a very interesting way to attract hummingbirds...

Windii

19 years ago

Found on CNN...

Here is a link that might be useful:

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Comments (34)

Birdlegs
19 years ago
That's too funny! I think I might try that.
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Ellery9
19 years ago
What's with the raccoon in the background? What a hoot!
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Ideally, I'd like to view them closer to the house. The back of the house faces west. The only area for placement to avoid direct sun is under the garage overhang (a view from across the small yard)... Another option is outside a full glass storm door underneath the airing porch. There is a lilac shrub planted next to the door/porch - the feeder will still get hit with some sun in the afternoon, maybe dappled shade around the shrub, but with this being a high traffic area...will that deter them? Other birds have been nesting under the airing porch this year. The first tenants were morning doves - very docile - the baby either fell out, they didn't like the traffic, or ??? ...I found him hiding under the shelter of my hostas for a few days with the mother closeby, and then moved to a new nest under my neighbor's overhang. Then the sparrows or wrens (?) moved in for awhile until their offspring matured. A Robin built a nest in the lilac shrub, but wasn't successful in attracting a mate. Next year I'll probably deter the nesting in this area simply because it's too messy - and the wrens squawked at us whenever we tried to enjoy our newly installed patio..LOL. I've had a wren house under my garage overhang for three years now, and nothing. I added nesting material in early spring, got all excited when I saw birds peeking in there, only to find that they were removing the nesting material and taking it over to a neighboring birdhouse! LOL Otherwise, I have a yellow canary that visits my fountain every morning...and he did a number on my coco liner in my hanging baskets this year. I'm assuming it's a canary...smaller, yellow with black markings, and the occasional visit from cardinals nesting in our neighborhood. I would imagine that any of these "tenants" would deter the hummingbirds anyway. Who essentially are their predators?
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Jessica - I am on the 18th floor of a hi-rise with a covered balcony that like yours, faces NE. In my case, since I am above the tree line, I can get about 5 - 6 hours of sun per day. I have a number of vines here but you might want to consider growing your vines against your balcony rail. I have 2 honeysuckles ('Blanche Sandman' & 'Mandarin'), morning glories, cypress vine, hyacinth bean vine, and scarlet runner bean vines. What I did with those annual vines was to plant them in a 3ft trough at my balcony rail and then let them climb on a trellis that I put in the trough that extends up about 6ft. That way, the vines can get the sun and the flowers will face out to where the hummers can enjoy them. I have really been surprised at how much the hummers like the MGs - particularly once they have closed and they can stick their beaks down in them. I have trained the MGs to go up the feeder shepherd's hook and that actually helps to shade the feeder for the hummies. My honeysuckles are back from the rail but still bloom with part sun. Honeysuckles tend to be edge of the understory (eg., woods) type plants anyway, so they can tolerate part sun conditions. Creating places for them to perch (and guard) is also good to do, and a trellis does help in that regard. The below is one of my feeders with the MGs trained over the shepherd's hook and a hummer at the feeder - with another hummer right nearby on a makeshift perch! LOL
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The favorite in our yard last year was the Scarlet Runner bean, which bloomed most of the year (the fresh beans are a bit "sticky" for my liking, but the dried beans were tasty, which is a nice bonus!). There was almost always one or two hummers out there, even while I worked in the bed (they let me know of their annoyance that I was keeping them from their plant). Since it can be trellised, this one is great for smaller spaces. They were also fond of the borage plant which bloomed profusely all season long (it was also a major favorite of bees, that thing was constantly humming, if you're looking to help some other pollinators), unfortunately that one might be a bit too gangly for you. A close third was the rat tail radish- again maybe a bit too gangly for you, but the hummers loved those and all their flowers (plus you get tons of edible pods if thats your thing, just from a single plant). We don't have a feeder, or at least don't put it out much, but the long bloom plants keep them around most of the year. They especially seem to enjoy a fine ledge to perch on, such as a clothes line or garden fencing mesh (I've seen some perch on the garden fence to have a shower from the sprinkler before), so that might help encourage them to kick around if possible.
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jjdbike
19 years ago
I'm not too far off from that. Give me a couple more years of hoping and waiting. By the way, does anyone know whare I can buy one of those hats?
JD
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mimidi
19 years ago
Windi I think I might know some people willing to try this way of attracting hummingbirds.
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GrandPapaMike
19 years ago
Frank,,,

Before you strap a set of 96 ouncers on your old PacBell helmet,,, I recommend you don a raincoat.

Gramps..
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oubliette
19 years ago
HILARIOUS!
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standard65
19 years ago
at what age exactly does one begin to enjoy the benefit of being 'eccentric,' and not just plain wierd? ;-)

this is a classic, windi, thanks. wait til penny sees it.

now, how do you make one?
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navymom2226
19 years ago
ROFL....... now that hat would send my nosey neighbor out back "right over the edge" !! I guess I'm old..so could get away with it.........ohhhhhh I can't stop laughing!!!
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kevin_john
19 years ago
Thats really funny...but I remember watching funnyest home videos and some guy had nectar in his belly...he put a little plastic red flower into it and the hummers accualy drank from it....it was awsome...
lol
kev
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frankj
19 years ago
GrandPapaMike: I think I'll just stick to hangin' 'em on the patio. (After all, I can't see anything close up 'cept through the bottom of my glasses!!!)

Getting ready to replace two 48oz feeders with 96'ers. That'll make four 96oz feeders up, but we're only putting 64 ounces in each one and so far only have to refill them every other day!

Frank
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debgrow
19 years ago
I gotta get one of those! Do you suppose he was riding a lawnmower? Too funny!
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Patrick888
19 years ago
Ok...I needed a minute or two to pick myself back up off the floor and wipe the laughter tears from my eyes. I kinda said "Oh Jeez" when I looked at that hat setup. Then when I read the mention of the raccoon I went back for another look...that's when I fell out laughing. Good thing my windows aren't open or my neighbors would think I'm nuts. Do you suppose that's a "stuffed" raccoon? The sunglasses are a nice touch..sorta like hiding in a duck blind?! The whole thing is just TOO funny.

BTW Frank...just use longer rods to hang the feeders from, then your glasses will work better. lol

Patrick
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coronabarb
19 years ago
Wow, that's one diehard hummer fan!! And the raccoon in the background...too funny. Guess he feels left out!

coronabarb
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king_cupheaphea
19 years ago
That's terribly ironic for me. Just this morning driving around in the car I was thinking of creating a living will that stated if I was ever in an accident that left me paralized or vegetative that I should be set outside once a day with my hat on. And on my hat one of my little Artline Bouquet feeders should be clipped to the bill.

I know that sounds horrible to common folk but Hummerlovers would understand.

One of the BBC radio programs has a funny bit about the host feeding Hummers from his mouth...

Mark Carwardine reporting Grab the scroll knob and drag it ahead to 25:00.

That racoon looks like paper mache to me!
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Marcia_and_Barry
19 years ago
Was this a Letterman show stunt last week? I didn't get to watch it but came across just this scene when I was channel surfing. Anyone know for sure?
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nuthatch_mo
19 years ago
Frank, where do you get 96 oz hummer feeders. I need a couple.
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sunbird312
19 years ago
Marcia - Yes, this guy was on the Letterman show last week - they had a camera crew set up in his garden - he put on the helmet, but no hummers showed up - just a cardinal sitting behing him on a fence, and that racoon. It was quite amusing, mostly because of Dave's comments! I recall seeing an article on this guy a few years ago in a Birds and Blooms magazine.
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frankj
19 years ago
nuthatch: You don't, unless you happen across some that have been sitting on a store shelf somewhere. Perky-Pet quit making them a few years ago, so the only ones available are leftovers that for some reason or another never sold.

Got a tip from a member of this forum last year about a nursery out of state that had 36 of them. I bought 10, (6 for myself and 4 for GrandPapaMike in Riverside.), and referred someone else to them a month or so ago. They bought the last one the place had, so unless you come across more or someone else does and lets everyone here know, there's not much chance of getting them.

Frank
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sparky_10
19 years ago
I watched this guy on Letterman's show! Although I missed the raccoon's appearance. If Letterman had ever quit making the man talk and laugh, he might have had a hummer or 2.
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sarahbn
19 years ago
Maybe I'll try that. Sarah
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Verna2
19 years ago
So, so funny!! What a way to start the morning...
Verna
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MissSherry
19 years ago
Hehehehehe!!
Sherry
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sarahbn
19 years ago
Tonight it will be repeated on Late Show with David Lettermen just incase anyone didn't see it first time around they can tune in tonight (like me). Sarah
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Janis_G
19 years ago
Sarah, thanks for the heads up, I will watch Letterman
tonight just to see the hummer hat and inventor.

Jan
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sarahbn
19 years ago
It should be interesting I feel like I have something like it since everytime I'm out weeding near the beebalm I hear them buzzing by me just can't see them oh well at least I know they're nearby. Sarah
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navymom2226
19 years ago
lol Sarah - first time I went to sons in Tucson,,I kept swatting at the "dang" bumblebees....when he finially noticed my nose stuck in the flower bed,,he told me to stay put..and "look but don't scream"....... it was hummingbirds.....and their little babies!!For once I did as I was told/ and just sat there mesmorized as they just flew about........what a thrill,, and that is how I got hooked on these little critters LOL
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standard65
19 years ago
thank you, sarah, for the heads up. this was easily one of the 'top ten' funniest things I have ever seen. the man's name is dave leslie, and he was at the wood lake nature center in richfield, minnesota. letterman worked him hard, asking him how many hummer eggs it takes to make an omelette. leslie zapped letterman right back, asking if the host knew why hummingbirds hum. letterman walked right into it, and they and the audience got so tickled that when leslie laughed, the feeders would bounce up and down dripping nectar everywhere. this would make letterman and the audience laugh more, which would make leslie laugh more, which would make the feeders bounce and drip nectar more... I was about crying I thought it was so hilarious.
the raccoon was real. it just walked by while they were shooting. there was a seed feeder on a pole nearby, off-camera in most shots, and the raccoon was scoping out the fallen seed, I think.
although he didn't get any hummingbirds during the show, if I understood him correctly, he said that he did indeed get hummers to visit his feeder helmet.
thanks again.
oh! almost forgot: "because they don't know the words to the song!"
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sarahbn
19 years ago
Navymom it's so frustating! I always here them buzzing when I'm weeding Or if more that one I hear them buzzing and their high pitched voice. Even if I stay still nine out of ten times I never see them they are so well camoflaged in the flowers. (maybe I need new glasses)!

Standard that was so funny last night! But I fell asleep before the end so hummers never did show up? Sarah
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eddie10
19 years ago
OK----let's be honest, if we thought that would attract more hummers to our yards, most of us(including myself)would be willing to try it. -----ED
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navymom2226
19 years ago
Ed - NOT me....... my kids called me this a.m. (after watching the "hat" episode ) and all I heard was "DON'T EVEN THINK of it , Ma!!!!!!!! ) Whooooooooo me? LOL (Let's just say.......I can't wait for the next FAMILY cookout) :o)
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roberta_nc
19 years ago
Thanks for letting us know, Sarah. I caught it last night. Very funny when Letterman kept making him laugh and the feeders were bouncing up and down dripping nectar everywhere.
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Janis_G
19 years ago
Neil and I watched it. Neil says he's going to make one.
Lord luv a duck, stay tuned, he'll probably end up on Oprah.

Jan
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navymom2226
19 years ago
Jan........ We'll be watching for Neil -- ROFL
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eddie10
19 years ago
I wonder if there is one up for auction on Ebay????-----ED
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a very interesting way to attract hummingbirds...

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