Karen writes: "I've had a feeder out for 5-6 weeks. I change the food
every week but still, nothing (except ants!). I have never waited more than
24 hrs
for sunbirds or hummingbirds to appear. Is it still to early in the
season? Any comments?"
*Response*: Not too early in the season, but for what it is worth, I had
two hummers for a few days and then they disappeared. Yesterday, I saw one
hummer in my back yard (where I have one feeder) and zero in the front yard
(where I have 7 feeders). I sat out front yesterday reading the paper, but
no luck at all. Nothing! The hummers could be in the Poplar trees around
me, but I did not see any Poplar flowers blooming. They could also be
sitting on nests, but they still need to feed when they are doing so.
Long story short, I do not know where the hummers are. Anyone have any
suggestions as to where the hummers are this year?
Footnote: The reason I put out so many feeders is that while at a
hummingbird banders' conference, it was suggested to me that if I put out a
lot of feeders and kept them close together, I was much more likely to
attract a lot more hummers (if you build it, they will come). This, I was
told, is how the hummingbird "mega-sites" have all gotten started. I
followed the advice, but it has not worked, at least not this year.
If anyone has any insights, please share them. Thank you.
Craig Zalk (Reston VA, Fairfax County)
