Regarding the hummers this year:
If I did not have a microphone near my feeder, I would not think the these
birds were here. But because I do have a microphone and I am home most
days all day, I do know that until today, I've only had one visit per day by a
male hummer since I first saw a male in April.
My observations over the past 24 years at this location have been that when
the Tulip Poplars are in bloom in the area, that's where the hummers spend
most of their time feeding. The poplars have had an unusually long period
of bloom this year--the very first trees to bloom started in early April
(!) and the last trees to bloom are just now finishing up (hence in my area
the reason that I'm only now seeing a male and female coming to the feeder
regularly).
Note: Tulip Poplar blooms are not particularly noticeable from down below
without binoculars.
A Thought: Putting out numerous feeders works well in dry places like
Arizona where plants are less numerous than in the East and many birds will be
drawn by necessity to feeders.
My observations suggest that for people in the East, however, those who
grow the fewest flowers usable by hummers tend to see the most birds at their
sugar-water feeders because the birds have fewer choices for obtaining the
carbohydrates they need. I would say that it's really the number of
flowers that you have rather than the number of feeders that determines how
many
hummers you will actually get to see at your feeder.
The reason is that people who provide for hummers by growing numerous
plants create an environment in which hummers are less dependent upon feeders.
If the birds don't need to visit a feeder very much, people are less
likely to see many of them at one time around the feeder although there could
be
quite a few different individuals. The only sure way to tell is to
observe the feeder from outside the house.
This said, however, it is best to grow lots of plants for these birds as
they also need to feed upon the insects and spiders found on plants (which
is why pesticides shouldn't be used).
Sincerely,
Marlene
Marlene A. Condon (Author, The Nature-friendly Garden, Stackpole Books)
Nature Writer/Photographer/Speaker
Crozet, VA 22932-2204
E-mail: MARLENECONDON@xxxxxxx
_www.MARLENECONDON.com_ (http://www.marlenecondon.com/)
In a message dated 5/17/2010 10:13:09 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
philkenny@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
It seems like every year someone wonders where are the hummingbirds are.
In the spring there is plenty of food for them, so they don’t need to come
to the feeders, and they are all nesting and defending territories. The
numbers will build thru out the summer as the babies fledge and migration
begins.
Males are very territorial and don’t like to share their feeders. I have
read that putting out a large number of feeders make them give up trying to
defend their territory and allows more hummingbirds to feed. One feeder is
about all it can handle though.
Karen, you may want to change the feeder twice a week, especially once it
gets hot. Also, you can get an “ant moat” to keep the ants out of the
feeder. It is a plastic dish like container that you hang the feeder from. It
has water in it and quite effective keeping the ants out. Also, the
Chickadees and Gold Finch like to drink out of it.
The last couple of days I have heard a number of Swainson’s Thrush
singing, in additional to a Wood Thrush and a Veery. The Bluebirds have
fledged
their first broods of the summer, and Song Sparrow was feeding a baby Song
Sparrow yesterday. Which was a nice change from them continually feeding baby
cow birds.
Phil
Phil Kenny
1731 Killarney Court
Vienna VA 22182-2133
703-255-5423 home
571-226-6690 cell
_philkenny@verizon.net_ (mailto:philkenny@xxxxxxxxxxx)
From: Craig Zalk [mailto:craig.zalk@xxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 9:37 AM
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Va-bird] Hummingbirds? (Karen)
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)
_______________________________________________
va-bird mailing list
http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird
Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of
Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO.
http://www.virginiabirds.net/
