Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Hummingbirds

Use boiling water in a very clean Pyrex container to dissolve sugar. Sugar can/may contain mycotoxins and bacteria that are not helpful to hummers.

A bluebird built a nest on the rafters of our 5-stand shooting house this Spring. Kept flying back and forth to it while all the geezers were blasting away. Maybe she was deaf.

A yellow-billed cuckoo often flies past right in front as well while we shoot. The ones around my house fly away if I even look in their general direction.

Go figure.

Also, If your hummers aren't drinking the feeder empty after 5-7 days, you may need to empty, clean, and refill. Sugar water hanging in the hot Georgia summer will get funky in that period and the birds quit hitting it.

Do make your own nectar substitute with sugar.

Got mom, dad, and two youngsters sucking the feeder dry fast. It's been a record hot summer, and they come at daylight and dusk. They usually leave the end of August to early September when we get our first cold snaps.

I hate to see the little bombers go. They get to know us well and will hover close and perch close.

Same here. I have 6 feeders out and lately ever one has been guarded by a male. If any other hummingbird come near it gets chased off. It gets a little sporting at times. The little buggers can get pretty loud at times too. They're all trying to bulk up for their journey south. Lots of them buzzing around now. Quite amusing!

We have Anna's and Rufous here. About 10 or more now. Sometimes see 6 on the same feeder. I don't like the bullies. I love birds and bird watching but keep kidding my wife that I am going to get a badminton racquet to swat the bullies.

Got too many ruby throats for the bullies to keep them off, even though they try. Have 2 32oz feeders 10 feet apart and they empty every 4 days. Have up to six on the feeders and another 6-10 buzzing around. Bumper crop this year.

Her, the ruby throats show up in late August.
They are the bullies. Most are black-chinned.

My clear panel polycarbonate open air sunroom claims about 2, sometimes 3 per season.

They fly straight in at ground level and then fly up into the open beams and rafters toward the sky. Buzz around for hours beating themselves against the panels until they expire. Imagine a 24x24 green house with open side walls.

My eve ends are clear boxed in too. If they’s just come down to 8ft height, they can fly out to the garden and grill area.

I could stop feeding and try to eliminate the draw. But they are here for the Rose of Sharon, wall of petunias and crape myrtles

Not one pic.....

Not one video

3 page thread.

Sheesh...

You could hang something red below your eve ends. Only hang it when you have one that is stuck. That works for me when I get one in the garage.

In garages, it's that red handle on your door opener release that lures them in. I removed mine and tied a loop knot to grab.

A Bubba Wallace noose? The FBI should be showing up soon.

Happened upon a hummingbird trapped in a black and yellow garden spider's fancy web once in wife's flower garden. Thought it was a big moth at first glance but a closer look saw it really was a little hummer. Pulled it off but it was practically lifeless, couldn't even hold it's head up. Managed to get most of the web off it and tried forcing it little beak into nectar feeder. After a half dozen or so tries it slowly started to drink and showing signs that it might survive. Few more shots of nectar and it was back to it's old self again. Opened my hand and off it flew...

Recalled times while squirrel hunting seeing countless hummingbirds feeding on wild flower nectar. With spider webs so common in the woods, it occurred to me that most likely hummingbirds often get trapped in spider webs and just die there from starvation since they must eat so frequently. Also, hummingbirds use spider web 'silk' in making their nests.

Well, it's a sad day for me. The bulk of my beloved hummies have departed.

Yesterday, I saw as many as eight of them swarming each of my feeders. Today, I saw only two birds total.

Historically, they have migrated right after the August full moon, but this time the full was quite early. They stuck around about 10 more days - to my delight and pleasure.

I wish them well on their long journey south and await the first male arriving next April.

They're just starting to get wound up tight here. We have 6 feeders and they started fighting over all of them yesterday. Go figure - it's the same 6 or so birds that got along (mostly) all summer.

And my hummingbird pictures all suck. I had a video of a mating dance happening all around Mrs. Geno somewhere but that was about three phones back - lol.

didn't realize they left this early. I only have 2 that hang around. Was hoping to see them a few more days

We had a dozen or so all summer. Down to 2, both female. I hate to see them go

For whatever reason, there seems to be a hummingbird bonanza this year, both at the house in the city and down at the farm.

Just in the past few weeks, I've started seeing hummers nearly every day. We haven't been feeding them-- been too busy with Chemo Camp, etc.

One thing worth noting: these hummers are generally 2/3rds scale from what we normally see. Are these fledglings fresh from the nest or what?