Hummingbirds

14 years ago

A heads up to those of you who are gardening for hummingbirds.

Since last Thursday, my yard has been visited by two first year male Rufous type Hummingbirds. The first one, seen on Thursday and Friday, still had a mostly green back and could be an Allen's. Hopefully he'll stay around so I can find out. The second one, first seen on Friday and is still being seen, has a considerable amount of rufous coloration on his back so I can confidently call him a Rufous Hummingbird.

Saturday morning, I observed an anole drinking from one of my feeders. I grabbed my camera an snapped off a few photos. When I previewed the photos, I was surprised by what I missed while I was looking at the camera. The following photos are 4 of the six that I took.

Steve

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (17)

ginibee
14 years ago
OMG!! What a sight!! I'm going to have to get a feeder. I have many plants and see quite a few hummers, but never close enough for a picture. Great pictures.

Ginny
mboston_gw
14 years ago
So is that one of your Rufous hummers or a Ruby throated?
Related Discussions
HAVE: Flowers for Hummingbirds ~ Hummingbird Seed Mix
Q
Comments (23)
I am receiving lots of "cannot send to this email address" so please make sure you either forward an address where you can be reached or update your settings in GW. Unfortunately, I don't have time to track individuals down to make sure you are receiving the messages I'm sending. :) Julie, there seems to be a problem with GW and email addresses when you get the folloow-up replies emailed to you. When you hit 'reply' it should show the GW email addy, but often it is also showing the member name behind the address, and then that causes the email to show as 'rejected'. I know you will get this reply, so if you try and then 'reply' to that email, please note what is in the TO line before hitting send. If you then delete off 'the extra' stuff behind the email addy, it should send just fine. Clear as mud? I'm just being a busy body here and not wanting to take you up on your kind offer. I've reported the situation to GW via the Contact GW link. chemocurl...aka Sue
...See More
Why would a hummingbird abandon her nest?
Q
Comments (46)
I have a hummingbird nest precariosly balanced but sticking way out of an established ficus pemalia plant that has engulfed my column by my main entrance. I have several feeders and the hummers are always feeding. Recently I watched one buzz me and continuously return to her nest right there. We had a freak cold storm out of Alaska coming with freezing rain and strong winds. I know the nest is too exposed to survive it. I wanted to help protect it a little and I was able to install and umbrella in such a way as to protect the nest without ever having to touch it. Momma hummer was doing her due diligence to ward me off but I was done very quickly and still saw her. She did go back to the nest but when I checked on it later she wasnt there. I was very relieved to be buzzed by her the next morning but I havent seen her sit on the nest and now I havent seen her the rest of the day or evening. I am devestated that in trying to subtly protect the nest that i caused her to abandon it. Especially since she has dealt with my constant in and out of the front door the last two weeks. Will she be back? Did I cause her to leave? Input is greatly appreciated.
...See More
Hummingbird pic/id - my first hummingbird. :)
Q
Comments (1)
Female rubythroat. It would be very rare to have any other kind of hummer in the Mid-Atlantic, although they do show up in very low numbers with some regularity. Female rubythroats lack the male's bright red throat.
...See More
Praying Mantis in PA Garden -worried about Hummingbirds-need ID please
Q
Comments (7)
Your concern for your hummingbirds is understandable! Based on your description, it sounds like you're dealing with a native species of praying mantis in Pennsylvania. The absence of wings in your photo indicates that it's likely a young mantis, as you mentioned. To be certain about the species and potential threat to your hummingbirds, you might want to reach out to local entomologists or wildlife experts. They can provide accurate identification and advice on how to manage the situation without harming the mantis, which is beneficial for natural pest control.
...See More
rowdy13
Original Author
14 years ago
That's a young male Ruby-throat. I watched an adult male Ruby-throat confront him yesterday. I found the anole feeding from the feeder twice today so he appears to be a regular at the feeder. The Rufous haven't been regular enough yet to find them when I've got my camera.

Steve
thonotorose
14 years ago
Wow! Traffic jam!
SaintPFLA
14 years ago
Wow - that is freakin' awesome!!!!! You should send that into somewhere to publish - very cool!

Man - I wish I had those green anoles in my yard. They are so beautiful and tropical looking. I just have the regular brown cuban anoles.

I guess I will put out my feeder since you are seeing humming birds!
annafl
14 years ago
Steve!!! Amazing photos!!! I had no idea anoles would go for sweet water. That is definitely one worth publishing. What a great surprise to unexpectedly see the hummer there too. Wow, I can't stop looking at them. Thanks for showing us, and keep posting hummer pics for us. They are fascinating. I don't know if I've ever seen the rufous. Mine were just in my yard for 3 weeks this last month, and now they are gone again.

Anna
an_ill-mannered_ache
14 years ago
i agree with anna... you should find a venue for those pics--in the very least put them up on flickr. what equipment are you using?
solstice98
14 years ago
Amazing! Thanks for posting these!

I agree that you should share them with a wider audience. Have you at least put them up on the Hummingbird forum?

Kate
olyagrove
14 years ago
Awesome pictures! What amazing timing on your part!
manature
14 years ago
Absolutely LOVE the photos, Steve!! I have to say, even though it's cool to see the hummer in them, the last one is my favorite. What a pose! And I just love our little Carolina anoles. I have 3 or 4 that have become regulars in my yard in the last 2 years, thanks to my constant war against the Cuban treefrogs. They have made a "shakey" peace with the Cuban anoles, and stay out of each other's way, mostly. The treefrogs do more damage to them at this point than the competing anoles, but regardless, I love your pictures.

I need to refill my feeders TODAY. They have been getting emptied, even though I haven't seen a hummer in a couple of weeks, and now I know it MIGHT be the anoles, too. Never even considered that before. I always blamed it on wasps, who do drink there from time to time.

Thanks so much for sharing those great photos!

Marcia
babalu_aye
14 years ago
Very cool pics. I wonder if the anole was drinking, or hunting for ants.

John
rowdy13
Original Author
14 years ago
The anole is drinking the sugar water. Ive seen him there every day now. He'll spend quite a while licking the port.

I took the pictures with a 5.0 mega pixel Lumix with a 12x optical zoom. I was 6 feet away standing in my living room taking the pictures through a dirty window.

The Rufous is feeling at home in the yard and appears to be ready to stay the winter. I was able to get a couple of shots this evening.

Steve
manature
14 years ago
Oh my, Steve! He's just gorgeous!!! I would love to add that little guy to my Life List, for sure. What great photos!! And lucky you. I'm going to watch any hummers I see VERY closely in the future.

Thanks again for sharing.

Marcia
fighting8r
14 years ago
WOW that is soo cool. Thanks for sharing!
annafl
14 years ago
Wow, thank-you for letting us appreciate these beauties up close. I learn something new here every day. Love those photos.

Anna
tomncath
14 years ago
Phenomenal pictures!

Okay, now for the opposite view, just to be cautious. Working with infectious diseases all day long I'm well aware of the fact that snakes can easily spread salmonella in their secretions. What about anoles? I don't have the answers but I know you love your hummers...not sure it's a good idea to let them both share the same food source.

Tom
rowdy13
Original Author
14 years ago
Tom,

Pet turtles were blamed for salmonella as well. I'm assuming that the salmonella is on the body and not the saliva. In which case, the only issue would be sharing the perch. I've noticed natural perches in the yard being used by both hummer and lizards as well so I'm not sure if this will make a difference. I guess it wouldn't be too much to move the potted plant below that he's using to access the feeder.

On another note, a friend called me this morning to report that she has a Buff-bellied Hummingbird in her yard in Lutz. If she can get photos, it will be the first ever verified Buff-Bellied for Hillsborough County and is only the second county report that I'm aware of.

Hummingbirds

Comments (17)

ginibee

mboston_gw

Related Discussions

rowdy13
Original Author

thonotorose

SaintPFLA

annafl

an_ill-mannered_ache

solstice98

olyagrove

manature

babalu_aye

rowdy13
Original Author

manature

fighting8r

annafl

tomncath

rowdy13
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Hummingbirds

Comments (17)

Related Discussions

rowdy13Original Author

rowdy13Original Author

rowdy13Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

rowdy13
Original Author

rowdy13
Original Author

rowdy13
Original Author