Yes, it is good to have this sort of interest, but perhaps a little less squabbling would have been good--I say, a bit sheepishly. The only other Trey I ever heard of was also a guy, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The question remains, is BN a guy? I don't know of any non-female Kristins, and I am, indeed a gal. Isn't it nice we got all of that straightened out? I had a feeling there was more to your garden than you originally described, and from the beginning I suspected that's why you were so puzzled by the birds' behavior. At an earlier stage in the discussion I was frustrated that appropriate conversations were being missed in favor of the Trey's garden doesn't have much to offer hypothesis. I, too, am glad to see the discussion turn to analysis of behavior. A number of good thoughts have been expressed already. I figured your "other hummer plants" referred to significant additional plants, but even I was surprised by how much your garden has to offer. It also sounds like there are similarities between our gardens and where they are situated. The garden I speak of is actually at my mother's house in suburban Pittsburgh. Like yours, it's an old suburb, with lots of woods and streams nearby. Also, except for the trumpet vine, lilies, and daylilies, all of the hummer plantings are new this year--Agastache, Monarda, Aquilegia canadensis, Lobelia cardinalis, Salvia coccinea, Petunias, Verbenas (both annual and perennial), snapdragons, impatiens, and cardinal climber in a pot. Of these, only the Aquilegia, Salvia, petunias, verbenas, and Agastache are currently blooming. I wonder if Jenny's suggestion about patience may be in order for us. Perhaps simple habit is the key here, and it will take time for the hummers to get used to the fact that there are good, natural food sources in our gardens. Still, I think I may be onto something when I say that feeders are easy. Once the hummers have figured them out, they are like fast food. I hate to use that analogy, but I think it's apt. Feeders allow them to come in, feed, and get out quickly, with very little expenditure of energy. Feeders don't, however, provide the traces of extra nutrition that may be present in flower nectar. That is why it disturbed and surprised me last year when the hummers so readily switched from the trumpet vines to my feeders. It was nice having them at the feeders because it made them easier to see, but I couldn't help but worry if I were doing them a disservice, like opening a McDonald's. To combat this, I resolved to plant more flowers this year, and have done so. So far, I'm seeing the same thing as you--feeder preference over flowers. Interesting that when I took both feeders in for cleaning, and had them inside for an hour, I first saw the female at the columbine. Let me know if you decide to experiment with bringing your feeders inside. Are your feeders situated in your garden in plain view of the flowers? I couldn't quite figure that out from your description of you and your neighbors' yards. There also seems to be some difference in opinion about what we can expect from young birds and their behavior. On the one hand, with no feeder experience, you'd think they would be more likely to use natural sources. My experience, though, was that they, too, immediately abandoned the trumpet vine for feeders. I posted the picture of my feeder, because I wonder if the design is easier for them to acclimate to than some of the other types. I modelled one of them after a cardinal climber flower, and the other after a Salvia. Perhaps they're similar enough to flowers that it's simple for even young birds to catch on. Who knows. Maybe I'm a "victim" of my own feeder making skills. That said, it's awfully hard to arrive at conclusions about why these little birds do what they do. We could run years of carefully controlled scientific studies and we'd no doubt learn something, but still wouldn't be able to explain some of their behavior with certainty. I believe they are also capable of quirky, individual behaviors that are hard to analyze.

The replacement bird feeder actually isn't new. I bought it and used it last year, but had it in a different location. I didn't get it out this year until last week when the old feeder on my kitchen window was leaking due to a crack in the bottom. But I've always had a feeder on my kitchen window...are those little birds that smart to notice that it is a different feeder than the one I had up earlier last week? The old one was solid red, about 10" tall, with 4 yellow "flowers" to feed from. The current one is a clear globe (kind of shaped like a hot-air balloon). Only the bottom is red, but it still has the 4 yellow flowers to feed from.

Cleaning your hummingbird feeder daily is best for the hummingbirds. Every morning we fill our feeders about 1/2 full using 1/2 as much sugar. This way the hummingbirds have plenty of food all day, we don't waste sugar and the feeders get cleaned every day. When we first started we only filled the feeders 1/3 because there were so few birds. But now there are lots of birds who need more food and we have 3 feeder locations where we keep feeders filled fresh daily. There seem to be about 3 or 4 distinct breeding families right here where we are. We will try to post a good photo of a spectacular hummingbird with an irridescent orange beak and irridescent feathers. We have a family of them here but they come and go on their own schedule. We have never heard of them or read of them existing anywhere else. Anyway the bottom line on the hummingbird feeders has to be: "Would you prefer to drink fresh or old sugar water?" Hummingbirds must feel the same way no doubt, yes? Anyway, let's all clean our hummingbird feeders every day.

The best source of bluebirding information on line, in my opinion, is www.sialis.org . It can answer almost any question you can think of, and a few you don't even know you have! Also, check to see if your state has a bluebird society. If you plan to put up nestboxes, check to be sure you are locating them in proper bluebird habitat (it sounds like you have plenty of that!) and that you are installing them correctly so that the birds you attact are as safe as possible. You also want to be sure that you are using a NABS (North American Bluebird Society) approved nestbox. As for feeding, many people offer mealworms and there are several different types of mealworm feeders available. Sialis has information on various feeders on their site, as well. Good luck with your endeavor and please feel free to ask questions here--there are many experienced bluebird landlords that are happy to help. Kathy Here is a link that might be useful: Bluebird Resource