I think where the confusion is, is at what temperature is the liquid too cold for your hummingbirds to drink “comfortably”, without stunning themselves. I’d say 40’-37’ degrees to be safe, is a good number to fall back on temperature wise. Really, It’s the temperature outside that should dictate, on how you take care of your hummers. Winter time for the last 7 years now. As a Rule for me... since I feed all year round, is if temperatures keep dropping below 37’, this is what I do. 1.) I wrap my feeders in winter, with double red wool socks, during low temperatures, that stay at around 32’ or lower. It helps to keep them from freezing throughout the day. Less work for me. 2.) 37’ or below, I bring my feeders in every night, and set them on my counter in a cool spot. By morning they are room temperature, and then I rehang them right before sunrise. 3.) If it’s colder than that... say around the 20’s all day, I put hand warmers under the socks, to keep from freezing, or I will rotate my eight feeders, by taking one or two inside to room temperature and so on. 4.) I can’t state it enough.... clean... clean... clean your feeder regularly! Summertime First good News is that your refrigerator temperature of hummingbird liquid WILL NOT stun your hummingbirds, when you take it out to feed them... unless your refrigerator is freezing your milk (good indicator), IT’S NOT too cold to use as is. In the summertime the cool liquid from your refrigerator is perfect! They’ll flock to it! (Make sure that your stored liquid has a secure lid, so your not getting any smells or bacteria coming from your refrigerator mixing in with your liquid) Note: I hang in really shaded areas, clean them now every 2 days in the summer, with light soap and water. And depending on how many birds I have, I only fill them less then half full. Otherwise, I’m just wasting liquid that I pour out every two days. If temperatures exceed 65’-70’ You have to make sure you find a really shaded area, so their liquid isn’t directly in the sun and heating up throughout the day, otherwise It will go bad. So, check on it, on extremely hot days... you might want to change it out more regularly in temps that are continuously above 90+ Hummingbirds are susceptible and die of a slow, agonizing death from beak rot, from dirty feeders with bacteria living in the feeder where they drink . After reading heartbreaking literature about cleaning, I have made some changes. I take that opportunity, to wash my feeders every 3 days during winter and every 2 in summer. Some clean every 5-7 days in winter and summer.... that is wrong... wrong.. wrong. I wasn’t that bad on my cleaning schedule, but I should have been cleaning them more frequently, especially during summer! Hope I helped with some of the questions on this feed. here are two good sites https://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/BirdInfo/BirdProblems/HummingbirdCare.pdf https://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/nectar.php

Love the cuckoos too. Most of the locals here call them rain crows since the myth has it that they call before a storm. They do have an odd call. CCox, you think it's a sad one? I don't know, it always reminds me of sitting in a fishing boat with my dad years and years ago. A cuckoo would do its cuk cuk cuk ca ca kow kow kow thing and dad would say, There's a rain crow, gonna be good fishing today. Never seemed to really have a bearing on the good or bad of the trip but the call still reminds me of those days on the water with him. I discovered a nest on a rather low branch of a tree here years ago. For days all I would see was a bird butt sticking out one side, and from where I was standing it looked almost like a dove's tail but not quite. Then one day I saw the cuckoo fly to the nest. I'd never seen one before and was delighted but unfortunately I never did see a brood. We had a series of strong storms and had to bring in one of our tractors to clean up the snapped off trees. The stack with all its hot fumes and roaring deisel engine were still not enough to make that bird leave the nest and after the cleanup was done a tail could still be seen jutting out of the flimsy nest. Too bad the chicks never appeared. I always assumed a snake was responsible.

We're wondering the same thing. Every other time we've had birds fledge they've all come back together. This year we had 3 fledge and only one has returned. We too have seen a good size hawk in the neighborhood and way too many ferrell cats. Another forum member wrote and said they'd had something similar happen and after a while everyone else showed up... but we've been waiting for a few weeks now and we have just one female... in fact she doesn't seem to want to leave Mom and Dad! So -- I'm afraid I don't have much advice other than to wait and see. Not much help I know... sorry --- good luck!

Wow this sounds so much like what went on here. I put a bowl full of mealies out the day they fledge but none after that for awhile. I find they don't come for them much until the babies are ready to come with them. If this is your same female that means Dad was left to raise 5 kids and it may take a little longer with just one parent. My Pop showed up with the kids later than normal. He's always been nearly 2 weeks to the day and this time it was closer to 3. I have learned that NO, Blues do not always mate for life. There is no question this is Hussy Mom and that Pop got ditched with the babies. I have been feeling bad for Pop (but I guess more for myself). I hope I have not lost him, I know hes not too far, I hear him but still have not found his new nest. Pop has been here for 3 years that I know of. Something happened to his first female between first and second nesting last year and that's when he took up with Hussy Mom. I never would have know it was a different female untill she quit feeding the babies.(maybe the fisrt female took off on him too)? There was no question this years first nesting was Pop and Hussy Mom. The thing is I could never be certain I had the same pair each year, there was always a little something different about each nesting except for Pop, he's always been in the same branches and been consistant with his behavior. His red goes down much farther in the front also.I really hope that I will have both Hussy Mom & Joe Daddy AND Pop with his new female next year. I am looking at the bright side, I should have twice the Blues and after all more Blues is what this is all about! I hope your Dad shows up with the babies soon and as stated above, mealies have nothing to do with survival especially at this time of year!