I have yet to see them during the spring migration. They do show up in August on their way back south. I'll try putting out a feeder to see if they will notice it. I think my yard just doesn't have anything to interest them this early in the season. Guess I need to figure out where I can plant something that will attract their notice in spring. Got any suggestions, Susan? I have an awful lot of shade in my yard so I'm not sure what would work. BTW, here's another map that collects reported sightings and even dates them.

Debra

Here is a link that might be useful: Spring 2010 Migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

This will be my first spring to try to get them migrating north, too, Debra. Like you, I usually get them in late July-early August and then most are the juveniles so I wonder if they are breeding close by and the juvies just fan out to inhabit other gardens. I need to find out more about this.

My garden had its genesis as a butterfly garden, and I noticed hummingbirds coming around in summer to nectar from my butterfly plants. Two years ago I started putting out a feeder, to supplement my flowers.

I don't have too many flowers in bloom at the time of migration either, but if I don't the folks up north surely don't yet either. They must be using feeders mostly until their is vegetation for them to have.

This year will be my first spring feeder attempt so hopefully I will attract a couple.

Susan

Usually the hummers follow the native American Cross Vines across Texas with their migration northward essentially coinciding with the blooming of the Cross Vines. In Fort Worth, they always showed up at our house when our Cross Vines were blooming, but not before.

Here in OK, they normally arrive more or less with the blooming of the Cross Vines too or sometimes a couple of days before the Cross Vines bloom, and here the Cross Vines in our yard are not even close to blooming yet...they are just now getting their new leaves, and they are later than usual. So, I'm not necessarily expecting any hummers quite yet, although you never know. I did put up two feeders today, just in case the hummers are ready to run for the border and come into OK. I won't put up the rest of the feeders until the hummers show up

We do have a lot of butterflies already....Sulphurs, Swallowtails, etc. and bees everywhere visiting all the flowers, and a few wasps, but not a big major wasp swarm yet. The bees are all over the place because almost all the spring-blooming trees are in bloom: peaches, plums, ornamental pears, Mexican plums, and the 'Jane' magnolia. I saw the first mosquito the other day and a couple of craneflies, but not the big major run of craneflies we normally have in early spring. Everything, and everybody, is very late here this year, including many of the wildflowers.

In a 'normal' year (not that I can really define what is normal around here) we'll see the first hummers anytime from the last week in March to the first week in May. I often see the Rufous hummingbirds a week or so before I see the ruby-throated hummers, but the rufous are not necessarily always the first to arrive.

Dawn

I posted it on Facebook I was so excited when I read it.

Do you experienced peeps use a pre-made solution or make yours?

Amanda,

I make my own but there's nothing wrong with buying the premade solution if it is more convenient for you and you don't mind the expense.

Because I make nectar by the gallon, I buy sugar in 25-lb. bags at a warehouse store. Making fresh nectar to refill the feeders is just a part of my morning routine during the hummingbird season. I start out with two feeders before they arrive, and add more as the population grows. By summer, I have 7 or 8 feeders out and hummers visit all of them.

You need to refill the feeders often because the nectar can ferment and because mold can grow on the feeders, and the hotter the weather, the more important it is to take down the feeders, clean them, and refill them often. I try to do it at least every other day during the summer months.

It is always better to start with two feeders instead of one, and to place them fairly far apart, if you want to attract more than just a hummer or two. There's always a hummer (or more than one) who is very territorial and will battle the other hummers for control of the feeder, so having two or more feeders gives the less aggressive hummers a place to go if they don't care to challenge the more aggressive ones.

A feeder alone generally is not enough to get you many hummingbirds, although it will attract a couple. (You'll also get more during the fall migration.)

If you really want a lot of hummers, you need to plant the kind of plants they like...we have lots and lots here that we've planted over the years. It also helps if you have a nice insect population because that's their food supply. We don't use chemical pesticides because we don't want to harm the insects that hummers feed upon, and sometimes we go the whole year without using any form of organic pesticide either, except for spinosad for fire ants. We have a woodland, pastures, creeks and ponds, so there's plenty of insects here to keep the hummers happy, and over the years, I've planted many plants they like. Once hummers like your place and are comfortable being there, they'll come back every year. If one of our regular hummers returns before I put out the feeders, it will come find me in the garden, fly right in front of me and 'scold' me for not having dinner ready. It is hilarious.

Feeding the hummers is a very important part of our summer around here. We all enjoy having them around, and the ones that come regularly will form a certain 'bond' with you and will follow you around the yard and watch you work in your yard and garden. Sometimes they'll follow you indoors. When one of ours does that, it tends to perch on the ceiling fan and ride the fan blade endlessly as if it were visiting a hummingbird amusement park.

Another thing that amuses the hummers is to have a mister on or a sprinkler turned on for them so they can play in the water. I try to turn on the misting system daily during the summer months, and usually during the hottest part of the day, because the hummers love it so.

I do have to be really careful about wearing a flowered shirt outside because the hummers will come right to the flowers on the shirt looking for nectar, and then they freak out when they realise you're a human and not a walking wall of flowers.

Hummers are a special and fun part of our summer. I'm just a slacker, though, when it comes to feeding them. I have 7 or 8 feeders and maybe 12-15 hummers or so on an average day. There are some long-term residents here who've fed them for decades and who have a huge number of feeders and, consequently, incredible numbers of hummers.

Dawn

I need to get my feeders cleaned and ready. I want to get some with perches on them. The feeders I have do not have them and my aunt told me I should get some feeders with perches on them so they can rest when they need to.

They are such precocious little things, aren't they, Dawn!

I only have one feeder, but I have many, many flowers that they like, plus the rotten banana feeder for the butterflies that attract the fruit flies that they love to eat, too! I need to get a mister this year, and then their diet will be complete with water. Also, add an additional feeder away from the main one.

The main feeder hangs in the shade of my honeysuckle that is about 15' tall with many, many intertwining branches. There are several of them about 1' from the feeder and the dominant male loves to sit on those branches so he can protect his feeder! If the others try to even enter the yard, he is on them in a nano second. I usually have about 4, but that is up from the 2 I started with. I even got a migrating male with the Ruby throat blazing last year. I usually just get the juveniles and females with no color yet.

I make my own food, too (4:1 solution water to sugar). It's a lot less expensive and the hummers seem to like it better than the prepared solution you buy. One word of advice, never add red food coloring to it either because it is toxic to the hummers.

I also make my own nectar. I bought some of the commercial mix the first summer in my house, but I think the homemade is both cheaper and likely better for the birds. Most of the commercial stuff has some form of red food coloring in it and also preservatives.

Dawn, will the crossvine grow in part shade? Unfortunately, my back yard is ringed with old evergreens that shade a good part of the perimeter most of the day. I have a chain link fence that vines could grow on but would likely be in shade at least some of the day. Where can I find native crossvine? I'd also like to locate some of the red, native honeysuckle, but whenever I've checked nurseries for it they only seem to have the white/yellow non-native variety.

I have three feeders but only put out two last year. The first feeder I bought two years ago is a flattened tear-drop shaped red glass one. I figured the red glass might make it more visible to the hummers. However, the feeding flowers are on the upward slope, and if nectar gets low in it the birds seemed to have trouble reaching that far down into it. I had one hummer that first summer fly over to it and hover for a few seconds, then fly over to the window and just stare at me as if to say, "I'd like a better feeder!" LOL So I bought another that has perches on it. I've read that providing perches with feeders is a really good thing for the little birds as they expend a lot of energy to hover. The first feeder hangs at the edge of my patio. I bought a second and a metal hook to go further out in the yard, but, while they are several yards apart, they can both be easily watched from most of the yard so the little critters can find perches in trees that allow them to guard both at the same time. I'm thinking maybe I should get another hook and try to position it where maybe the Rose of Sharon blocks the view so it's not so easy for one little guy to hoard all the feeders.

For little fellers, they can sure be intimidating! The first day last August I saw them in my yard again one little guy chased a male cardinal out of the Rose of Sharon. Poor cardinal, he was just enjoying the sprinkler hitting the RoS and not doing anything to bother the hummer, but the hummer was convinced the bush was all his and wanted absolutely no one else sitting among HIS flowers!

Debra

Susan, They are precious and I love having them around.

Debra, Cross vine grows in just about anything from full sun to almost full shade. I've had it grow and bloom well in dappled shade in Fort Worth and in full sun here in southern OK.

At the right time of the year, American Cross Vine is easy to find in nurseries and garden centers. I see it at places like Lowe's or Home Depot every year, and the same is true of coral honeysuckle. I bought my 'Pink Lemonade' honeyscuckle at a Lowe's.

Hummers are quite feisty. I'm assuming they have no concept of how small they actually are in comparison to the other birds they often take on.

Dawn

Took a brief trip to Horn Seed during lunch, and the lady there said they should have both crossvine and native honeysuckle in mid-April. Going to make myself a reminder to go again and check in a couple of weeks.

Only problem with going to Horn is I see so much I want and can't have! I would love to replace the old evergreens with magnolias along the back fence, but at nearly $200 each that ain't gonna happen any time soon!

They do have a fair variety of tomato and pepper plants, and they all look really good and healthy. If my seeds don't sprout soon I may have to go back and buy some.

Debra

Debra, please keep me away from Horn's! I gotta go get my chicken manure there, though, but if I just go inside the main entrance, I should be okay.....maybe!

Susan

I know the feeling, Susan! Sometimes even just the main entrance isn't safe. There's always something I see I want, but worse, if I get in the main entrance I just can't keep myself from wandering into the greenhouse area.

Debra

There's no help for us, I'm afraid.....sigh.....

Susan

I have a Holly plant and this is it's 3rd season. So far, I have only had a few small white flowers and 4 or 5 berries. I believe this is a China Boy plant but I was told when I bought it that I did not need both a male & female plant. Now, I am wondering if I do need another but I don't know what sex of plant I need. If this isn't the problem can someone tell me how to get more berries? Thanks so much, Barbara

Barbara, you do need one of each gender, but I would think if you've had any berries at all there must be one of each in the area. I bought Blue Girl/Boy hollies when I got mine. They are supposed to have both genders included somehow. The first year (two years ago) I had very few berries, but this past year I had lots. I already see lots of flowers forming. You might try asking the nursery where you got yours if it's supposed to have both genders like mine does. If not then you probably should look for a China Girl to go with the China Boy.

Debra

Debra, you are such a bad influence! I went to Horn's for my CM yesterday and walked out with a flat of plants! I bought some Basil, though, so not too bad, a Lantana, lovely little zinnias, a golden leaved Pineapple Sage, and others I don't recall.....I'm hopeless!

Susan

We saw our first hummer here today. East Central Oklahoma.

Teresa

Yippee, Teresa, and congrats!

Susan