jolo

ddnt have as many today as yesterday. It is very cloudy here today.

dsb38327

There are at least 37 birds in this picture. That was only the ones I could catch at the feeder. There are at least 3 times that many in the yard. It is raining hard and my feeders will have to be filled within a 1/2 hour. Out with the raincoat!

Feather3

Dorothy:

I'm wondering if the "cricket" sound you're hearing is their normal chirping sound? We've had a few who get a bit chatty. The sound they make sounds sort of like crickets. They aren't very loud, so you ned to be close to hear them. We have one that sits on the feeder & with each dip of it's beak makes that sound. Others will chat as they hover or get close to your face. I'm jealous you have so many at one time. Here we normally see a max of 3 to 4 at a time.

As far as body sizes, colors, etc....yes we notice that too. Many are slender, others seem chubby. Some have shorter bills, others very long. Only the males have the Ruby throat feathers, We had a young male that had 1(one) ruby feather. He apparently wasn't old enough to have gotten all his adult plumage in yet. Some are more brilliant hues of green than others. Older females seem darker in color.

Have you ever seen any injured due to fighting?

We had a female 2 years ago that took a beak to her chest during a fight with another female. She had blood running down her chest. I stayed out to dark watching for her to come back. She finally did & was back again the next morning. Long story short she was very chatty, very friendly & our our last hummer to leave that year. She'd sit on a nearby hanging plant & chatter to us all the time.

We had another female that had some sort of growth hanging from her abdomen. It look like a dried up squiggly worm about 1.5-2 inches long. She came & went all summer & what ever it was never fell off.

Love your pics. Thanks for posting them.

NikkiLu

Well, I went out tonight when they were in their nightly bedtime feeding frenzy and took some pictures, but I absolutely cannot figure out how to post the pictures on here. I have put pictures on here before. Anyway, when our 4 feeders, I got about 20 birds bickering about. I went back out a few minutes later when they were all gone and really could not hear anything except the usual crickets, tree frogs and the noisy Interstate (I-44). DH went out today to put up the newly filled feeders and was fixing the bar they are hooked on and when he was putting the feeder back on - one brave bird was drinking as he was hanging up the feeder!

Blue Bell

Dorothy, I am so happy that you started this post. I love reading about and seeing all the hummers.
I still have my birds but it didn't seem to be as many at my 2 feeders today. It will be so sad when they are gone. They arrived in RI about the middle of April which was early my friend said.
And yes, I heard them singing this summer. They make such a soft sound.

dsb38327

2 years in a row I had a 'Grandpa'. He was so fat, short, and old. He moved slow and no one bothered him. He didn't fly a lot. He sat on the feeder and feeder pole. I didn't see him this year. I think the cricket sound was them going into their trance on their roost. I enjoy their noise. When my grandson (2 1/2) goes home after a few days visit the house is so quiet and still. I feel at a loss for what to do. I have a similar feeling when the birds are gone.

plainpat

Our 2 feeders only have one hummer at a time....as the feeding bird will chase the other away. They are like dive bombers.....don't allow another hummer to touch the feeders.Thanks for sharing your pics.

Everyone is welcome to add your hummingbird photos to this post if you would like. I will enjoy seeing them.[/quote]

dsb38327

August 30, 2010
Last feed of the day before going to roost. For each bird you see there is 3 or 4 you don't see. The air is full of them.

Melody

:shock: wow! I have never seen sooo many hummingbirds in one place at one time! You have surely been blessed. And I thought they were so territorial that they wouldn't like to share with so many others, but evidently not.

Thank you for sharing your pictures.

Melody

Andii

I love them!
Have you ever made a quilt with hummingbirds in it, Dorothy? The colors would be gorgeous. I bet there are some pretty paper pieced beauties out there...has anyone made one that has pictures to share?