Aug 26-06

Past-E-Mail: Cam Notes - 2006: August: Aug 26-06
Yellow glow    ...scroll down to share comments
Photos by Michele Blau
Fleeting summer    ...scroll down to share comments
Photos by Michele Blau


By
Toivo from Toivola (Toivo) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 10:27 am:

The hummingbirds in these two photos from Michele Blau look real enough that you might just lean in closer to see if you can hear those tiny wings beating. It's unbelievable that a miniature creature like that averages 52 beats per second. No wonder that humming noise is so loud when they buzz by your head. Somewhere I read that, contrary to popular belief, if you leave your feeder out past when these little guys are supposed to be migrating south, they'll still take off anyway. They know when it's going to start getting frigid here UP North and they want no part of it!


By moi (Moi) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 10:47 am:

We leave ours out until they quit coming. They don't hang out until we quit first.
Awesome birds to watch. We have 4 that come steady, and with 4 mounting pegs you'd think they'd eat peacefully. They fight more than anything!


By Sunrise Side MI (Ilovelucy2) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 10:52 am:

Wonderful pictures Michele. I would love to get pictures of these little guys on flowers but they are certainly quick. It is said to leave the sugar water out til the end of Sept. Lots of migrating birds from the North stop by. We had one last year that was in trouble. I grabbed him and I stuck his beak in the feeder and he got his strength back. Wonderful little creatures.


By Deb S. (Usedtobeayooper) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 10:59 am:

Oh those shots are great! I have to say that there's nothing more exciting than having hummingbirds fly by you. It's a little scary at first cuz they sound like bees but they're so darn cute.


By David Soumis (Davesou) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 11:13 am:

great shots !!!

Where do these little guys live?
I can't ever remember seeing a hummingbird nest


By Bob Jewell, Farmington Hills (Rjewell) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 11:24 am:

David
The nests are so small they are hard to find.
http://community-2.webtv.net/hotmail.com/verle33/HummingBirdNest/


By Margaret, Amarillo TX (Margaret) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 11:38 am:

iridescent plumage Trochilidae


By Kathy P. (Katiaire) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 12:38 pm:

fantastic photos, Michele and Bob, thanks for the great link


By k j (Kathiscc) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 01:11 pm:

These are amazing pix! Hummers are my favorite. We have the feeders out, but we've recently planted so many of their favorite perennials, they aren't really using them. I usually put them away when I haven't seen one in a couple weeks. Also, mine seen to like (orange) oriole nectar better than anything. I wonder if Tang would work. Any comments?


By Sunrise Side MI (Ilovelucy2) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 01:44 pm:

Heres the 2005 sight of the Hummingbirds... enjoy!
http://community.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM


By Marsha, Genesee/Aura (Marsha) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 02:10 pm:

I just make sugar water for my hummingbirds in Aura. I make it in a 1 cup glass measuring cup. I fill it more than 3/4 c. full with water, microwave it, and then dissolve almost 1/4 c. sugar in it. I don't even color it. I have one of the feeders that sticks on the window with a suction cup, making it easy to get pictures. We are UP once a month in the summer and as soon as we put the feeder up, they are there within 15 minutes. The rest of the time they are going down our shoreline from neighbor to neighbor.


By David Soumis (Davesou) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 02:20 pm:

wow..those nests are sure tiny...thanks for that link


By JH (Thumbgardener) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 02:49 pm:

Here are a couple links.
http://hummingbirds.net/
http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet/


By JH (Thumbgardener) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 02:54 pm:

Oh, yes, these are really nice pictures! I forgot to add that on my other post.


By kathie Murto (Murtomania) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 03:33 pm:

Those are awesome pictures!! I just put my feeder up the other day because I actually saw a Hummer at my study window. He came right up to the window, wings a flapping but the body was like in a freeze frame. That had to be the most awesome sight I have ever seen from my study window!! I have only seen them once more at my feeders, sure wish I knew when they were coming so I could take a picture of them. Thanks for the beautiful pictures and links!!


By RCW (Rcw) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 07:55 pm:

We ve been get between 10 and 12 Hummers this past month. The boss has to fill the feeder twice most days!!!!


By Fran in GA (Francesinga) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 09:23 pm:

Mine are full of red ants again.They are a pain in the neck. I'll have to clean and fill them again.


By Steve Haagen (Radsrh) on Saturday, August 26, 2006 - 11:04 pm:

Fran most places that sell the feeders sell a little bell shaped hanger. You put petroleum jelly in the bell so ants and other crawling things can not get down to the suger water.

Also I read somewhere maybe on this site that you should boil the water/sugar mix for 5 mins to kill off any bacteria in the mix.


By eugenia r. thompson (Ert) on Sunday, August 27, 2006 - 07:03 am:

We were lucky enough to have a hummingbird nest on a branch over the driveway this year. What a special experience! Two babies fledged.

RE: making nectar at home. Use 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Boil the water, then add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Don't boil the water after the sugar has been added as that causes chemical changes in the sugar. Change the mixture in the feeder every other day in really hot weather. With luck, you'll have enough hummers that the feeder will go empty that quickly.

If you use petroleum jelly in your ant trap, turn it upside down so hummers can't possibly get any on them. Bird specialty stores sell things that are better than using petroleum jelly. Water is probably the best thing to use but evaporates quickly in hot weather.


By Steve Haagen (Radsrh) on Sunday, August 27, 2006 - 09:44 am:

Eugenia the hanger that is sold is shaped just like a old bell, the petroleum jelly goes on the inside of the bell with the feeder hanging from the center. The way it is made the birds can not get near the jelly but the ants would have to crawl over the outside of the bell and can not crawl through the jelly on the inside of the bell to get to the feeder.

Thank you for the info on the suger water that is the way I used to make it then I saw that it should be boiled for 5 mins, I will have to go back to my old ways.


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