Look out, the Hummers are coming!

[Lavender2]

SO COOL! I love hummers. So far the most I have seen at one time is 3 and all they did was drive each other off so no one was feeding. Feisty stinkers. There do seem to be more her than a week ago. I hops so. I have 3 feeders up all summer.

I usually have 2 feeders up but I broke one this Spring and didn't get around to replacing it. When more hummers started showing up, the little guy in the last photo sat on the feeder for a long time, chasing off any that tried to get near it. Even after I put up the second feeder, it chased them off that one too! They are very territorial, but after a few days they seemed to calm down, maybe the locals left town.

I hope you get a migrating bunch come through. I'm seeing greater numbers at the feeder now mostly in the late evening. We just get the Ruby Throats here too.

 

[Lavender2]

That's so cool Lavender! We have 5 feeders up, and they were busier than they have ever been this summer. Then we only had females for a couple of weeks.
This week they all left. One day they were here, and the next....gone.

I'm keeping the hummer juice fresh out there just in case though.

It seems like there were more here this summer also, or I just paid attention to them more. They are always on the bee-balm when blooming. Lately they are really liking the turtlehead, I've never noticed them on that so much before.

You get a few different species there, do you see the Rufous?

 

[thistlebloom]

Yes, the Rufous and Calliope are always the first to show up. Later we get the Black chinned and the Broad Tailed.

The bee balm is such a great hummer magnet! I love it, and I know I keep droning on about the Jacob Cline, but it really is the best variety I've ever planted for length of bloom and mildew resistance. I deadheaded mine a few weeks back, and still have quite a few blooms going out there.
I don't think the hummers have left this early before, but it's been a very different year weather wise up here.

 

[Jared77]

Very cool!! Great pictures!

I need to get on the ball with feeders been slacking since we got to the new house.

 

[bobm]

I haven't seen a hummer in our neck of the woods since we moved to Washington, resident or migrating through. However, just 10 miles from here there are quite a few resident hummers.

 

[so lucky]

I like to put at least one feeder far away from the others, so any shy or smaller ones will have more of a chance to feed.
I got whizzed by a hummer coming out of the corn field the other day. I watched, and he sat on a corn cob tip, seeming to hover and feed there? I wonder if he was eating little bugs, because there didn't seem to be any thing flowering. It is field corn, and the cobs are dry, but there is still some green on the stalk.

 

[ninnymary]

I once had a hummer peck my finger, thought it was the coolest thing, and I was the only one. Until Lesa burst my bubble!

Mary