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Post by shescrafty on May 27, 2015 18:12:52 GMT
How long after we put up a hummingbird feeder can we expect to get any birds to come drink?
Also-I hung it it from a hook near a red petunia hanging basket. Is that a good place or should it be on its own and out more by itself?
Thanks in advance for your help-my daughter has always wanted one and I got one today:)
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Post by rst on May 27, 2015 18:50:01 GMT
You may have to be patient, or you could get lucky and have some within a day or two. Hummingbirds seem to "remember" good spots, so we've found that they will come use our feeders really soon after we hang them. Close to colorful flowers is a good place. It's a good idea to choose a location that won't put them at increased risk from cats or other predators too.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on May 27, 2015 18:58:29 GMT
A couple years ago I had a hummingbird feeder, and the day after I hung it, I had a bird come. The next day I had three circling it.
It was amazing.
And the pp is right. They do remember good places to dine.
They are absolutely beautiful.
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Deleted
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Oct 7, 2024 11:19:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 18:58:40 GMT
Be sure to replace the nectar each week and thoroughly wash and rinse the feeder  |
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on May 27, 2015 19:07:19 GMT
Ours came almost immediately. But don't get discouraged if it takes them awhile to find you. Sometimes ours go on vacation and are gone for a few days. But we still replace the nectar and wash the feeder weekly.
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~Susan~
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Post by ~Susan~ on May 27, 2015 19:35:41 GMT
Ours came almost immediately. But don't get discouraged if it takes them awhile to find you. Sometimes ours go on vacation and are gone for a few days. But we still replace the nectar and wash the feeder weekly. They have probably gone off to mate. I love hummingbirds. I have one feeder that hangs in front of my kitchen sink and has perches on it. I love it when they sit down take the time to drink. |
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happymomma
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Post by happymomma on May 27, 2015 19:43:59 GMT
I adore those little creatures! I'm glad you posted this because I need to fill the liquid up in my feeder. I have my feeder in the corner of the yard away from most of the 'action' and they come around frequently. Here is a great video, not mine though. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td6LqD_rUUY |
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georgiapea
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Post by georgiapea on May 27, 2015 19:54:10 GMT
That video was fabulous. A traffic jam of hummingbirds. Loved it when hey would pause on the person's hand.
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~Susan~
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You need to check your boobs, mine tried to kill me!!!
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Post by ~Susan~ on May 27, 2015 20:00:23 GMT
I adore those little creatures! I'm glad you posted this because I need to fill the liquid up in my feeder. I have my feeder in the corner of the yard away from most of the 'action' and they come around frequently. Here is a great video, not mine though. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td6LqD_rUUYI'm absolutely jealous! My birds can't play nice long enough to have that many feed at one time. I only get about 4 at a time. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 20:04:47 GMT
Just watched the video--holy cow that's a lot of hummingbirds in one place!
TFS.
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Post by rst on May 27, 2015 21:04:28 GMT
We just got a new feeder that I really like. It uses standard water bottles so I make up a big batch of nectar, freeze the extra bottles and then can toss the used bottle -- no trying to wash the insides of a feeder anymore.
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iowgirl
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Post by iowgirl on May 27, 2015 21:07:29 GMT
As said above - keep that feeder CLEAN!!!
You can make them very sick if you are not willing to keep the feeder really clean. Don't put so much nectar in it that you are not cleaning on a frequent basis.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on May 27, 2015 21:28:24 GMT
Having moved several times, I have had to re-establish my little hummingbird population each time. Usually if I hang the feeder in a good spot and there are flowers near it, they come pretty quickly. Once though I hung a feeder at a new house and got nothing. I was going to give up - or at least move it to a new location the next year. But my mama said, leave it, they'll come. And they did the second year. Probably more than I'd ever had at any other feeder.
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Post by ljs1691 on May 27, 2015 21:48:59 GMT
Ours have come and gone for mating season. I don't know why but around here they are gone for weeks instead of days. Must be some serious business. I am certain they will be back within the next couple weeks or so.
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Post by shamrock on May 27, 2015 21:49:40 GMT
You might also check the migration pattern for your area. My dad put one up last year that I gave him for Father's Day. No birds. Came to find out that it was already past the time they are typically in the area.
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Post by karenl on May 27, 2015 21:57:48 GMT
rst, can you share where you got the feeder that uses the water bottle?
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Post by rst on May 27, 2015 22:31:40 GMT
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Post by shescrafty on May 27, 2015 23:51:32 GMT
Thank you all! The petunia basket that it is near has red petunias with yellow insides like the feeder-I figured htt was a good start!
I plan on cleaning it once a week-is that enough?
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scrapaddie
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Post by scrapaddie on May 28, 2015 0:15:14 GMT
Besides the hummingbird feeder, I also have Trumpetvine. They adore Trumpetvine but for nesting am feeding.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 0:22:18 GMT
We live in a house and my back neighbour lives in a house. We have a feeder and she has a feeder. Both our feeders get fed from every day. Her feeder has 3 birds sometimes feeding from it. Our birds fight to feed from ours one at a time. Keep in mind the houses are not that far apart. Why do they fight at my house and peacefully feed at her's? They also tease the heck out of her dog. They just left my old girl alone. Weird, eh?
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Nicole in TX
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Post by Nicole in TX on May 28, 2015 0:26:38 GMT
We just got a new feeder that I really like. It uses standard water bottles so I make up a big batch of nectar, freeze the extra bottles and then can toss the used bottle -- no trying to wash the insides of a feeder anymore. Could you link a source?  Nevermind, I saw you already did! |
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on May 28, 2015 1:01:35 GMT
@happymomma - That's a lot of humming birds and I can't believe the feeder is in a hand! We have a lot here too, but not that many. The most we've had is 9 buzzing around at one time.
It's funny because during the daytime, one guy sits in the tree and chases off all the others. But as soon as it starts getting dark, they all play nice and feed together.
We have two feeders.
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happymomma
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Post by happymomma on May 28, 2015 18:40:54 GMT
The video is not mine, but I actually did have a hummingbird land in my hand once!
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Post by shescrafty on May 28, 2015 22:43:32 GMT
The video is not mine, but I actually did have a hummingbird land in my hand once! Wow you must be very patient! |
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Post by LilyRose on May 28, 2015 23:45:23 GMT
I put my feeder up over the weekend and saw my first hummer yesterday morning (but it's been in that location in the past). I'm actually pea'ing on the deck at the moment, so I swung around to glance at said feeder, and hummer!
FYI on the nectar (not sure what you are using)..general consensus on the FB birding sites I frequent is the the bottled red nectar is bad for them. It's very easy to make your own--1 part sugar to 4 parts water. I boil my water (I even use distiller water) in the microwave, then dump in the sugar and stir to dissolve. Let it cool, of course.
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Post by shescrafty on May 29, 2015 0:23:46 GMT
I put my feeder up over the weekend and saw my first hummer yesterday morning (but it's been in that location in the past). I'm actually pea'ing on the deck at the moment, so I swung around to glance at said feeder, and hummer! FYI on the nectar (not sure what you are using)..general consensus on the FB birding sites I frequent is the the bottled red nectar is bad for them. It's very easy to make your own--1 part sugar to 4 parts water. I boil my water (I even use distiller water) in the microwave, then dump in the sugar and stir to dissolve. Let it cool, of course. That is great! I bought a powder that you mix with water that you mix up and pour in. It is red when mixed. do you all think that is safe to use? I was reading last night and after the bag was gone I was going to make my own, but wanted to use what I bought first:) |
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Post by LilyRose on May 29, 2015 0:53:27 GMT
I put my feeder up over the weekend and saw my first hummer yesterday morning (but it's been in that location in the past). I'm actually pea'ing on the deck at the moment, so I swung around to glance at said feeder, and hummer! FYI on the nectar (not sure what you are using)..general consensus on the FB birding sites I frequent is the the bottled red nectar is bad for them. It's very easy to make your own--1 part sugar to 4 parts water. I boil my water (I even use distiller water) in the microwave, then dump in the sugar and stir to dissolve. Let it cool, of course. That is great! I bought a powder that you mix with water that you mix up and pour in. It is red when mixed. do you all think that is safe to use? I was reading last night and after the bag was gone I was going to make my own, but wanted to use what I bought first:) I'd say take a look at the ingredients...if it's anything other than sugar, my thought would be to not risk it. The red dye is certainly not necessary (the red feeders are typically enough to draw them in). |
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Post by shescrafty on May 29, 2015 1:29:49 GMT
I looked and it is sucrose but it must have dye added to make it red-no? I may just boil up the sugar water on my own. I was going to change it weekly, but with more reading I think I will clean it every 3 days and make less until I start getting birds coming. I keep checking it through the window hoping I will see one feeding |
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happymomma
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Post by happymomma on May 29, 2015 2:34:59 GMT
The video is not mine, but I actually did have a hummingbird land in my hand once! Wow you must be very patient! It was amazing and incredible! As silly as it may seem, it actually brought tears to my eyes. Every year the Tray Club for our hospital puts on a Home Tour of 4 or 5 gorgeous area homes to tour. It raises a lot of money for our hospital. It is right around my birthday in September and this year it was ON my birthday. As we were waiting in line to enter one of the homes, we were on the big deck of the house. There were planters all over, I am not sure what they were, possibly Trumpet Vines. There were several hummingbirds fluttering around the plants, RIGHT NEXT TO US! I put my hand out down low and one landed right in my hand. It was almost vibrating, if that makes sense. It didn't stay there for long, but it was beautiful. |
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~Susan~
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Post by ~Susan~ on May 29, 2015 14:40:50 GMT
We have an place near us that the hummingbirds migrate through called Strawberry Plains. It's about 25 miles from my home. We have been there twice and I loved it both times. They catch and band the hummers to help track and study their patterns. My DD got to hold one and I got to feel a heartbeat last year. These creatures are so amazing! |
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Nevermind, I saw you already did! 
Time to get off the internet!