| Author | Content |
admin
Schenectady, NY
 April 25, 2011 9:50 AM Post #8519149
| There are a total of 212 votes:
| Yes! Mine returned a few weeks ago.
(49 votes, 23%) |  |
| Yes! I just saw my first one in the last few days.
(32 votes, 15%) | |
| No. Still waiting here.
(88 votes, 41%) | |
| We have hummingbirds pretty much year-round.
(27 votes, 12%) | |
| There are no hummingbirds where I live.
(16 votes, 7%) | |
|
Previous Polls |
minnesippi
Oakdale, MN (Zone 4a)
April 25, 2011 10:08 AM Post #8519180
| I'm getting very impatient. :( |
FlipFlops
Brunswick , GA (Zone 9a)
April 25, 2011 11:03 AM Post #8519311
| Put the feeders out a couple of weeks ago and took them no time to find them. I usually see them about the time the bottlebrush bushes start blooming. |
locakelly
Phoenix, AZ (Zone 9a)
April 25, 2011 11:04 AM Post #8519315
| I have hummingbirds year-round. There are 3 that hang in my yard consistently. I love to watch their antics and battles over the feeders. They are beautiful and fun to have around and let me know when the feeders need refilling - they will buzz my head when I go into the yard;o) They are so used to me they will come and eat out of the feeder as I am hanging it back up. |
LhasaLover
(Tammie) Odessa, TX (Zone 7b)
April 25, 2011 12:31 PM Post #8519494
| They are usually here long before now but with the drought and fires, I am concerned their natural habitat south is damaged and their migration paths may have been burned out. |
music2keep
Peterstown, WV (Zone 6a)
April 25, 2011 12:32 PM Post #8519498
| I saw my 1st one this year on Saturday. Usually the 1st of May is when I set out my feeder...so it's not too much of a difference. |
kwanjin
West Valley City, UT (Zone 7a)
April 25, 2011 2:52 PM Post #8519782
| We still have another month or so before they show up here. |
trackinsand
mid central, FL (Zone 9a)
April 25, 2011 3:13 PM Post #8519862
| ours were early this year...started seeing them the first week in march. |
melody
Benton, KY (Zone 7a)
April 25, 2011 3:27 PM Post #8519892
| Mine arrived a couple of weeks ago...I have several around my coral honeysuckle and the feeders. |
maozamom
Orrville, OH (Zone 5b)
April 25, 2011 4:06 PM Post #8519988
| Saw one this afternoon. Usually I don't see any until the columbine bloom but we had a early bird this year. |
LhasaLover
(Tammie) Odessa, TX (Zone 7b)
April 25, 2011 6:23 PM Post #8520356
| Hummers like Columbine??? cool, too bad I have columbine blooming for the first time and no hummers! I wish the little birds would show up. I just hope the fires did not get them. |
greenbrain
Madison, IL (Zone 6b)
April 25, 2011 8:20 PM Post #8520664
| With all the rain & still coming down, they've probably drowned by now.
|
patrob
Goldthwaite, TX (Zone 8a)
April 25, 2011 8:28 PM Post #8520683
| Our hummers and barn swallows usually come back at the end of the second week in April, and they were right on time this year. One little hummer got right in my face while I was watering plants in pots fifty feet from the porch and "complained" that the feeders were empty. I took the feeders down, thoroughly cleaned them, heated the sugar water, and literally the second I rehung the feeders, he was there filling up.
Off topic: The barn swallows are reusing old nests this year since we are in a prolonged drought and there is no mud for new construction. Some creative ones have added a bit to the top of the nest as if they are trying to make it their own. I usually power wash the porches and take down old nests when the swallows have left in the fall, but life got in the way this year. Maybe it was a good thing. The swallows have nests and baby swallows on the way, and they keep us mosquito free until they leave in late September. |
KyWoods
Melbourne, KY (Zone 6a)
April 25, 2011 8:35 PM Post #8520698
| One showed up here a couple of days ago and buzzed around the spot where the feeder was supposed to be hanging...I hurriedly ran and got it, made the sugar-water and hung it. I didn't get to see if he came back. Funny how, after that long absence, they still remember exactly where it was, year after year! |
WormsLovSharon
Las Vegas, NV
April 25, 2011 11:17 PM Post #8520834
| Mine got here early and they are building nests in the climbing fig vine. They actually buzzed me the other day in the front landscape several times until I figured out the feeder was empty.
Then later in the day I was spraying a tree with some water and they kept diving through the stream. Sharon |
philomel
Castelnau RB Pyrenée
France (Zone 8a)
 April 26, 2011 1:10 AM Post #8520863
| You lucky people. We don't have humming birds in Europe, but have to make do with Humming Bird Hawkmoths. I have seen some of those already this year :) |
bonehead
Cedarhome, WA (Zone 8b)
April 26, 2011 7:13 AM Post #8521300
| I had one a couple weeks ago, put the feeder out, and now nothing. Perhaps he was just an advance scout and the rest will be on their way soon. I will have to pay attention to what is blooming when they do arrive, perhaps I can coordinate the two events for future reference. |
KyWoods
Melbourne, KY (Zone 6a)
April 26, 2011 9:49 AM Post #8521617
| Oh, I love it when they take a shower in the hose mist! So sweet! |
HoneybeeNC
Charlotte, NC (Zone 7b)
April 26, 2011 1:24 PM Post #8522022
| When I saw the first hummer of the season, I immediately put up a feeder so it would stay in the area. The darn feeder leaked! So I rushed out to WMart and purchased another.
I just love watching the hummers chase each other all over the garden! |
luciee
Hanceville, AL (Zone 7a)
April 26, 2011 5:10 PM Post #8522538
| Ours were here when it was warm. Then it turned cold again and we haven't seen them since. |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO (Zone 5a)
April 26, 2011 7:09 PM Post #8522848
| If there were near me, they were blown East this weekend. We will put up feeders at the end of this month. |
KyWoods
Melbourne, KY (Zone 6a)
April 26, 2011 7:50 PM Post #8522972
| I thought I saw one carrying a tiny umbrella the other day... |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO (Zone 5a)
April 27, 2011 6:52 AM Post #8523789
| Well I'll be, a hummer just buzzed our fountain. Time to get out the feeder, a little early this year. It is a nice reminder that spring is finally arriving. We had a tornado on Friday, the yard is a disaster, but the hummer didn't care. |
FlipFlops
Brunswick , GA (Zone 9a)
April 27, 2011 7:16 AM Post #8523821
| Cathy, I sure hope you and your family are okay. That must have been very scarey and I hope you did not have too much damage. Glad spring is coming for you and I hope you have lots of hummers buzzing about. It's already summer here and has been for awhile. |
Gymgirl
SE Houston (Hobby), TX (Zone 9a)
April 28, 2011 8:38 AM Post #8526152
| Ok. So, how do I attract hummingbirds to my yard? I'll be visiting a landscape designer in 2 weeks. Anything I need to add to the plan to attract the birds would be helpful.
Thanks! |
KyWoods
Melbourne, KY (Zone 6a)
April 28, 2011 2:02 PM Post #8526710
| Check out the Hummingbird/Butterfly gardening forum for lots of good info:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/bbb/all/ |
taters55
(Linda Kay) Del Rio, TX (Zone 9a)
April 28, 2011 5:21 PM Post #8527079
| We have had our hummers here since the 2nd week of March. Start with some feeders around the yard, and get some plants that will attract them.
Please don't put red food coloring in the sugar water. It is not good for them. To make your own nectar, use 4 cups of water, and 1 cup of sugar. Heat it till the water is just warm enough to dissolve the sugar. Let it cool, and place in clean feeders. |
WormsLovSharon
Las Vegas, NV
April 28, 2011 6:07 PM Post #8527198
| Hummingbirds make their nests out of spider webs and lecithin. So I try not to sweep up any cobwebs anywhere in the garden after February. I also have a bird nest making kit. It is suppose to be for hummingbirds but the robins also use it. It hangs in the tree. I cannot remember where I got it. I was smart enough to order a refill but I am using that refill this year.
I also have a waterfall into my KOI pond. The hummingbird use it every morning to play in and drink. The robins take a great bath late every morning.
Hummingbirds seem to like to built their nest on a vine. And they built in on a part of the vine that is hanging. I have noticed 4 nests so far. I also put over ripe bananas behind the KOI pond. The rotting bananas attract gnats. Hummers love gnats. Have fun. Sharon.
God Bless the South and please all of you be safe. |
Gymgirl
SE Houston (Hobby), TX (Zone 9a)
April 29, 2011 7:17 AM Post #8528150
| Thank you, guys for the instructions, and for the prayers for the South. We've been going through a lot down here in the last several years... |
garduncan2
Melbourne, FL (Zone 10a)
April 29, 2011 12:20 PM Post #8528593
| I may have seen two hummingbirds in the past 42 years here on the Space Coast. I know they're here but they're few and far between.
|
Beach_Barbie
Kure Beach, NC (Zone 9a)
April 29, 2011 6:06 PM Post #8529173
| I haven't seen any, even though I have plants I know they like. They visited my pomegranate tree last year. Hopefully I'll see some when it blooms again.
Barb |
evelyn_inthegarden
Grizzly Flats, CA (Zone 8a)
April 29, 2011 8:07 PM Post #8529450
| I saw one yesterday while I was out digging in the garden. I think they will love my new "hot bed"...with all those oranges and reds. It was funny because he flew over just to say "Hi!", or so it seemed...  He did not stick around to do much sipping. |
daylilydreams
small town, MN (Zone 4b)
May 1, 2011 5:09 AM Post #8531727
| The Hummers are to smart to come back to Minnesota it is only 32 degrees here as I write this post. Both the Hummers and I wish it would warm up already! |
LizaMouse
Covington, LA (Zone 8b)
May 1, 2011 7:25 PM Post #8533361
| I saw the first one the first week of March. He was checking out an empty feeder so like everyone else, I went running out to get it and fill it up. All three feeders are out now and I've seen a few more birds. Most of my flowers are in containers on the deck so you can sit out there and watch them zoom around.
Off topic but there has also been a Chuck-Will's-Widow hanging out in the pasture across the street for a few weeks now. I love sitting on the porch in the evenings and listening to him. He makes the stress of the workday just disappear for a while. |
hellnzn11
Rosamond, CA (Zone 8b)
May 1, 2011 7:34 PM Post #8533390
| They may have come sooner but I saw the first one a few hours ago in my kitchen window, looking in at me. Yippie. |
flaflwrgrl
North Central , FL (Zone 8b)
May 2, 2011 3:21 AM Post #8533776
| I didn't vote because there was not a suitable answer for me. My hummers left & headed back north more than a month ago so none of the answers gave me the correct option. There are some hummers that stay year round down in my neck of the woods but the majority are winter visitors. Will miss them till they return in the fall. Bye, bye hummers. See you in Oct. |
Lilyofthenight
Victoria, TX (Zone 9a)
May 3, 2011 12:40 PM Post #8537227
| YES, Several weeks ago. So far 2 males and one female I am sure of. They appeared to be courting. They were doing little dances with each other in flight. |
luciee
Hanceville, AL (Zone 7a)
May 5, 2011 8:43 AM Post #8541370
| If they came back, the tornadoes last week blew them away. Luciee (;^( |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO (Zone 5a)
May 5, 2011 9:25 AM Post #8541455
| Luciee, it took about a week after our tornado for the hummers to return, I hope you are all safe.
One hummer is collecting spider webs from the overhang on my little greenhouse, I'm trying to see where she goes, but she's too fast. |
WormsLovSharon
Las Vegas, NV
May 5, 2011 4:24 PM Post #8542280
| If you go out and sit in the general area she is going to she will eventually slow down. She will not go on the nest until you sit and fade into the landscape. I finally figured that out a few years ago. I have 3 or 4 nests in the courtyard. They buzz me every time I go out the front door. They think it is their courtyard.
I watched one the other day taking spider webs off my pool filter. There are large knobs, about 10, around the filter. For some reason they get covered with webs. After I saw the hummer the other day, I checked and all knobs were cleaned up except one.
When I go into my laundry room and stand at the utility sink, 9 our of 10 times a hummer will come to the window over the sink and buzz me. It makes my day every time. Sharon. |
luciee
Hanceville, AL (Zone 7a)
May 21, 2011 2:00 PM Post #8577893
| As of 5/20/11, we have hummers. They came early in the hot weather before it turned cold again and I am glad to see them return. |
WormsLovSharon
Las Vegas, NV
May 21, 2011 10:06 PM Post #8578678
| Well I have two very large windows now sprayed with a "white" substance. This is what the "hummingbird" does to the windows anyone goes by that is near her nest. I guess it is suppose to hide her and the nest from our seeing eyes. I will try to take a photo tomorrow. |
