dsb38327

Hello.
I was very relaxed this morning watching my 25 or so hummingbirds. I thought, whew, they are leaving. Do I have enough water made. Yes, no problem.
By the time I finished my coffee the feeders and trees were alive! I got about 100 of someone's birds. They come in so fast, very tiny and soooooo hungry. They are not fat like mine were. Lots of itsy bitsy ones too.
Joyceelaine, how big is a baby? Size of a dime? Size of a quarter? I have seen small ones I thought must be young ones but I haven't seen any I thought were fresh out of the nest.
True4uca, I am glad the Pam works for you. I do cook with it but I didn't know to use it on the feeder poles.
Jacrn, nice to hear from you. I am glad you enjoyed the photos.
Thanks EdieClay. Do you and your family come to Pickwick or Shiloh?
Hi Gram, Hi Pat. Thank you. Aren't they precious.
Feather3, are these your birds?

jolo

Mine are gone today.

quilter2

I have enjoyed looking at your hummingbird pictures. I think my 3 are gone, haven't seen them for a few weeks but thought it was early for them to leave. Hope all will be back next spring. Thanks for sharing yours.

Feather3

Dorthy:

They could be from my area or even north of me. Those that fattened up here, or further north, would probably be skinny by the time they reached you.

I checked my feeders today & they were almost empty, so I filled them again. I feel there are more that will come thru yet. It's so dry here & there are very few if any flowers left they could feed on.

We still have monarch butterflies too.

Thanks for posting the pics.

Melody

Dorothy! Those close-up photos are wonderful!! Catching a pic of a hummer like that... the eyes of those birds ... well, that is quite amazing.

Melody

dsb38327

jolo, quilter2,
Are you sad? Withdrawals? I will have when they all leave. Mann,, I thought I was done.
Hi Melody, arent't they precious. That one photo looks like a portrait to me. Wonder what the white band on the throat is. I think Feather3 told us in an earlier update. The female?Feather3, too bad we can't put a note on their legs so we know where they came from. I know some are banded for tracking but I haven't seen any that I know of.
I think they are running late this year. Seems they are normally arriving in late June yet it was late July. I don't remember getting new batches this late in September but I really can't be sure because I haven't logged it before. Now I will have a record. I will keep some feeders out one week longer than I see the last hummingbird. They know when to leave. I will feed them as long as they are here.

sewjean

I only have one feed but I love to watch th little Hummers too. This is the first time I have had a feder so I wasnt sure how long they would stay. I am in Smith Co.TN,
Someone was talking about ants on their feeder, I havent had that problem and it is just stuck in the flowerbed so I can watch them from the computer! When do they leave for the winter?

Love your pic!

Feather3

Dorthy:

The ones with the white bands on their necks are females or this years male chicks. Only the adult males have the red throat.

I don't think it's late for migration. They start arriving here in PA in early April & leave in September-October. Most birds migrate back to their breding area fast. They fly hundreds of miles a day to get there. The older birds migrate north first. Males arrive first followed by the older females & then the previous years chicks both male & female. However they take much longer to migrate back to their winter ground. This is due to the food, light, etc. They know when to leave so food will be available, however this can be changed due to major storms, drought, etc. What's amazing is this years chicks don't need a parent to guide them south. Their genes/instincts tell them where to go.

dsb38327

Hi sewjean. Thank you.
Yes, they leave us for the winter. It should be soon.
Feather3, I have super really enjoyed your information. Keep it coming. All I know is how to feed them and take care of them while they are here. They have built in radar for their feeding stations. They come in fast, furious and hungry.

dsb38327

Good morning, I graduated to the large feeders. These birds are drinking heavy. They were emptying the small feeders in 3 or 4 hours.
I am not seeing many, if any, males.
It is such a beautiful time of the year. Just makes me want to relax, take a novel out on the deck and read to my hearts content. Sounds, good but our grandson (2 1/2) is spending the weekend with us. He likes to help me with the feeders. We filled them when we got home yesterday. He had lunch and took his nap. Time to go to the park. I told him we had to fill the feeders before we could go to the park and he said "We already filled them"!