# See you next year, little hummingbirds **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 14, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687 "2011-10-14T23:30:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [October 14, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/1 "2011-10-14T23:30:59Z")
I haven’t seen any hummingbirds for a couple of weeks now. I’ll leave the feeders up a while longer in case there are some stragglers, but I think that’s about it for the hummers this year. Take care little ones, I’ll see you in April. Don’t fall off the geese on your way south. 😃 I envy those that have them year 'round. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/2 "2011-10-14T23:44:21Z")
Haven’t attracted hummingbirds for years, but once the snow starts falling here in Michigan I start putting out seed and suet for the birds, and do it all winter until thaw. It’s just a happy little thing to do first thing in the morning and I get to watch them from my office window over morning coffee. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/3 "2011-10-15T00:29:13Z")
That’s a perk of living in the desert - We have hummers year 'round. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/4 "2011-10-15T00:45:02Z")
> [@campp](#): > > That’s a perk of living in the desert - We have hummers year 'round. 🙂 Must not… make… obvious joke… augh I agree, hummingbirds are quite nice! 😃 ---
**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:** [October 15, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/5 "2011-10-15T00:50:01Z")
Dodging the obvious…us too. They’ve been hitting our feeder hard all summer. I think it’s because I make it strong. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/6 "2011-10-15T01:09:44Z")
We get Anna’s Hummingbirds year round in Oregon. Also chickadees, bushtits and juncos. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/7 "2011-10-15T02:13:48Z")
Bushtits… snicker… Sorry, inner 10-year-old escaped for a minute there. My hummers have been gone for a couple weeks now, I’ll put the feeder back up around Mother’s Day. I miss them when they’re gone. Cheap entertainment for the cat. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/8 "2011-10-15T02:14:10Z")
I grow (or rather, allow to grow) passion flower vine every year for the butterflies. I was out of town this year when the cattipilars hatched to eat the vine, spin their little pupae and spring forth into beautiful shining spinning flying stained glass. Damn it, I missed the show I look forward to each year. Bud I did get to see .38 Special. It was worth it. The vines will grow next year, little ones, your food source is assured. Sleep well this winter… ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/9 "2011-10-15T03:10:41Z")
Hmmm, have to look. We still had hummers last weekend here in Seattle. Got the kiddos a hummingbird feeder and they have been diligently making sugar water and keeping it filled. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/10 "2011-10-15T04:26:21Z")
How do you get them to come to your neck of the woods? Our local birder advised us to put out red flowers and nectar but we’ve never had any luck attracting any hummingbirds. I’m in NJ. I’d love to see them again. They were delightfully everywhere when we went to Costa Rica for two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/11 "2011-10-15T04:38:47Z")
Just in the walk to and from my car at work I’ll see phoebes, juncos, seagulls, robins, crows, hummingbirds, mockingbirds, hawks and assorted Pacific Flyway birds from the wildlife refuge a couple of miles away. Sadly I don’t ever think I’ll see a burrowing owl out here again. They used to be fairly plentiful but their habitat got all eaten up. ---
**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:** [October 15, 2011, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/12 "2011-10-15T06:46:53Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > How do you get them to come to your neck of the woods? Our local birder advised us to put out red flowers and nectar but we’ve never had any luck attracting any hummingbirds. I’m in NJ. I’d love to see them again. They were delightfully everywhere when we went to Costa Rica for two weeks. You have to make some _really_ tiny signs with the words Free Food written on them. 🙂 According to this [map](http://www.rubythroat.org/RTHURangeMap1big.html), hummingbirds should be in NJ. I just make the standard 4:1 water:sugar ratio and put it in [these](http://www.aspectsinc.com/382_LFHZR.html) feeders. They always seem to find it. There are cheaper feeders, but I would still stick to the same saucer type form factor for easy cleaning and refilling. And they don’t drip. I use the small ones because my guests are very territorial. Try one or two saucer style feeders next year and I’ll bet you get some. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/13 "2011-10-15T11:58:34Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Must not… make… obvious joke… augh > > I agree, hummingbirds are quite nice! 😃 OK, I’ll bite. What’s the joke? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/14 "2011-10-15T15:13:49Z")
> [@campp](#): > > OK, I’ll bite. What’s the joke? > **[Urban Dictionary: hummer](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hummer)** > > hummer: 1. Even \[better than\] a blowjob, it's when the person actually hums/vibrates their lips while their mouth is around \[your cock\]. > 2. One of the least... ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/15 "2011-10-15T17:50:21Z")
:rolleyes: Well, at least my statement is accurate on many levels. No one around here ever says “hummingbird”. I thought it was perhaps a joke about the desert and Hummers (vehicles). Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/16 "2011-10-15T19:19:35Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > How do you get them to come to your neck of the woods? Our local birder advised us to put out red flowers and nectar but we’ve never had any luck attracting any hummingbirds. I’m in NJ. I’d love to see them again. They were delightfully everywhere when we went to Costa Rica for two weeks. I’m in Upstate NY and ours left on September 7. I put out a hanging basket of fuschia and a nectar feeder the first year and that combination seemed to work. Just try again next year. (I was shocked to actually see that first hummingbird, I was beginning to think they were mythical creatures like unicorns.) I look forward to the winter birds: getting peanuts for bluejays and black oil sunflower seed for cardinals. I get flocks of both! ---
**Author:** ![\_Olive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/4af34b/32.png) [@\_Olive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Olive)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/17 "2011-10-15T22:07:53Z")
i love hummingbirds …sadly we don’t have them in hawaii … ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/18 "2011-10-15T23:38:52Z")
I just put up a second feeder for 'em. Maybe now they’ll fight a little less over the first feeder. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-you-next-year-little-hummingbirds/599687/19 "2011-10-16T00:00:26Z")
> [@campp](#): > > OK, I’ll bite. What’s the joke? No, please don’t bite.