I though I was down to the resident pair but today I witnessed them chasing another one right into the window in front of my face. It did hit the window but flew into the maple safely, sat there for quite some time before it flew off. I hope it will return for some fuel before it continues it's journey. I fill my feders daily and by the afternoon they are empty, this is how much those darn Yellow Jackets are drinking.

Hello everyone,It seems we all have the same thing in common......our Hummers migrating! I don't know if there is a Migration map for when our Hummers start their journey but it seems we have one right here in these posts!At least,I am getting an idea of where the Hummers are and when they went on their trip. I have my 3 still flying around chasing each other.They don't seem afraid when we are in the garden talking with our neighbors,they just fly in between us all! Amazingly,they never fly into us but give us quite a surprise. I am really enjoying hearing from all of you devoted Hummer Lovers.This has been a really nice experience for me,Thank You All!!! And,keep this going until all of our little puffballs are gone.Oh, by the way,is it always the females who are last to leave? Thanks again.... :( Koke

well i still have my 3 but probably not for much longer :( it makes me so sad to see them leave. i already cant wait for next year when they return.maybe by then i can come up with someway to keep the bees away..

Kristin,
I would not recommend adding anything to the nectar mix except the sugar and the water. A hummer's digestive system is very very tiny and the least bit of a foreign substance can cause health problems or even death. It has been recommended that during migration the sugar water ratio can be altered to 1 part sugar to 3 parts water instead of the normal 1"4 ratio.

Penny

Penny, could you (or any other expert) suggest or comment on when to switch to the 1:3 ratio? One of my females, "Squirt", seems so thin and tiny (as compared to the other "brutes", and I'm wondering when I should switch.
Thanks ;)

Thanks Penny,I didn't know about switching the ratio. I just learned something new today.That's why I love this forum! I will be filling the feeders tonight and will adjust accordingly. Thanks....Koke

Penny,

I appreciate your caution, but we used to regularly feed this sort of solution to our hummingbirds at the Pittsburgh (now National) Aviary, and they seemed to thrive on it. Many of them lived quite a long time, so they don't seem to have been harmed in the least. We also were sure to keep little bowls of rotting fruit around to encourage fruit flies. It's amazing how they can snap those little flies right out of the air with their slender little bills.

I used only about 1/6 of the amount recommended for the human dosage, because I didn't want to take any chance of overdoing it. I don't think I harmed them, and they certainly seemed quite perky and happy after having fed on this solution for a few weeks. I probably wouldn't feed them this way all year round (since they obviously have sources of natural foods and do quite fine). I just thought it would be nice to give them a little extra boost before migration.

I forgot to mention one more thing about protein powder and sugar water. It's very important to be scrupulously clean with this sort of mixture. It will tend to ferment more quickly than just plain sugar water. I always scrubbed my feeder every day with a bottle brush, and boiled it in water for a half hour to kill any disease organisms.

Check out the Merck Veterinary Manual website, click on "Table: Avian diets," and you will see a hummingbird maintenance formula for captive birds that includes soy powder.

Here is a link that might be useful: Merck veterinary manual

Kristin,
In your situation working with and feeding birds in a controlled environment with trained personnel and experts then the protein powder may be fine but for the average home gardenr who tends to think if one drop of something is good then two drop would be better, I would suggest staying with the plain sugar water mix.

In the past 2-3 years I have seen some unbelievable concoctions given out to people by reportedly people who are supposed to be very knowledgable in their field. A little 'education' can be dangerous in the wrong hands or without proper training. A recent case in point is someone in Louisiana who is experimenting with nectar ratios and additives because he got hold of a nectar study report and now want to conduct his 'own experiments'.

Tracy, I start increasing the nectar around the end of August. The first couple of fillings I do 3 quarter cups of sugar and a 1/3 cup sugar to 1 qt of water then the next week I go to 3:1. I never go below the 3:1 ratio. Some people move right from 4:1 straight away but I prefer to do it gradually so that they will still use the flowers. The sweeter nectar may encourage them to use the feeders more than flowers.

Koke,
You are welcome. It isn't necessary to switch to a 3:1 ratio but it does help them fatten up and give them a little extra fat to sustain them on their long journey. It is generally the Juveniles that will leave last. The males leave first to establish their winter territory, then the adult females and lastly the juveniles will leave.

foofna
I will make a new post regarding the bee traps. There are a couple of different ways to do it and it is very simple and best of all free if you use recyclable pop bottles.

Penny

I am now down to 2:( it is getting closer and closer to when I will have none :( I may have 3 because the nectar seems to be disappearing faster than I thought it would.
Penny,did you make a post about the bee traps? I didn't even look,although I should have.This year is terrible with yellow jackets. My DH had to remove one nest from the vent on the roof,its the vent for my range hood.Bur,none the less,it was scarry seeing all those jackets in one place! We even had another tighter mesh screen over that vent but for some reason they wanted to call it home.Thanks for all your advice...........Koke

Koke,
Yes I did start a new post about the traps: Homemade Bee Traps - foofna

We also had a nest right under the eves of the back door and we couldn't even use the door for a while until we got rid of them.

Penny

Hi all.My computer at home is not working and I just wanted to pop in here and say I have two hummers,presumably migrants.They are really loading up on nectar and making quite a scene with high-speed chases.The end must be near but the season is going out with a bang! I will miss them when they leave soon.
-stephen

Penny, it certainly was not my intention to encourage people to behave irresponsibly and feed diets to hummingbirds that might be harmful to them. I am confident based on years of experience with real, live hummingbirds, that the diet I fed them was safe and helpful to them at this demanding time of the season. I did not post a recipe, and would agree that pure sugar water in either 4:1 or 3:1 water:sugar ratio is certainly safer than experimenting with unknown concoctions.

On the one hand, I'm glad you're concerned about the well being of the hummingbirds and have warned others to be careful. I share your commitment to their well being, but I must say that you've really dropped a wet blanket on an experience that I was trying to share with others. I feel chastised, and undeservedly so.

I will think twice about posting again, given that such an innocuous post was met with such skeptical criticism. Maybe I'm just having a bad day, but that's how I'm feeling.

Kristin,
Please forgive me for coming across as chastising you. Honestly that wasn't my intention at all. I was just trying to get the point across that this really isn't something for the average backyard hummer gardener. That is someething more for those who are trained to care for wild birds. I am not always able to make myself as clear as I should. I never meant to throw a wet blanket on your personal experiment. If I were more knowledgable myself and trained in the care of these little creatures, it would possibly be something I might also try. I just get overly concerned that people who are not trained and knowledgable will try things that they are not equipped to do hence my stressing of the plain sugar water recipe. I hope that you will continue to post to the forum and if I come across too abruptly just let me know.

Penny

Hi everyone.. I'm new to the forum and just love my hummers. I currently have 30+ that visit my feeders daily.ALL Day Long.. I have had that many most of the summer. I live in Middle Tenn and I live in the country a go ways from any neighboro's. I make up their juice every other day and they are currently going throught 1 gal of juice every 2 days.. I'll take a picture of them this afternoon and post a picture of them. I have been a back yard hummer gardener for 25 years. Sandy

Penny, Thanks so much for responding. I feel much better now. Sometimes it's easy to misunderstand the emphasis of what someone's saying, especially when you're just dealing with words on a page, and can't see the face of the person who's saying it.

I do want to emphasize that I think your concern about the hummers is admirable, and well-founded. Your views were worth expressing, even though I did get a little huffy about it. I can't believe that the person in Louisiana would behave with so little regard for the birds' well being, and would view them as little more than guinea pigs in an experiment.

At the risk of sounding like a "wet blanket" myself, it could be argued that we really ought not to be feeding wild birds at all. There are some people who argue this very point. When we do so, they say, we encourage unusual congregations that may encourage the transmission of disease. With this being the first season that I've artificially fed hummingbirds, I couldn't help but notice that they began to prefer my feeder to the trumpet vine that had coevolved with them! I missed seeing their little heads powdered with yellow trumpet vine pollen! I joked with my mother, and fretted a little, that my hummingbirds were now on a junk food diet. Although it is my understanding that flower nectar is almost 100% sugar water, I couldn't help but wonder if there weren't some trace substances in the trumpet vine nectar that they were missing out on. However, a person can fret only so much, and I personally think the benefits of feeding them outweigh the risks. Unless I hear definitive proof to the contrary, I will continue to view feeding wild birds, in general, as a way to pay them back for what we've done to their habitats and food supply. Also, it's just plain fun to watch them so close to the window.

Thanks again for your very gracious response!

Hi Kristin,

I am so glad to know that we have worked out our misunderstanding and that you do understand I wasn't chastising you. Yes it is difficult when we are just presenting our feelings in a written post...a lot can get lost in the rhetoric.

THere are purest birders who believe that we should just leave the birds to forage for their own food as we do with other wild animals and it is true that feeders evolved not so much to help the birds but to bring them closer for the human population to enjoy but all that said I think it also has helped in their survival and to keep some species from becoming extinct as there are a number of hummr species that are on the endangered species list. There is evidence that at one time there were hummrs in Europe but because of climate changes and plant evolution they have become extint there.

When I first started hanging feedrs, I too noticed that they seemed to prefer the feeders but as I added more and more hummr plants they began using the plantz as much as the feedrs. I also noted that they used certain plantz at certain times of the day and season which led to the assumption that they used them when the natural flwr nectar was at its peak. Also not all flowr nectar is the same strengh.So it could be that even though something has a flower that is easy for hummrs to extract its nectar it may not have as rich a nectar as the hummr needs at that time so they will use the feeders if other nectar rich plantz aren't available. Weather conditions can also affect the nectar in plantz. In a very hot year like this year when rainfall isn't adequate, the nectar production will slow down to conserve energy and insure survival of the plant.

I have had excellent luck with my native coral honeysuckle but I have had to water the daylights out of it even though it is a native vine in order to keep it producing flowers from spring right up until frost. Even my salvias had to be watered a bit more this year and they prefer it more on the dry side. I think you will find as you start adding plantz you will see an increase in flwr use. Sometimes too the older hummers find it much easier to use the feederz than to exert all their energy flying from flowr to flowr.

Penny

My juvie hummer left on Sep. 4th....gosh do I miss the little one. It seems like it was a wonderful dream. This was the first year I had a daily hummer. The first time I saw it was on July 29th. Looking forward to next season though and hoping I have a hummer before July 29 and more than one.

Pam

Hi Everyone! :)

My two little girls left about a week ago. We spotted a big female drinking from the red and white impatient bag I have hanging on my house on Saturday September 10th. I still have my feeder out and will continue to do so until October! What a die hard I am!!!! :) Today I was chatting on the phone and I saw a little girl drinking from the Weigelia tree. :) I was so happy. She darted off to the end of the driveway and went to the red petunias and white geraniums. About five minutes later she flew back to the Weigelia tree and I didn't see her the rest of the day. I had to go to work at 3:00. She never bothered to go to the feeder. I was thinking maybe she was just passing by. She wasn't butter ball looking either. How pretty she was and what a nice surprise for me to see her today!!! :) I think it's great that Penny still has them in upper State New York. That's a bit above me. :)

catnappurr
Penny doesn't have any more here either. My last two left on Monday morning right after they filled their little tanks. Now I can only hope to get a migrator through here but I usuaally don't see any migrators.

Penny

I think I still have hummers. I haven't seen any lately, but the water level in a couple of the feeders continues to drop.

Richard

Hi Everyone! :)

Just when I thought I wouldn't see another hummingbird until next May a tiny little girl flew up to my huge purple mum and put her little beak into the flower and flew away. I don't know whether she drank from it, but I have never seen one go to a mum before has anyone else??? I ran like a lunatic, grabbed my camera and she was busy visiting all my flowers. I worked really hard this year to keep my flowers looking their best. It meant constant watering and fertilizing, but it was well worth it! :) I tried to get a picture, but she was happily buzzing around from one plant to the other it was hard to get a picture of her! :( I have never seen a hummingbird in my yard this late in the season before. I really feel blessed today! :) I hope she will return!!!! :) You never know everyone maybe one will show up your yards too! :) I hope so! I hope you all have a blessed day! :)

Marcy aka Catnappurr!

Marcy
send her down my way I still have lots in bloom too. I haven't seen any hummers since Monday morning.

Penny

Its me.Koke,checking in with news...I still have my 3.I watched as one went to the Honeysuckle Vines and was getting some of the good stuff from it.I only have a few blooms right now but I guess the natural flowers beat out the sugar water.Everything is just so dry.The leaves on some of the trees are dropping..Fall is in the air for sure....my Mt.Ash is shedding its leaves.The Hummers come to it every once in awhile...I guess the bright orange berries draw them.Although ,I see my 3..it seems that I don't see them a lot.I figured they would be constantly at the feeder filling up. I saw my last hummer last year on the 26th so I am holding my breadth right now hoping to get at least to that date.....Koke

Hi all- I didn't realize this post was still here/ and made a new one asking if our little friends were still here. I've been away from the house for over 10 days now, working with the Katrina evacuees that came to RI. I leave early in the a.m. and get back about 11 at night,,, so have no idea if they are still in the area. Will try and change the feeders today and see what happens tonight (I'm OFF...so will sit by the patio and wait ) lol.........

NavyMon,Thank You so much for helping with the evacuees! You will be blessed! Today,is the first day that I haven't seen any Hummers around.It is so sad knowing that I will have to wait until next April to see them again :( I was hoping for at least another 7-10 days but this Fall is really strange...leaves are turning golden and dropping so its no wonder ,my little ones might be leaving now.I wish them a safe journey until we meet again!...........Koke

After almost two weeks without seeing our resident hummer, Ruth (as in Ruth Buzzy), I took down the feeders. Wouldn't you know it, a little while later, here she is! Well, maybe it wasn't Ruth, but it was someone looking for a snack. So I put the feeder back out, but didn't see her again. :-(

The hummers left my garden in the Washington, DC area late last week, which was very consistent with last year. I will miss them. This year the first one did not arrive until Mother's Day. I will get to go to southeast Arizona this winter and spring and may see some there.

I had two juvies show up on Saturday. One female is still here. Yesterday she learned how to use one of the feeders after several very feeble attempts. She doesn't seem to interested in moving on so I will make sure that she has plenty to eat while she is here. I still have plenty of flowers to keep her happy and lately a lot of white flies and gnats so she will have natural protein in addition to plant and artificial nectar.

Penny

Well,last night and this morning,I saw 2 Hummers using the feeders.I saw this quite by accident,haven't seen any for 2 days then as I was attempting to wash some dishes in the sink,I saw 1 ! Gosh,was I excited! Seems like those 2 days of watching and seeing zilch then to be washing dishes and just look out the window and there she was! I have 6 more days to go from last years departure .They do seem to be very consistent with their comings and goings.Does anyone else see their arrival and departure dates that consistent? Thanks to all.......Koke

I haven't seen any hummers in over a week. I guess they have already started to head home for the winter. I can't remember if it was the same last year or not, but we are still having temps near 80, so I guess I thought they would stay longer...I guess they know better...LOL.

Well,today is the 23rd and I have 2 hummers here.Don't know if they are the ones from before or if they are migrators.I am holding out until the 26th ,which was my last hummer sighting last year so I'm hoping to make it until then.And,then,what will I do?? Then, I will be hoping for the Bluebirds to come back and eat mealies.But, I am sure going to miss the little ones.It will be a long,long winter without my Hummers. :(((

Hi Everybody! :)

Penny I'm so happy you have some hummers back at your house! :) It's so exciting isn't it??? And Navy Mom God Bless you for helping all those poor people! My heart and prayers go out to everyone of them! And yes Koke you hit the nail right on the head, it's going to be a long, long, winter without our little babies! :(

Take care everyone!

Marcy :)

I thought mine were gone and I would not refill the feeder any, but there was one this evening.

Wayne,keep the feeder filled,you just never know when a hungry,late migrant might be passing thru and need some extra energy.Here in Northeast Pa.,I keep mine up and filled until the end of October,just in case.......Koke

My latest migrant that arrived last Wednesday is still here and doesn't seem too interested in leaving. She/he learned to used one of the feeders yesterday. This is a record late date for me. Mine are usually all gone buy the 3rd week in Sept.

Penny

Hi All! This is a marvelous site - I'm just posting for the first time! Its amazing all the info- I can't believe my luck...my little hummer is still here today - came at 7:11 am. then around 10:00 - 2:23 P.m., and 4:56p.m ! Has been constant the last few days and this is OCT!! Only one other year did I see one on OCT 10th the latest. Last year it she left in Sept. Today was my birthday so it was a special treat!! Can't stand to see them leave. Hope to hear from someone who still has some. My friends a few miles north said theirs have left. Thanks, Carol

Hi again! My little female is really getting fatter - coming to the feeder, then the butterfly bush every 20 mins. I am sure it will be leaving soon which makes me sad -but I won't take down my feeders till the end of Oct or maybe beg of Nov.
Koke - liked your sentiments and that you are in Penna. My husband and I met there - and I have cousins in Lewisburg... We love it. Here in CT I don't have as much luck with getting more than one hummer at a time.
Hope to hear from anyone!
crlyn aka Carol

As of today Oct. 7th. my migrant is still here. She arrived on Sept. 28th. and doesn't seem too concerned about moving on. Usually I don't have any hummers after the 3rd. week of Sept.

Penny

Penny, My hummer is still here, actually there may be more than one...@ 7:00 a.m. I saw a tiny one on my impatience then on my maroon salvia. Around 9:00 a.m. there was a lot of activity on my feeder then resting on the butterfly bush preening etc by a large fat female. They don't seem in a hurry to move on either. But with rain and cold front coming this evening - this may be the last day. Who Knows? Keep posting! CArol

Two still here as of yesterday. As much as I'd like to see them move on and hopefully migrate safely, I don't want them to go :( It's only a matter of time...

It is humid, windy and very rainy here in Southern CT but my hummer is still here - feeding every half hour! Also have a chicadee who thinks she is a hummer and tries the feeder every now and then..fun to watch. Other friends still have theirs also. Amazing how intelligent these little ones are..with some uncanny ability to know just when to leave. I have tried to get a hummer for years before they started to come about 3 years ago. This is the first year I have had any luck having one stay. Thanks for all the tips from everyone - next year I plan to have a lot more plants - and will try to winter some of my gardenmeister fushia and maroon salvia - they seem to really like these plants. I am enjoying every second watching my hummer and hope it flys safely and comes back next year. I just wonder when they will leave... Carol

Hi everyone,
This is my first post here...have learned so much the past few months in regard to "my" hummers. This is the first year we were lucky enough to have more than 2 little ones. This year we had 6 total...2 males and 4 females. Sorry to say our "regulars" left on Sept. 30. But I had a little traveler that arrived on Oct. 2nd and spent 3 days here before moving on. Haven't seen any since then...but feeders are still up, cleaned and filled as usual...and will be til' the first hard freeze. Boy, I miss them already...hopefully we'll have some more travelers.
IndianaKat

Last Hummer spotted Weds. Oct. 5th. Cold front moved in that night and has remained pretty darn cold here in West Michigan. Anybody got any N of me yet? Feeders are still up just in case.
Lisa

I believe mine have left; I haven't seen them since Thursday...

Sadly I think my hummer left this morning, Tues. Oct.11th, from Milford CT. I saw her at 7:00a.m., then the last at 7:41 a.m on my "mulberry jam" salvia which she loved. I hope she caught a clear flying space between all of this awful rain we are having in CT and along the East Coast. I will so miss seeing her! I have watched her continuously for the last 10 days or so.
Its a long time till Spring! ):
Please let me know if anyone here on the eastern coast has seen any since today. Thanks, Carol

Back Again...Heard from my friend also in Milford - She still has a hummer as of today...Also her sister has several! So would love to hear from anyone in CT especially who may still have one...I still have my feeders up in case a straggler comes along! I am having withdrawal symptoms! Carol

Came home early today,steady rain, temp. of 48 degrees, male hummer making the rounds on all the Canna's which are still blooming,put the feeders away this past weekend. This is probaly the latest I've seen one around here.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!!

I WAS JUST WONDERING IF PENNY, CAROL OR ANYONE ELSE STILL HAVE HUMMINGBIRDS IN THE NORTHEAST??? THE LAST TIME I SAW ONE WAS ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH. THAT WAS THE LATEST I'VE SEEN THEM AROUND EVER IN MY AREA. I MARK MY CALENDAR EVERY YEAR AND SAVE THEM SO I KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THEY ARRIVE AND LEAVE. I MISS THEM SO MUCH. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SPRING!!!!

TAKE CARE EVERYONE AND GOD BLESS!

MARCY

Hi catnappurr and everyone! Unbelievable - but my friends just returned from a trip to Harraseeket Inn in Freeport ME and they spotted a male rubythroat hummer that didn't stay around because there wasn't any food!!! This was on Tuesday November 8th!! My feeders are still up - was just going to take them down last weekend - got distracted - so I guess I'll leave them up until this weekend....wouldn't it be something if that little guy came thru? You just never know - I only hope it makes it to warmer territory soon! Anyone else see one ?? Carol