Anyone else have an unusually large number of hummingbirds this year?

[goeduck]

^^^ stop taking showers and they will buzz a path to your feeders. After all, we are in quarantine. :confused3:

I think I will never live the shower comment down. :shocked:

 

[NoTrespassing]

The hummers are back and this year we have a special treat. 3 pair of Baltimore Orioles have stopped in and have stayed for almost a week now. We have a sugar feeder up for them, similar to a hummingbird feeder with a place to perch. We are also feeding the Orioles homemade blackberry jelly and they just LOVE it. We have more birds this year than I can remember over the last 20.

3 pair of Orioles
2 Red Breasted Gross Beak
1 Indigo Bunting
4 pair of Gold Finches
House Finches
Redwing Black Birds
2 pair of Blue Birds
Cardinals
and many more

We only feed black sunflower, thistle, jelly, sugar water, and oranges

That seems to keep the sparrow population in check and they don't even bother the feeders.

Kevin

 

[sixdogs]

In addition to a few early hummingbirds, we have two or three cardinals hanging around. We mighty recognize one of them from last year. They sure brighten up spring--assuming it ever gets here.

 

[goeduck]

Fascinating! Pictures of you Oriole feeders? I googled it and saw a range of feeders.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Oriole feeder - Bing
This the feeder we have. We just made jelly feeders out of plastic food containers.

 

[lman]

We use an oriole feeder, but sometimes they think they are hummingbirds.

 

[psvfd]

We use an oriole feeder, but sometimes they think they are hummingbirds.View attachment 654584View attachment 654583

That is the feeder we have for the two hummers we see. 6 to 10 cardinals, several blue jays, a dozen doves, two wild tom turkeys and saw one indigo bunting.

 

[goeduck]

Nice to see wildlife. My birds are more saltwater oriented. Osprey, terns, eagles, herons, cormorants, kingfishers, ducks of all shapes and sizes, migrating geese....

My favorites are the ones that dive staight into the water to get their prey... osprey (feet first), terns and kingfishers (beak first).

 

[lman]

Nice to see wildlife. My birds are more saltwater oriented. Osprey, terns, eagles, herons, cormorants, kingfishers, ducks of all shapes and sizes, migrating geese....

My favorites are the ones that dive staight into the water to get their prey... osprey (feet first), terns and kingfishers (beak first).

How about some pictures of them at your bird feeder? lol

 

[goeduck]

How about some pictures of them at your bird feeder? lol

I will try. The bald eagles do drop fish carcasses on my roof from time to time. Maybe I can put a feeder up there and attract them with some honey. :confused3:

 

[NoTrespassing]

Update, I think we have seven pair of Orioles and 5 pair of Rose Breasted Gross beak now. I don't know what will happen if they all stay. I don't think I can afford to feed everyone LOL

 

[goeduck]

Update, I think we have seven pair of Orioles and 5 pair of Rose Breasted Gross beak now. I don't know what will happen if they all stay. I don't think I can afford to feed everyone LOL

I wish I had that problem. It would be cool to see. :thumbsup:

 

[dragoneggs]

I will try. The bald eagles do drop fish carcasses on my roof from time to time. Maybe I can put a feeder up there and attract them with some honey. :confused3:

Ha ha... the eagles are definitely coming around now in 'droves'. Is that the right descriptor? Lots of bird's nests around under our deck (on the beams supporting the joists) and in the nearby trees. They all love our water fountain including the hummers. Spring is here!

 

[rekees4300]

We had 2 Hummers last week. Temperature dropped into the 20's Saturday and now the Hummers have vanished. Anyone know what might have happened to them? Hope the little darlings didn't freeze to death!

 

[ArlyA]

Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they are not there. Below freezing temps does not kill these little guys. Unless you set a camera up, there are many more birds at your feeder than you and I will ever see. We get below freezing many nights here on the south shore of Lake Superior, yet they've already migrated past here, crossed the big lake and into Canada.

 

[oosik]

Saw the first hummingbird yesterday( 5-11-2020 ). He tapped on the kitchen window. Attract my attention - let me know its time to put out the feeder. I got busy and forgot. So today - fresh, cleaned feeder - brand new sugar water. He was on the feeder within 15 seconds.

He must be the scout. I usually get eight or ten.

 

[goeduck]

I do not know if all Hummingbird types can go into torpor during cold weather, but our native ones that live here year around do... see link

Hummingbirds and Torpor - Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

 

[dragoneggs]

I do not know if all Hummingbird types can go into torpor during cold weather, but our native ones that live here year around do... see link

Hummingbirds and Torpor - Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Good article... thanks for posting. I seem to be experiencing a lull after a lot of activity a couple weeks ago.

 

[rekees4300]

I do not know if all Hummingbird types can go into torpor during cold weather, but our native ones that live here year around do... see link

Hummingbirds and Torpor - Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Thanks for posting. Learned something new today, never heard the word "Torpor" before. The Hummers that vanished Saturday returned today so they survived the 20's. :thumbsup:

 

[sixdogs]

We had a batch of hummingbirds show up this spring and a number of them went looking for food to a spot where a feeder used to be last fall but was not yet up. It was in an out of the way place and a feeder that stuck to the kitchen widow. Hardly an easy to find location so we consider it proof that the hummingbirds looking for that feeder were the same ones from last fall that fed at it. It must be true that they return to the same feeding places each year.