I saw a couple the other day now that my moms Jasmine is flowering. They are so gorgeous. When I was a little kid my nanas orange tree would always have 1 or 2 hummingbird nests in it because it was in such a sheltered area. They are the tinniest most amazing nests I have ever seen.
Yay, The Hummingbirds Are Back!
- Thread starter Kpassa
- Start date
Ooh I would love to see a nest....they say they are the size of a walnut! How cute! I live on 5 acres so the odds of me finding one are low.
I had/have the same problem.......I just bought squirrel feeders
Great pic! They also say the don't sit while feeding....mine always does when it is on a feeder that has perches. Mine won't come to close yet.....I have seen hand held hummingbird feeders on ebay that I thought would be cool. How do you like that feeder you have? Does it leak? I have several decorative ones that I paid over $20 for but the ALL leak. I have a few of the plastic ones that don't, but I can get 24 feeders like yours for $30.
The mockinbird is pretty, I don't think I have seen any of those.
Great thread!
I have seen hummingbirds feed both ways, the one we have at the feeder now always sits. I took some nice pictures of it sitting and feeding, I'll post them later on tonight.
I paid about $10 for the feeder up at the top of my deck, the one down below I got at a yard sale for 50 cents. It was missing a flower, I plugged up the hole by putting tape on the inside then dribbling candle wax over the hole to seal it. They don't leak and the design keeps ants out.
Squirrels aren't interested in hummingbird nectar they don't go near my feeders once they satisfy their curiousity. There are a few bird feeders with spring loaded perches that easily hold a bird's weight but collapse when a squirrel grabs it. I also saw a motorized one that flings the squirell away, funny as heck to watch. If I can find links I'll post them.
cool! Mine get spooked if I get to close.... Do you make your hummingbird nectar? It doesn't look red, I made mine for a while but didn't see any hummers til I broke down and bought the red liquid. I figure now I can go back to making it.
omigosh I want to see that squirrel flinging action! Well, I hope it doesn't hurt them, but they are agile little things so I'm not worried lol.
The feeders I've had in the past were for birds (not hummingbirds), so they were filled with seeds and such, but the squirrels love them for some reason. I'd appreciate if you could find that link
Thanks!!The universally accepted advice is NEVER ADD ANY FOOD COLORING TO HUMMINGBIRD NECTAR a bit of red on the feeder is all you need to attract them, along with a good supply of nectar.
Making your own nectar is easy, just add 1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of boiling water and stir it until the sugar dissolves. That 4 to 1 ratio holds true for any amount you make. I clean out the feeders and change nectar twice a week, on saturday and wednesday nights.
If you make your nectar too sweet or not sweet enough hummingbirds will avoid it, they are very picky. Orioles also like nectar but it's a different ration than for hummingbird nectar. I don't get orioles in my area so I can't tell you the ratio off the top of my head.
Making your own nectar is easy, just add 1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of boiling water and stir it until the sugar dissolves. That 4 to 1 ratio holds true for any amount you make. I clean out the feeders and change nectar twice a week, on saturday and wednesday nights.
If you make your nectar too sweet or not sweet enough hummingbirds will avoid it, they are very picky. Orioles also like nectar but it's a different ration than for hummingbird nectar. I don't get orioles in my area so I can't tell you the ratio off the top of my head.
That is how I made mine....4-1 maybe now that they are back I will try my own again. I don't add dye to mine, the stuff I buy comes red.
omigosh I want to see that squirrel flinging action! Well, I hope it doesn't hurt them, but they are agile little things so I'm not worried lol.
The feeders I've had in the past were for birds (not hummingbirds), so they were filled with seeds and such, but the squirrels love them for some reason. I'd appreciate if you could find that link
Here you go, click on one of the pictures of the feeders then click on the link that says Watch The video
http://www.backyardbird.com/moelsqprbife.html
A 4-pound bag of sugar costs me $1.50 on sale and will last for months. Once the sugar is dissolved in the boiling water it will stay dissolved (the same concept used to make sweet tea) so I just keep the extra nectar in an old tupperware bottle in the fridge:
Thanks go to my sweet bride for the lovely artwork on the bottle
LOL! That's pretty funny! I was thinking about hanging a birdfeeder off an awning over a big window we have in the backyard so my mom could just see right out.. but that means the squirrel would probably fall 10 feet, and I don't want to hurt the poor thing... maybe I'll get this and just stick it into the ground. My mom would probably have fun watching the squirrels fly off lol
I used to have a feeder on top of a pole in front of a picture window. To keep the squirrels off I'd grease the pole. It was pretty funny watching them but eventually they would wipe the grease off and eat away. There are a variety of squirrelproof feeders on that page I'm sure you'll find one that suits your purpose.