Wow. I don't see hummers my way until around Mother's Day/Memorial Day, and they're usually gone by mid September. I usually only have 3 hummers, 2 females & 1 male (I know 2 different females as I've seen both at the same time .. one sipping on the feeder, 1 sipping on an agastache). My mom who lives in the mountains of S. NM has hummers by the score (seriously.. I kid you not. I've actually got bad video of it.. it's pretty amazing). I remember as a kid having to fill all 8 2-liter feeders twice a day.. damn birds would be SOO impatient as I was filling them up. Then as I would be re-hanging them they'd sit on my thumb/fingers and drink as I was lifting the feeders back onto the nails! Pretty funny stuff. Also learned never to wear red outside.. nope, not if I didn't want to be divebombed constantly. She has Broadtails, Ruby Throated, Annas, Rufus (my favorites), & Calliopes. Calliopes are SOOOOOOOOOO cute.. so teeny! Rufus are the meanest.. they would bully EVERYONE away. I miss having tons of hummers... Y'all who can have 'em year 'round are so lucky...

gingin said:When my DD moved back to the Atlanta area, for some reason she had a hummer that kept getting in her garage. About 6-7 months pregnant she'd climb a ladder to rescue it...everyday for a week It is really awsome to hold a hummer in your hand...I have had to rescue several that have flown into and gotten caught in the screen of our screen room....do you push on the beak or pull on the body? Happily most managed to get free, but I did have to pull one out.

When I was a teenager & we had tons of hummers where I grew up, we had a free-roaming cat that lived inside/out & he would catch hummers & bring them to me.. usually half-naked. He never physically hurt them, just pluck them half bald. Poor things. And the one time we got one stuck in the screen door I went outside, cupped the body very gently, and snipped the screen where the beak was caught w/sewing scissors (made a teeny hole). Birdie flew away, no problems. But I have seen them frozen on the window screens if a early freeze came through before they'd all left.. Those & bats were constantly get caught in the cold.

Oh what fun!!
your first post Toni..not the second

One of the hummingbirds that came today! Not too bad today, sun was out and high temp in mid-50's. Will be clear all week, which is a big change. But freeze is expected again tonight.

I think I may have taken this on Christmas day, not sure. It seemed larger than most hummingbirds, so at the time I took this, I was confused about it, thinking it might be a little bird. But it looks like a hummer.

Sure looks like a hummer to me! I think it's just all puffed up against cold. Great going Linda! Nice photos too!

Hummingbirds and torpor: The survival strategy for how hummingbirds survive cold weather despite their small body size.

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/pe...

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/...

I do worry about them.

I worry too. I can't take them inside, of course. DH thinks that last one is the one that has been coming to the screen window outside the bedroom last few days. To catch insects, maybe?

Linda - No, they use the residual heat from the windows to keep warm. They can't eat insects..wrong kind of bill. They're purely a nectar drinker. But it's SOOOO awesome that you're seeing them now!! Lucky!!!

Toni, Hummers DO eat insects. They are great insect eaters. Sugar & protein.

Ann - Really? Then my biology teacher was wrong (imagine that.. he was a moron). Of course, this was.. uh.. 20 years ago, too. LOLLLLL My bad, I'm sorry! Wonder why they never eat the ants who invade the feeders then!

Don't know why they don't eat the ants. Good question. But if you watch them sitting in a bush or tree or on a powerline, just keep watching, eventually you will see them dart up into the air & then return to their perch --- this will happen over & over again. The insects are too small for us to see cause usually we aren't close enough. Now, don't quote me but if I remember correctly they eat 25% of their weight in insects. That's quite impressive! And mosquitoes are on their diet.

Tori, check it out:


http://howtoenjoyhummingbirds....

http://www.wildbirdsonline.com...

Yay!! Learned something today! Any day you learn something is a beautiful day.

I remember one time (in band camp) when I was a teenager & I was fixing the hummingbird food for the day (had to make it daily w/all the damned birds we had). Went just a little crazy making the food (I'd boil about 2 liters of water w/about 4 cups of sugar so it'd dissolve faster). I wasn't pay any attention & got my mom's 4cup Pyrex measuring cup rather than the 2cup'r and dumped 2 of those in the 2 liters of water so there was 8 cups of sugar. Didn't really pay attention until I accidentally spilled a little on my hand... WOW was that sweet! My mom accused me of trying to give the poor birdies diabetes.

Hummingbirds often hunt insects in trees, also. I've got one tree that blooms sometimes, small greenish flowers. Nothing pretty, but they really do attract a lot of insects when blooming. The hummers like to hunt the bugs on that one and also on live oaks that are large enough. BTW, winter hummingbirds can be given nectar that is a bit sweeter than at other times of year. I guess that compensates somewhat for lack of their usual amount of flower nectar.
Oh...BTW, I just spotted a hummer hunting in a tree just outside my window! I'm so glad they're getting fairly warm sunny days this week...that'll give them a chance to catch up on their "protein"!

Linda.
Also the thicker nectar helps to keep it from freezing I understand.