pink) a couple years ago and she has a hummer visit regularly--nearly every hour she says. It's ironic because the last nite I spent there I seen it in the morning around 7am when leaving, and it was the Friday before I saw mine here. Hers had a ruby throat. For some reason, her light pink bee balm is now red this year.

    Mark

  • penny1947
    16 years ago

    Mark,
    Bee balm can hybridize if there are different cultivars growing nearby. I got rid of all of mine but the red Jacob's Cline as that one is less prone to powdery mildew and gets bigger.

    The hummers as I mentioned are in migration and the best time to spot them is just at dawn or at dusk. I plant strictly for hummers and still have at least 5 here. I also run 6 or 7 feeders all season long so that they have a constant supply of nectar especially when they arrive in late April and early May before my hummer plants come into bloom. My last male left yesterday mid morning Sept. 1st. Most of the adult males have gone or will be leaving within the next few day in order to establish a winter territory. The females (no red gorget) will be the next to leave and the juveniles will leave last

    To encourage hummers to visit frequently, it is best to have both nectar rich plants as well as at least a couple of feeders. If you have trees and shrubs they may even nest in an area. They are most apt to return the next year where there is an adequate food supply and cover.

    Penny

  • von1
    16 years ago

    My husband and two chocolate labs rescued this little guy(girl?) the other day. The two dogs were acting weird so DH went to see what they were doing. They had found the hummer on the ground and didn't know what to make of it. HD put it up on this stump. It flew once, but didn't get far, so he picked it up again then went into the house to call the animal rehab people. They met in So. Glens Falls where he gave the hummer to the man in a shoebox filled with newspaper. At first the guy couldn't find the hummer, but he was under some of the paper. They had another hummer to rehab,so he said they would put the two together to make them happier.
    Don't know what got it on the ground to begin with. Hope all turned out well.
    Von


  • penny1947
    16 years ago

    Von
    It is great that you were able to find a rehabber to take the hummer. It appears to be an immature females. She appears to be healthy and bulked up for migration aside from the fact that she wasn't able to fly off. Possibly with some rest and nourishment she will be able to complete her journey south. I usually keep one feeder up with fresh nectar in case there is a late migrant or a western vagrant that shows up. This time of the year most people have taken down their feeders and food sources can be in short supply unless they have active hummer gardens. A small feeder with just a few ounces of nectar can make all the difference in the world to a bird that is just embarking on their journey.

    Penny

  • von1
    16 years ago

    We still had a feeder up. Don't know what happened, but hope she makes it.
    Von

  • penny1947
    16 years ago

    That is good that you were able to find a rehabber in your area. I needed one last year and never was able to find one close enough.

    Penny

  • wantoretire_did
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Panny - This is where I found info when some snappers hatched in our yard last year.

    Here is a link that might be useful: NYS wildlife rehabbers

  • wantoretire_did
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Oh gosh, Penny; sorry, before coffee!!

  • penny1947
    16 years ago

    Thanks for the link wantoretire_did (lol how is retirement working out?),
    I did make a copy of it besides saving it so I have a hard copy as well as a copy on my pc

    Penny

  • wantoretire_did
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi Penny - Retirement is going great; I never looked back. Had a career that I loved, but the last couple of years of work let me know that it was time to get out.

    I had grandeous ideas of large cottage gardens, but DH has been diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis, so it is time for me to realize that I have to simplify and pare back on my ambitions. I'm working on a couple more small lasagna gardens, but that will be it. I'm hoping to get yet another person to help with the mowing.

    I have been crocheting small afghans up a storm for the domestic violence center and the nursing home connected to the hospital here in Saratoga Springs. Many women at the Sr. Center where I go weekly knit/crochet for the hospital. A fun group of women and I look forward to getting together with them.

    Right now friends and relatives are in So. Calif, which is going up in flames. We just hope that they stay safe.

    Carol

  • nordfyr315
    16 years ago

    Wow, when I saw this topic, my mind went in two directions, neither of them very appropriate...

  • penny1947
    16 years ago

    Just for an FYI, the 2008 spring migration map was posted Feb. 21st. so migration has begun but of course it will be a while b4 any of us see any hummers

    Penny

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