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

[Oaktree]

I haven't seen a mosquito at my house yet this year.

You can have some of mine!

We have quite an assortment of birds here, but still plenty of mosquitoes too. When we first moved here, there were a lot of bats that kept them mostly under control, but their population has crashed over the last 10-12 years.
I was not aware that hummingbirds ate insects.

 

[ArlyA]

Hummers, at the least the rubies are indeed omnivores. We've seen one cashing down a little moth, seems I read they favor spiders s well. Rubies show up here in the spring long before any flowers are producing pollen. I'd guess insect consumption was more important than nectar is.

 

[oosik]

I now have ten or more at my little two cup capacity feeder. At least four are this years babies. I'm filling this feeder 2X daily now. The babies are fun to watch. They have not yet learned the "rules" of the feeder. They will fly down and just "crash" into an adult. They are small, round and somewhat fuzzy.

 

[goeduck]

Hummingbird beaks close up. Courtesy news.sky.com

Nevermind the nectar: Hummingbird beaks evolving for fighting, rather than feeding | Science & Tech News | Sky News

 

[dragoneggs]

Hummingbird beaks close up. Courtesy news.sky.com

Nevermind the nectar: Hummingbird beaks evolving for fighting, rather than feeding | Science & Tech News | Sky News

View attachment 663742 View attachment 663743

Very cool... I had no idea.

 

[goeduck]

I was outside today and happened to notice a hummingbird hunting insects. It was quite an aerial display. The hummer was elevating up to near the top of my doug firs (over 100 feet) and then dive bombing down to catch insects near the lawn. Less mosquitos this year around my house even though we had a wet spring. Later I saw one chasing a small junco bird up into the trees. Very aggressive little buggers, these hummers.

 

[dragoneggs]

I swear that some of them know me. They come up to within two feet of my face and are either thanking me or having fun terrorizing me. I'm hoping they know the hand that is feeding them.

 

[Doofy]

We just have one Rufous maybe two show up just today. We hurriedly brewed up a batch of sugar water and they are still hanging around. We see Hummingbirds about as often as we see small brown bats, probably 3 times in 57 years. We Love watching these little critters.

 

[oosik]

Well - I have around 10 to 12 hummers now. That number includes the young. I don't think they have any intention of leaving. As long as I continue to feed them.

 

[deserteagle71]

I had only a few until 2 days ago, and they weren't fighting over the one feeder I had up. Two days ago that changed - no idea how many but there's a whole swarm out there. They kept chasing each other away from the feeder so I put up a couple more feeders on the other sides of the house...now they're fighting over all three!

 

[BoylermanCT]

I'm refilling my 8 feeders every other day. Never gone through food that fast. Been a great year for hummers.

 

[kenmbz]

I have three and found one of their weird nests hanging off a branch. Maybe will have more soon. Weekly refill to feeders now

 

[sixdogs]

Here's a pic of a baby hummingbird that just showed up for the first time today. He's been here several times already. Look at the short beak and tiny bird.

I think hummingbirds have a few hatches a year and the first hatch birds seemed to be here in late May-early June. I really don't know but this bird is so small it couldn't be a June bird and would have to be a later hatch. I read that it's three weeks from the time they hatch to when they are feather out and leave the nest. It takes 11 to 22 days to hatch.

The wife's running her tail off filling feeders. She doesn't fill them full because she wants the food to be fresh. As mentioned before, we had only a few birds a year for several years and suddenly last year it went crazy with hundreds of visits. This year it's many multiples of that.

 

[goeduck]

I'm refilling my 8 feeders every other day. Never gone through food that fast. Been a great year for hummers.

Holy cow!

 

[sixdogs]

Any chance hummingbirds will become dependent on our feeders and not know how to forage when the time comes?

 

[ArlyA]

Any chance hummingbirds will become dependent on our feeders and not know how to forage when the time comes?

Rubies are omnivores. I read someplace that the females won't even go to feeders when they have a brood. To much competition for a busy mom. So no, I'd guess they still know how to feed.

 

[goeduck]

My migratory birds seem to use the feeder to fatten up. My resident birds seem to use the feeders to winter over. Besides that, for snack time.

 

[oosik]

No - I have my standard number this year - 8 to 10. However, I have two pairs that refuse to leave. I faithfully refill the feeder every third day. I hope they haven't become dependent on the feeder.

 

[CADplans]

No - I have my standard number this year - 8 to 10. However, I have two pairs that refuse to leave. I faithfully refill the feeder every third day. I hope they haven't become dependent on the feeder.

How many ounces does it take to fill your feeder? If you fill 20 ounces of water a day, you actually have 40 birds,,
They only consume 1/2 ounce per bird per day,, I am filling over 40 ounces of mix per day,,,

 

[dragoneggs]

How many ounces does it take to fill your feeder? If you fill 20 ounces of water a day, you actually have 40 birds,,
They only consume 1/2 ounce per bird per day,, I am filling over 40 ounces of mix per day,,,

Wow! I am currently running about 24oz every three or four days. But I am competing with two neighbors! :thumbdown: