The Uncaged Bird -My first Hummingbird has arrived 4/26/2024

Morganna says:  " No fair! You have them all. I believe you do not live very far from me and you are hoarding all of the gold finches."

I do believe our newish neighbor is hogging the birds here.  But she's a great neighbor otherwise.

And thanks, mrincredible! I'll look for it.

I dragged out the hose, cleaned and filled the fountain and bird baths. Had the fountain on for a day enjoying Spring. Now everything is frozen!

Time to order your Humzinger, my favorite Hummingbird feeder. Here's the 2021 Migration Map. They are on their way.

https://www.hummingbird-guide.com/hummingbird-migration-map-2021.html

Morganna said:

Time to order your Humzinger, my favorite Hummingbird feeder. Here's the 2021 Migration Map. They are on their way.

https://www.hummingbird-guide.com/hummingbird-migration-map-2021.html

 Thanks Morganna! I just ordered a humzinger. It will be my first Hummingbird season here in SO - beyond excited. They are little miracles

birdwatcher said:

 Thanks Morganna! I just ordered a humzinger. It will be my first Hummingbird season here in SO - beyond excited. They are little miracles

 Great! Here's one of my former visitors.

I've had trouble attracting the hummingbirds. I have 3 different feeders. I make homemade nectar. I wash them. I even have plants they are supposed to like in my backyard gardens. Trying again this year with more of the tubular flowers.

Morganna said:

 Great! Here's one of my former visitors.

 Great photo! And thank you for sharing the migration map. It’s been such a bummer of a year it’s nice to have their arrival to look forward to. I also ordered a baby formula mixer/pitcher, of all things.  Best thing I’ve ever found for mixing the sugar water mixture for the hummingbirds and to store it in the fridge. Makes it sooooo much easier. 

birdwatcher said:

 Great photo! And thank you for sharing the migration map. It’s been such a bummer of a year it’s nice to have their arrival to look forward to. I also ordered a baby formula mixer/pitcher, of all things.  Best thing I’ve ever found for mixing the sugar water mixture for the hummingbirds and to store it in the fridge. Makes it sooooo much easier. 

 I just boil water and add the sugar when I need it. Let it cool briefly in the fridge. When it is early in the season and the honeysuckle is not yet open, I wash and refill after dark so I don't miss any birds. I have a second feeder, the old kind if I need to change during the day.

It helps to have a hanging basket of petunias while waiting for their favorite flowers to open. I have been planting for them for several years but I can't count on even the Columbines to be open in time and last year quite a few didn't come back. 

bikefixed said:

I've had trouble attracting the hummingbirds. I have 3 different feeders. I make homemade nectar. I wash them. I even have plants they are supposed to like in my backyard gardens. Trying again this year with more of the tubular flowers.

 What kind of plants are you using? I like hanging baskets of petunias .For ground flowers I rely on Columbines as a Spring Perennial. Summer I put in Red Salvia which starts off slow but fills out and grows higher as the summer heats up well into fall. 

I tried Crocosmia and waited for flowers but the minute these beauties bloom the deer or woodchuck just lopped them off.

I cannot recall the flowers I've planted but I did research on it. We'll what comes up this year as well as the ones. I planted last week. I'll try petunia baskets again. They didn't work last time I tried. What colors do you us?

Morganna said:

 I just boil water and add the sugar when I need it. Let it cool briefly in the fridge. When it is early in the season and the honeysuckle is not yet open, I wash and refill after dark so I don't miss any birds. I have a second feeder, the old kind if I need to change during the day.

It helps to have a hanging basket of petunias while waiting for their favorite flowers to open. I have been planting for them for several years but I can't count on even the Columbines to be open in time and last year quite a few didn't come back. 

 Can I ask where you buy the pole to hang the feeder on and how tall it is?

birdwatcher said:

 Can I ask where you buy the pole to hang the feeder on and how tall it is?

 I've had good luck with the shepherd's hooks at home depot. I might even have a spare you could have. I already have too many in my backyard. I made two squirrel proof thingies and hung some feeders from a tree branch. 

bikefixed said:

 I've had good luck with the shepherd's hooks at home depot. I might even have a spare you could have. I already have too many in my backyard. I made two squirrel proof thingies and hung some feeders from a tree branch. 

 Ooooh. I would happily take a spare if you have one. You can PM me and I would pick it up. 

bikefixed said:

I cannot recall the flowers I've planted but I did research on it. We'll what comes up this year as well as the ones. I planted last week. I'll try petunia baskets again. They didn't work last time I tried. What colors do you us?

 Red and yellow but I have had them cruise my purple columbines. 

birdwatcher said:

 Can I ask where you buy the pole to hang the feeder on and how tall it is?

 Mine hang from an archway. The structure is now so covered with Honeysuckle it obscures the shape. I've had as many as 5 baskets and the feeder on this arch.

a very hungry grackle

Morganna said:

 Mine hang from an archway. The structure is now so covered with Honeysuckle it obscures the shape. I've had as many as 5 baskets and the feeder on this arch.

 Beautiful! 

oots said:

a very hungry grackle

 Love these. Grackles are wonderful to photograph, those eyes!

I thought for sure I heard a red-winged blackbird near our backyard today. I just couldn't find him in the trees. At least I'm pretty sure it was one. I heard the conk-la-REEEE call a few times and then it seemed to devolve into a -REEE. Perhaps it was a starling. The song didn't change like a mockingbird's but I have heard starlings do some pretty funny stuff imitating other birds. There are several that do their hawk imitation and it's pretty funny to hear a much smaller bird do that scream.

{almost full-grown cygnets racing up and down our very full lake in the setting sun - gorgeous to see, but I’m not quick enough to grab a camera without startling them}

bikefixed said:

I thought for sure I heard a red-winged blackbird near our backyard today. I just couldn't find him in the trees. At least I'm pretty sure it was one. I heard the conk-la-REEEE call a few times and then it seemed to devolve into a -REEE. Perhaps it was a starling. The song didn't change like a mockingbird's but I have heard starlings do some pretty funny stuff imitating other birds. There are several that do their hawk imitation and it's pretty funny to hear a much smaller bird do that scream.

 I need to improve my song recognition. I heard so much singing in my yard today and was surprised to see 2 blue jays making sounds I didn't recognize. Its hard enough to get one call down, but some of them have such a range. 

Bath time.

Morganna said:

bikefixed said:

I thought for sure I heard a red-winged blackbird near our backyard today. I just couldn't find him in the trees. At least I'm pretty sure it was one. I heard the conk-la-REEEE call a few times and then it seemed to devolve into a -REEE. Perhaps it was a starling. The song didn't change like a mockingbird's but I have heard starlings do some pretty funny stuff imitating other birds. There are several that do their hawk imitation and it's pretty funny to hear a much smaller bird do that scream.

 I need to improve my song recognition. I heard so much singing in my yard today and was surprised to see 2 blue jays making sounds I didn't recognize. Its hard enough to get one call down, but some of them have such a range. 

 Yes! I had one in our front tree that was singing completely novel kind of song/call. I sat and watched it for a while to make sure it was the bird doing it. It sure was weird.

So, apart from the fact that they don't know the words (Thank you, I'll see myself out), this is why hummingbirds hum...

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/16/scientists-unlock-secret-of-why-hummingbirds-hum

marksierra said:

So, apart from the fact that they don't know the words (Thank you, I'll see myself out), this is why hummingbirds hum...

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/16/scientists-unlock-secret-of-why-hummingbirds-hum

 I giggled out loud.

Coming in for a landing.

A bit different aspect of bird life.

https://www.mu-43.com/threads/duel-in-the-snow-three-seconds-of-eif.110821/

Last year I spotted my first Hummingbird April 22. I put my feeder up about the 18th. I'm going earlier this year in case there are "early birds." As noted on the title, they have been spotted in Maryland. 

Morganna said:

Last year I spotted my first Hummingbird April 22. I put my feeder up about the 18th. I'm going earlier this year in case there are "early birds." As noted on the title, they have been spotted in Maryland. 

 Your hummingbird countdown makes me happy

While we are still stuck with masks I found this.

https://www.etsy.com/market/hummingbird_face_masks