Hummingbirds amaze me and I thought I would share some thoughts about them.

We get a lot of hummingbirds in our backyard. I have 18 different hanging baskets and potted plants on the back deck. There is also a Crepe Myrtle right off the deck w/butterfly bushes along the back of the house. I also put out a couple of hummingbird feeders. The deck is right off the screened in porch and there is access to the porch w/French doors from the kitchen, Living room, and Master Bedroom. Thus, we have a lot of great views of the deck and beyond. We love watching the hummingbirds daily. They are just so fascinating.

My son showed me a video of a guy who was feeding a hummingbird by hand. I thought that was cool and I have started to do it myself. Here is the video my son showed me. Check it out. It's not long and is really cool.



Yesterday, I noticed a lot of commotion on the deck w/hummingbirds. I watched them off and on all day. It looked like one bird was chasing away the other hummingbirds away from the feeders. I looked it up and occasionally a male hummingbird is very territorial and will chase others away. They advised that the feeders be spread out more. I'll try that and see if it works.

Here are some cool hummingbird facts:

--They migrate across great distances. One species travels 4,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska every spring.

--There are over 300 different hummingbird species.

--They can fly backwards.

--They weigh about as much as a nickel.

--They build their nests w/spider webs.

--They take about 150 breaths a minute.

--They flap their wings 52-62 times per second.

--They can fly at 37 MPH and reach speeds of 60 MPH when doing their courtship dive.

--They often return to the same place each year.

--They are very aggressive and chase larger birds away from their feeding spots.

Cool, huh?

Hummingbirds are magic.

I have had feeders for many many years. I hang the feeders from the facia boards less than a foot from my bedroom and living room windows.

Sometimes I will hold the feeders and they come right it. They are constant entertainment.

Here in Georgia we get ruby throated birds. They are by far the most common. Out West I fed other species.

Last year one was flying erratically and my daughter caught it. It had gotten into a big spider web and the webbing caused the problem. I held the bird in my hand and took a small old soft toothbrush and brushed her clean. She was exhausted. I could tell. So I put her in an upside down small wicker wastebasket in a bathroom and turned the lights off. Just let her relax and recover. A couple hours later I took her in the palm of my hand and went outside. I opened my palm and she just sat there. I began to think there was a problem but a minute later she took off. It was great. I was so happy she had recovered.

I grow hummingbird plants like morning-glories and others that they feed on. They show up in April and leave in October sometime.

At times I feed maybe 20 plus. They battle all the time. The deck goes along the whole back of the house. Right next to the deck near my bedroom window is a dogwood tree. The feeders are just a few feet away from that tree. They sit in tree. When I bring out a full feeder they start making this strange high pitched chirp sound. They fly right up to me. When it is empty they hover up and down the bay window looking in. Telling me to fill it up. I stand next to the window I am about a foot away.

They have been a hobby of mine for a long time. They amaze me. They look like they are floating in the air from a short distance away. When the light hits them right they glow iridescent green. The males have the ruby throat. Totally cool birds.

They are cool. Before we sold our house last Sept we had a garden I set up to attract hummingbirds and butterfly's. Hummingbirds do come back. We had several different ones over the years who showed up year after year...like 3-4 years. I suppose they died after that. I knew it was the same ones because they would show up and hover at the windows and if I was out on the deck would hover a foot in front of my face like they were thanking me for having all sorts of goodies in the yard and on the deck. If I talked to them they would hover there for 45 seconds or so, then just zip off.

Good stories, guys. Yeah, peen.......they typically only live 3-5 years. But, just think of how much effort they put into everything.

If anyone else wants to attract hummingbirds, here are a couple of more things to think about in addition to what bone, peen, and I have already said.

Try to hang the feeders in the shade as much as possible, especially in hot climates like the 3 of us live in.

They are attracted to red, orange, yellow, and pink colors. They can't smell, but have great eyesight.

Try to use clear nectar. Some hummingbirds get sick from the red dye.

Thus, buy feeders that are already colored.

It's a good idea to buy feeders that have moats on them. You fill this little container at the top of the feeder w/water and it keeps ants from getting into your feeder.

Buy a quality feeder. Some leak and that sticky liquid attracts ants and other critters you don't want around.

If you want to feed them by hand like I do, be patient. At first they avoided me, but then they might fly close when I was watering the flowers in the morning. Later, I would just stand still and one would land on the feeder. I kept getting closer and closer as the days progressed. I think they figure out that you don't want to hurt them. I like to hold the feeder in my palm and raise my index finger up a bit so the bird can use it as a perch. I'm pretty sure that is what the guy in the above video did, as well. Maybe that's where I got that idea?

Try and spread your feeders out about 15 ft apart if you have more than one. But having just one is fine.

If you make your own nectar, change it every two days. If you buy the prepared kind, you can change it about once a week. It's concentrated and not expensive.

I live on a golf course and wake up super early to exercise (usually around 3:45) which means I’m in the kitchen hanging out or watching tv between 5-6:30 .. there has been a family of hummingbirds that visit nearly every morning for probably 3 years.

They are incredible creatures and seem very intelligent. I almost think they wait for me to come to the window to say hello haha

They are so cool. We get quite a few in our yard also. This guy posed for me one evening.

Looking up facts, they weigh less than a nickel!

Easy to make the sugar water.

4 to 1 ratio. 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. I filter the water then boil it with the sugar. They usually drain an 8oz bottle in 2 days.

Pay attention to any dark spots inside the glass (mold). I clean the feeders thoroughly each time I put in new juice.

At one time I had feeders in every window. It got to be to much. I had a lot of birds. Now two feeders is all I keep.

I am going to get a solar water pump that creates a fountain. They love misting sprays or fountains. There are bags of seeds for flowering plants made for hummingbirds.

My backyard is natural woods no lawn just a deck. I get deer, racoons, fox, and all kinds of birds, lots of hawks and owls. I like the deer. Sometimes around now fawns sleep in the backyard. I think the same doe has raised a few generations there. There are good number that cruise the area they move all around. They show up in the morning and early evening. I like most all creatures. I really like the hawks and owls. I have gotten very close to some of them even though they are wary. I hear the owls at night. They are harder to spot. I was raised a nature guy and love the outdoors. You can make friends with just about any animal if you can gain their trust. I have watched nature shows my whole life. Big fan of Cesar Millan. I love dogs. It hurts not having one. I do have a cat that I love. But I miss not having a dog. The last one was the end.

That's a great picture!

Great picture. How do you do that? I have a picture of one in my palm.

I need the info from phone to Board. I don't know how to do that.

Good point about cleaning the feeder. Also, I was going to add that they love bird baths w/spray as one of my facts. You are right in that they do love that. They say that some will even fly through sprinklers.

Don't forget to make your own sugar water...don't use the red stuff. It is known to cause cancer in Hummers.

A good flash w/high speed sync. You have to anticipate where the bird's head will be and lock your focus and meter on that particular spot. In that low light, I had to be exact with the lens wide open, as you can see the head in focus and other parts of the bird are not. You have to use and extremely fast shutter speed if you want to stop the wings, that just wasn't doable in that situation.

If you want to post pics to the board from your phone, you have to use a hosting site, upload the pic there and then copy the image url into the image upload box here. There are free sites available, I've used Imgur.com for years without an issue.

My theory (unproven) is that the offspring return to the places they were born. If my theory holds, that means we've been hosting multiple generations from the originals who started visiting us years ago. I like that thought. It makes them seem more like family. We have 8 stations on our property, 5 water sources and tons of plant life that they love. I love to watch them feed from Coral Bell blossoms. The flowers are tiny-just slightly larger than the head of a pin. To see them hover, then dart in for a sip never ceases to fascinate. In addition, their wings cause the neighboring flowers and stems waft back and forth as they sip from those tiny little targets. Hypnotic.

The backyard aerial dogfights are spectacular. High-speed chases, then one will stop on a dime and just hover like it's frozen in mid-air.

I also love it when they come in for a sip of water when I'm using the garden hose.


Yeah, they are one of Summer's best features, that's for sure.



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The property my house sits on slopes from front to back. There were terraces made from railroad ties and over 30 they rotted.

I had to have the railroad ties dug out and then replaced with stone. It was a major job. Now I will be able to plant on those terraces.

Next spring I am going to plant all the best habitat plants for hummingbirds and have a solar fountain for them. The goal is to have a great habitat for them and use the feeders as extra food.

When I first see them in the Spring it is always a good sign. Like you I do believe that offspring return to where they were born just like salmon.

I really like this theory and I am adopting it not only because it makes some sense, but it's just makes me feel good.

There's an Amazon Prime "movie" available right now. David Attenborough - 2013 "Hummingbirds".

Thanks. I'll check it out.

I have seen it more than once and keep it saved.

It is excellent. Some of the species not seen here are incredible. But it also explains how they evolved and are so specialized.

I don't miss that kind of show. I have watched the same format on dogs, cats, horses, bears and others. Animal behavior fascinates me. When I was living near Reno. I would take my binoculars on a regular basis and watch the valley south of Carson City. In the spring cattle birth their young. Bald and golden eagles would show up to eat the afterbirth. Migratory fowl stop all over the valley. Cranes, and all kinds of waterfowl use the valley during the spring. There are all kinds of professional photographers that show up to take pictures.

I have a hummingbird feeder hanging approx 6' away from our backyard double sliders.

It's a riot sitting on our patio watching them chase each other away. They really don't like to share.

I agree... I spent last week in Maine at my aunt's house (for most of the week). She has a TON of humming birds!! They are amazing creatures! So beautiful... humming birds and seahorses are two of my favorite animals...

These guys don't mind sharing.

That's freaking crazy!

Lol wow!

We have 2 feeders and activity from sunup to sundown. They are wild.

It would be interesting to know where that was that had all those birds?

Maybe SE Tennessee isn't the best place? I tried to attract them, and usually had 4-5 birds who seemed to come back and stick around until migration, and several transients here nd there, but nothing like that.

I think 4-5 birds is a nice number. I don't think I would want that many birds on my deck. LOL

That was right in Studio City CA. They actually have a live cam: