Our First Ever Hummingbird. On the way to the Kitchen tonight I saw a tiny bird fly in and land on our hummingbird feeder. About the only detail I saw looked like a flash of yellow. As I crept closer to the French doors that open onto the deck, the tiny thing saw me and darted away. Wings were a blur but it could certainly move fast. I suspect that it will get used to us eventually. We had figured they hadn't found us yet but there it was. I should have changed the food two days ago so I got out there right away and change it out for some fresh food. At least the food is no longer just going to waste as we empty it out. But it was quite exciting to get our very first ever hummingbird. The feeder was a bit low on solution, too so I think that perhaps they have been working on it for a few days and we didn't realize it. It's cleaned out and fresh now so I'll be tracking it over the next few days to see if they drain it down. At some point I'll set up a film camera on a tripod with a remote release and try to get a close up photograph of one on the feeder.

Claire is correct - it's the timing. Excerpt from hummingbirds.net "Where did my hummers go? You watched the migration maps and hung your feeder in time to attract the first migrants. You kept the feeder clean and the syrup fresh, and were rewarded by lots of visits from migrants, then the activity settled down to regular appearances by the resident birds. Pretty cool hobby, eh? Then, perhaps in early May (depending on your latitude)... NO MORE HUMMERS! Where'd they all go? This didn't happen last year! Or did it? Welcome to the nesting season, folks. I'll discuss Ruby-throats in particular, but similar principles probably apply to most other species. Shortly after arriving, the females establish a nesting territory. Ruby-throats prefer secluded wetlands for nesting, if available, and proximity to your feeder is not an issue; in fact, females don't like to build nests in a male's feeding territory, and your feeder is probably part of one. Visits to distant feeders take too much time away from the eggs. When the chicks hatch, they need protein to grow, not sugar, so their mother spends most of her time catching small insects and spiders for them. During this period, I personally still see a male or two at my feeders, but typically only early or late in the day. I suspect that once their breeding duties are over, males tend to abandon territories and forage more widely to fatten up for migration. After the chicks fledge (leave the nest), expect the number of hummers at your feeder to be double what it was before the "disappearance." As summer progresses, there will be fewer natural hummingbird food sources available in many parts of the continent; feeders can have a real positive impact on the number of birds that survive, especially in the dry Midwestern U.S., so please keep them clean and fresh. And keep notes on your tiny visitors, if you like, so you can verify for yourself that this is a normal, annual process." I checked my photo library and all of my backyard hummers were photographed in July, August, and Sept. Been a long spring. Thank you, Claire. Kindly, Jane Here is a link that might be useful: hummingbirds.net

Another hummer this morning. Since corunum AKA Jane discovered that links to videos were still being posted while jpg pics were not, I took a video - you can see the urgency with which she fills up with the nectar solution. The migrants are still coming through the pipeline - a good reason to keep feeders up. Claire (sounding like a broken record)

Activity slowed down from last week (rainy weather) but yesterday and today saw the first females. This past week though we think we had a first. For years every spring/summer we Orioles in the tree tops. Been trying for years to attract down too the feeders. Finally saw the first one coming regularly this week too a feeder! (Bad zoomed cellphone photo...lol)