It's official!
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@George-K said in It's official!:
i saw a picture of a hummingbird with an extraordinarily long beak.
Amazing creature.
We only get the ruby-throated hummers here, but other parts of the world get the really stunning varieties. If you've not read about them, look online or get some books from your local library. It's worth the read.
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I should admit that I am rather pleased to FINALLY have the first SE Minnesoooota official sighting. Let's just say there will be some disappointed folks in a few other locations here. We have some folks who have been the first to post a sighting nearly every year, and it has been my ridiculous and competitive goal to beat them to it for at least once. 2022 did not disappoint me, but it will be a disappointment for some others. Nanner nanner.
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@brenda said in It's official!:
I should admit that I am rather pleased to FINALLY have the first SE Minnesoooota official sighting. Let's just say there will be some disappointed folks in a few other locations here. We have some folks who have been the first to post a sighting nearly every year, and it has been my ridiculous and competitive goal to beat them to it for at least once. 2022 did not disappoint me, but it will be a disappointment for some others. Nanner nanner.
I love it!
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“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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@mark said in It's official!:
@brenda said in It's official!:
I should admit that I am rather pleased to FINALLY have the first SE Minnesoooota official sighting. Let's just say there will be some disappointed folks in a few other locations here. We have some folks who have been the first to post a sighting nearly every year, and it has been my ridiculous and competitive goal to beat them to it for at least once. 2022 did not disappoint me, but it will be a disappointment for some others. Nanner nanner.
I love it!
I'm glad someone can enjoy and understand such a weird and pointless goal, and the thrill of finally making it happen.
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We didn't have very many this year. Maybe they're all headed to Minnesooota...
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@Jolly said in It's official!:
We didn't gave very many this year. Maybe they're all headed to Minnesooota...
Oh, I hope so. My porch is my summer office for working from home. Having the hummers makes it hardly seem like work. They keep me company throughout the day, and entertain me during breaks. I get tremendous enjoyment from these little birds.
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@89th said in It's official!:
Cool! We have a hummingbird feeder we are going to put out soon.
Your first year may take longer for the hummers to find your feeders, but they eventually will. From then on, they will remember and return each season. Your kids will love when you have several hummers chasing each other. If possible, have 3 or more feeders in various locations, which will encourage more hummers to use them. That's when the real fun begins.
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@brenda said in It's official!:
@89th said in It's official!:
Cool! We have a hummingbird feeder we are going to put out soon.
Your first year may take longer for the hummers to find your feeders, but they eventually will. From then on, they will remember and return each season. Your kids will love when you have several hummers chasing each other. If possible, have 3 or more feeders in various locations, which will encourage more hummers to use them. That's when the real fun begins.
Bring on the hummers, I say.
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@89th said in It's official!:
@brenda said in It's official!:
@89th said in It's official!:
Cool! We have a hummingbird feeder we are going to put out soon.
Your first year may take longer for the hummers to find your feeders, but they eventually will. From then on, they will remember and return each season. Your kids will love when you have several hummers chasing each other. If possible, have 3 or more feeders in various locations, which will encourage more hummers to use them. That's when the real fun begins.
Bring on the hummers, I say.
I'm so glad you are starting right away this year. If the prior owners had hummingbird feeders, you will reap the benefits of that with birds already coming to your property. If they didn't feed hummers, you may also have some that already come to your neighborhood.
Your place can be the new home for females and babies that want to get away from a domineering male. The females will appreciate not getting chased away from the feeders so much when they are nesting and raising their babies.
Did you know they like little swings? I make them swings using copper wire, a small branch as a perch, and some red glass heart-shaped beads for decoration. It encourages the hummers to perch in locations where you can see them. I'll take a picture tomorrow and post it for you.
If your wife loves hummers, make her a hummingbird swing for Mothers day, and include a cute feeder. There are some art glass feeders available through Amazon. You would have it in time to give it to her for Mothers day.
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I was working out in the front garden last week and saw a big red glitterly headed hummingbird bobbing in and out of the saliva. It stayed there for a good chunk of time. Google said it was a male calypte anna and that it's pretty common in the Pacific Coast. I've been in this house for 25 years and we get hummingbirds all the time, but I have never seen this kind of hummingbird before. His entire head was red and sparkly.
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Friday, you have such a great location for attracting hummers, and they are year-round residents in your climate. Even Oregon has several types of hummers that are permanent residents. They tend to be larger than our migrating seasonal ruby throats.
Have you ever put out feeders to bring them into view regularly and closer? When we visit our kiddo in Oregon, I set up a couple feeders on her balcony, which faces a small stream and wooded area. We always get some hummers immediately. It's a small balcony with room for just two or three chairs. The hummers come within arm's reach of us. It's amazing how confident they are. They'll use a swing there on the balcony, which gives another opportunity to see them up close. We've seen several different types of hummers just at her balcony.
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@brenda said in It's official!:
@89th said in It's official!:
@brenda said in It's official!:
@89th said in It's official!:
Cool! We have a hummingbird feeder we are going to put out soon.
Your first year may take longer for the hummers to find your feeders, but they eventually will. From then on, they will remember and return each season. Your kids will love when you have several hummers chasing each other. If possible, have 3 or more feeders in various locations, which will encourage more hummers to use them. That's when the real fun begins.
Bring on the hummers, I say.
I'm so glad you are starting right away this year. If the prior owners had hummingbird feeders, you will reap the benefits of that with birds already coming to your property. If they didn't feed hummers, you may also have some that already come to your neighborhood.
Your place can be the new home for females and babies that want to get away from a domineering male. The females will appreciate not getting chased away from the feeders so much when they are nesting and raising their babies.
Did you know they like little swings? I make them swings using copper wire, a small branch as a perch, and some red glass heart-shaped beads for decoration. It encourages the hummers to perch in locations where you can see them. I'll take a picture tomorrow and post it for you.
If your wife loves hummers, make her a hummingbird swing for Mothers day, and include a cute feeder. There are some art glass feeders available through Amazon. You would have it in time to give it to her for Mothers day.
89th, I almost forgot to tell you about the importance of using ant moats. Perhaps you already know of them, but in case you don't, you will need them. Here's what they look like:
Hang the ant moat filled with water, then hang the feeder from the hook at the bottom of the moat. Don't allow any branches to touch the feeder, or ants will use that as an access point. Ants will take over the feeder and make it unattractive to the hummers. The moat stops ants very well, as long as you keep water in it, and have moats large enough, such as these.
The homemade swing in this pic is quite old now, and not in the best condition, but the hummers still love it.
I use two strands of copper wire to make the arch, one for the basic shape, and the second wrapped around the first to help hold its shape. Either the first or second wire can be used to create the hanger loop at the top, and a scrap of wire can be made into the hanger to attach to the top of the arch. This one has a beaded bracelet added as a hanger. It was some sort of freebie in an eBay order that I knew I wouldn't wear, so I added it to the swing for spring to get the hummers' attention.
The branch for the perch needs to be very thin, as the hummers feet are incredibly small. Most commercially available hummer swings use perches that are entirely too large for hummer feet. People have given me hummer swings, and the birds will not use them. They love the homemade ones that fit their feet.
The dimensions of the swing are at least 6" wide and 8" tall, not including the hanger. Because this is for your beautiful bride, and you love her so much, include some red glass beads, which will help attract the hummers, too. Get beads drilled with a hole from top to bottom, not just a tiny hole at the top that can easily break. About 20 to 25mm is a good size. These are often very inexpensive. Use the copper wire to attached them to the swing. I dismantle a multistrand copper wire to get just one or two of the very thin stands for this.
You might want to package the supplies for the swing, and have part of Mothers Day include making the swing together. Your oldest kiddo can find thin branches on the ground, your wife can design the layout for the beads or other red trims, and you can do the wire cutting and assembly. It would take less than 20 minutes, so it's a kid-friendly length of time, and your kiddo can be proud to have helped make a fun thing for mommy. When the hummers start using it, your wife and kiddo will definitely smile.
Why do all this?
We had neighbors visiting one evening on our front porch, and the hummers were very active. One of the hummers flew a circle around the wife's head, while her three-year old watched open-mouthed in silent awe just a few feet away sitting on my lap. The dad was watching the little boy, as was I, because that's where the best magic happens. The look on that little guy's face was priceless. The dad burst out laughing when the bird flew off, but the little boy was still speechless for a moment, and then he couldn't stop talking about the whole thing. The mom had not even seen the bird, as it was just above her eye level.
Their family still loves to visit and watch our hummers in action. The little boy is 6 now, almost 7, and he still talks about the bird flying around his mother's head. Little George now has a sister, Hannah, so perhaps this year will be her time to learn to be amazed by these little birds.
You can encourage the hummers to come very near, and it's completely safe. Their flying skills are so excellent, they will not fly into you. If you have a porch or deck, place some feeders on opposite sides of the structure. By doing so, they will learn the shortest route is through the inside of the open porch or deck.
They are such curious birds, they will hover in front of your face to get a good look at you, and don't be afraid of them when they do it. Just smile and enjoy the amazing moment and connection to your summer visitors. They want to know who is their host, and they will remember you in future years.
You can also have feeders inside the area where you relax on your porch or deck, and they will gradually get brave enough to use them within a few feet of you. Use a tabletop feeder stand, or a floor stand to hang a feeder within your outdoor open living space. I find the floor stands work the best for this. World Market sells these for lanterns, but they are also a good height for feeders inside my porch.
Some people have the patience to teach them to feed from a handheld feeder. I've had that happen just once, and the bird's wings were brushing against my hand as he sipped the nectar.
Be a hummer host, and you will never lack for spring and summer outdoor excitement at home.
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@89th said in It's official!:
@brenda said in It's official!:
If your wife loves hummers, make her a hummingbird swing for Mothers day...
Wait, that's all it'll take?
If you make it as a family project, with her as the gift recipient and only having to decide how to decorate it, it would be a great Mother's day experience for her. A fancy feeder to go with it, and a bottle of wine as nectar for the two of you during a dinner you arrange to have delivered, would complete the best day a mom could have.
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@89th You are most welcome! It is important to make it a successful experience, otherwise it ends in frustration and disappointment. I wish someone had shared this type of information with me when I first attempted it 35 years ago. I had a terrible time. It took many years before I had interest in trying again, and with the internet available by that point, it was so much easier and loads more fun. I want you to have the shortcut to success with your hummers.
Post pics, please!
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