# I got a hummingbird - they're back **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041 "2011-05-16T00:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/1 "2011-05-16T00:07:44Z")
I just made some nectar during the week and hung up the hummingbird feeder, and son of a gun, there’s the tiniest, tiniest hummer out there today. A resplendent male! He took 40 sips. Later this week I’m going to buy him a fuschia in a hanging basket. ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_N.Cheese)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/2 "2011-05-16T02:07:37Z")
Yep, got three here (St Louis) so far. I took a bunch of pictures last year. I haven’t started taking any yet this year. Here’s a few from lst year: (yes, that’s a hummingbird tongue) [![](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1001435042_AL2zU-L.jpg) ](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1001435042_AL2zU-L.jpg) [![](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1001434726_FwUpD-L.jpg) ](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1001434726_FwUpD-L.jpg) [![](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1001436219_Xza9C-L.jpg) ](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1001436219_Xza9C-L.jpg) [![](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1001430434_2Lb5E-L.jpg) ](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1001430434_2Lb5E-L.jpg) I’m glad they’re back, I’ve been waiting for them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/3 "2011-05-16T02:10:28Z")
I’m buying sugar for nectar tomorrow, but I hope they don’t show up just yet. More snow is expected this week, and cold temps. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/4 "2011-05-16T02:23:02Z")
I hear that hummingbirds are the bullies of the bird world. That if you don’t fix your feeders just right, you often get one bully hummingbird stopping all his hummingbird buddies from feeding, just 'cause he’s on a power trip 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/5 "2011-05-16T02:26:51Z")
Roomie put up two small feeders with red stuff in them yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/6 "2011-05-16T02:46:58Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I hear that hummingbirds are the bullies of the bird world. That if you don’t fix your feeders just right, you often get one bully hummingbird stopping all his hummingbird buddies from feeding, just 'cause he’s on a power trip 🙂 They’re certainly bold little creatures…I’ve had several encounters where a hummingbird would fly right up to me, stare for a few moments, then zip away. The hummingbird tongue picture is awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/7 "2011-05-16T03:34:32Z")
Me love the hummingbird love! We got flocks of them, they seem to enjoy annoying the cats. bbzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/8 "2011-05-16T20:11:15Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I hear that hummingbirds are the bullies of the bird world. Basically correct - they are very pugnacious. But charming nonetheless ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/9 "2011-05-16T21:35:04Z")
We got one yesterday in Middle Of Nowhere, Appalachia. :D! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/10 "2011-05-16T21:42:53Z")
Ours are back too – north central Iowa – as well as some orioles eating grape jelly like crazy – our first time with orioles! We fed finches for awhile but they make too much of a mess, and the seed is expensive. ETA: Everyone knows it’s not necessary to color the water – the hummers don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![deedeeknowit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@deedeeknowit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deedeeknowit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/11 "2011-05-16T22:12:34Z")
I’ve had a few sightings at our feeder too. I just love hummingbirds. Makes me happy to see them feeding. They hit every one of our hanging/flowering plants on the way to the feeder. So cute! ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/12 "2011-05-16T22:16:07Z")
They are year round visitors here, we have a feeders in both front and back. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/13 "2011-05-17T03:58:16Z")
We got ours back about a week ago - good thing we ignored the advice not to bother filling the feeders until June. Interestingly, at the other new feeder, we also saw a goldfinch (male) for the first time ever, and it’s the same old sunflower seeds. I guess they just weren’t into eating off the railing like the usual tit mice-chickadee-nutch hatch-woodpecker-blue jay-cardinal [crowd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-species_feeding_flock#In_the_Holarctic) has always been content to. You know what’s really pitiful? A lil hummingbird, out in the pouring rain, so soaking wet that they’re holding onto the feeder in a death grip so they don’t have to flap their ency wings. Poor guys, we saw two like that yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/14 "2011-05-17T04:16:22Z")
Hummingbirds are another thing I miss about New Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/15 "2011-05-17T04:52:42Z")
A few have showed up out here. I have a yard full of hummingbird friendly plants for them. Last year I went up to Sandia Peak with the Audubon Society and there were swarms of them on the feeders–people could actually walk up and put their hands behind the birds’ legs and get a hummingbird to sit on their fingers. (I’ve also got grosbeaks, which have enormous heads and can eat a seed cake faster than any other bird I’ve ever seen.) ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/16 "2011-05-17T06:43:51Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hummingbirds are another thing I miss about New Mexico. Me too. I lived in Corrales, NM in 1994-95. I stayed in a hostel once in Cuba, NM. They had feeders and flowering plants everywhere. There were many different breeds. I have a photo of myself standing in this terrific courtyard with hummingbirds literally all around me. I walked around with a smile on my face the whole weekend. They are such amazing birds. Their annual migration alone is just mind blowing. Putting my feeder up, I miss them. Here in Oregon we definitely see them, but not like that. NM is a special place. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/17 "2011-05-17T14:07:20Z")
I’ve also got a trio of rosebreasted grosbeaks loitering in my window feeder, hitting up the sunflower seed all day. Two males - one short n’ chubby, one tall n’ skinny, and one (I think one) female, who looks like a gigantic sparrow. With white eyeliner. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/18 "2011-05-17T14:09:57Z")
Ooo I don’t have my feeder out yet! I hope I don’t miss them. Last year they were scarce for some reason; I had a lot the year before. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/19 "2011-05-17T16:49:44Z")
The wife spotted 2 last week, and I saw one yesterday afternoon. We’ve had the feeder up for a month, and just last week started putting out this year’s potted flowers. Hummingbird smorgasbord! Does caffeine works on birds? Because I could see making nectar with energy water and seeing if they explode like the mosquito in the Tabasco commercial. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041/20 "2011-05-17T18:27:28Z")
You are a bad, bad man. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-hummingbird-theyre-back/582041.md?page=2)