Humming birds are back!

28,865 Views | 181 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by classicdoug
ComfortAg
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My turks cap had a visit from a hummingbird this morning, the first I've seen since the spring.
BMo
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Alot in east Brazos Co. and Lick Creek Park is pretty active as well.



maddiedou
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AG
What type of plants ate those
BMo
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maddiedou said:

What type of plants ate those
The first is a firecracker fern which is in my yard. The second is turk's cap and this was located at Lick Creek..
Aggies76
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Okay here's a question from a novice. I don't have any flowers that might attract hummingbirds but I do have a feeder. Can I leave the red coloring out of the sugar water and still attract the hummingbirds?
TLIAC
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Aggies76 said:

Okay here's a question from a novice. I don't have any flowers that might attract hummingbirds but I do have a feeder. Can I leave the red coloring out of the sugar water and still attract the hummingbirds?
Yes, definitely!!
BMo
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Aggies76 said:

Okay here's a question from a novice. I don't have any flowers that might attract hummingbirds but I do have a feeder. Can I leave the red coloring out of the sugar water and still attract the hummingbirds?
Please do. They will find it.
Muzzleblast
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Put my feeder up this morning in N. Grimes Co.

Been a slow year for them so far. Maybe some will pop over.
Oogway
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We have had several coming and going but only one is actively trying to 'guard' a feeder. We had a pretty good spring considering I had the feeders out late. I have seen quite a few at Lick Creek. If you sit near the new building out there, you will probably see some.

Edit to add- Love your photographs BMo!
KidDoc
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Gah I literally took my feeders down last week! Ah well not much work to put them back up. Thanks for the heads up!
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12thmandy
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I've been wondering if there were any in this area...putting my feeder up today!
Tailgate88
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We have a couple locals that have been around for the past month. My wife has tons of plants that they love so we don't put up a feeder until the migration starts twice a year. I'll keep a close eye for the swarm!
agfan1030
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Have had 4-5 all summer long NW of Huntsville.
EBrazosAg
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Odd the variety of reports here. Have had normal amount all summer. Increased to 10-15 about 3 weeks ago.
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labmansid
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I keep my feeder up all summer. There are at least a couple that stayed the whole time. I do have some plants that I grow, like Turk's Cap and Shrimp Plant, specifically for the hummingbirds as well. I have noticed a slight increase in numbers lately as fall migration starts kicking in.
BMo
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Oogway said:

We have had several coming and going but only one is actively trying to 'guard' a feeder. We had a pretty good spring considering I had the feeders out late. I have seen quite a few at Lick Creek. If you sit near the new building out there, you will probably see some.

Edit to add- Love your photographs BMo!
Thank you.

Like others I've had at least a couple of birds since spring and have had 2 feeders out that entire time.
ringrit
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Quote:

Okay here's a question from a novice. I don't have any flowers that might attract hummingbirds but I do have a feeder. Can I leave the red coloring out of the sugar water and still attract the hummingbirds?
Yes! I have 2 feeders. One with lots of color and one that is very muted color. The hummingbirds were exclusively going to the colorful feeder and ignoring the other one. I tied a red ribbon around the bottom of the not as colorful one and then they seemed to "find" it a little easier almost instantly.
TXAggie1976
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South College Station in the county just before Nantuckett and lots in the last two weeks. To the novice, with the heat, you have to change the liquid every few days because it can become sour with the heat as it is, so don't fill it very full......have fun! They are a blast!
turfman80
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I think we are in store for a great migration wave this fall. I would estimate we have at least 100 so far on our three feeders, and a friend in another part of the county has even more. And the first cool front hasn't arrived yet.
Hammerheadjim
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Agreed, we must 20+ hitting our feeders.
Little suckers buzzing my head while I was BBQ'ing..
Tailgate88
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Swarming at our place too!
Bob2525
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nonag97
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Bob2525 said:

Birds still going crazy. Try customizing the color. ONE drop of blue and red make a light purple. First time I tried added too much and didn't look right.
Please don't add food coloring to your hummingbird juice. Four parts water to one part sugar. That's all they need. The coloring does nothing at best and is harmful to the birds at worst.
agfan1030
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NW of Huntsville....have about 20. Finally got another feeder to calm them down. Have never had this many in Sept except one time and it didn't last this long. In the summer I have only 3-4 with a 5 station feeder. Can now support 15 at a time.

It is so nice to see this many here.

Wondering?? Does anyone in B/CS area ... Huntsville area see any other species besides ruby throated?
ag009
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8-10 right now at my place in West Bryan. A few of those stuck around all summer. Right now they are draining an average feeder in about 2 days. Between my honeybees and the hummingbirds, I am buying lots of sugar!
Tigermom84
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20+ EVERY DAY on 2 feeders. I ran out of the red powder and they flew off for a day. Did the 1pt sugar to 4 pats water mixture and they were back in no time. They are so fun.
mrad85
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Tigermom84 said:

20+ EVERY DAY on 2 feeders. I ran out of the red powder and they flew off for a day. Did the 1pt sugar to 4 pats water mixture and they were back in no time. They are so fun.

Same for me. They drained both feeders in one day. It was incredible watching them.
Aggies76
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What is the most common type of hummer in this area? The ones at my feeder are tiny.
mrad85
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Aggies76 said:

What is the most common type of hummer in this area?

I see probably 99% ruby throated. I'd be surprised if anyone else has different results.
maddiedou
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BMo said:

maddiedou said:

What type of plants ate those
The first is a firecracker fern which is in my yard. The second is turk's cap and this was located at Lick Creek..



The firecracker fern and turks cap are these the best two flowers to plant for humming birds

Also do they come back every year once it freezes

Tailgate88
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mrad85 said:

Aggies76 said:

What is the most common type of hummer in this area?

I see probably 99% ruby throated. I'd be surprised if anyone else has different results.


We usually see mostly Ruby's but right now most are green in coloration. Must be the migration. I am refilling my feeder twice a day right now.
EBrazosAg
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agfan1030 said:

NW of Huntsville....have about 20. Finally got another feeder to calm them down. Have never had this many in Sept except one time and it didn't last this long. In the summer I have only 3-4 with a 5 station feeder. Can now support 15 at a time.

It is so nice to see this many here.

Wondering?? Does anyone in B/CS area ... Huntsville area see any other species besides ruby throated?
20 years tells me that you may see a Rufous or Black-Chinned but 99.9% are Ruby's
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turfman80
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One of three feeders.

Agmaker
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Thanks for the tip on the plants! Good to know!
BMo
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One I had to rescue from the heavy rain yesterday. Ended up drying sitting on the umbrella canopy then flew away. He was soaked! E. Brazos Co. My numbers are down but I expect another wave. If not, it's ending much sooner that the past few years.

 
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