Martins and Hummers

[rrmartins]

We have all of our houses and gourds ready for the martins to show at the end of February. We have twenty-two nesting cavities for them this year!!!
Last year we got into hummers and had a little success. We are wondering what is the best forum to join for them?
Thank you

[Birdiegirl]

Hi rrmartins,

I'm not aware of a similar forum for hummingbird enthusiasts- though one may be out there. You might be interested in checking out Journey North https://journeynorth.org/hummingbirds. Similar to PMCA's scout arrival study, on the Journey North site folks can report when and where they are seeing hummingbirds return. Journey North also has something similar to track monarch migration. Pretty neat stuff!

Enjoy your hummingbirds and martins this year! I'm hopeful to have martins return- and usually can expect my first hummingbird around April 20 here in Kentucky

Laura

[ToyinPA]

Plant flowers (https://www.gardendesign.com/flowers/hummingbirds.html) that hummers frequent. Hang your feeders within several feet of the flower plants. I hang them from Shepherd hooks. My neighbor refused to plant flowers they like & had feeders out, but got no hummers. I have flowers they like & got hummers. Do not use red coloring. Make food they suggest using this recipe: 4 parts water 1 part sugar. I bring the water to a boil, stir in the sugar & stir well. Let cool to room temp. You can refrigerate any you have left. I see you are in TX. We only get the Ruby Throat here in PA. I'd hang a few feeders in a shady area too. They also like those smaller yard fountains with gently moving water. They will feed heaviest at daylight & just before dark. Male & Female hummers are both territorial, so hang feeders in front & back of your house if possible. That way more than one can get to a feeder.

We visited a home deep in the woods several years ago. We got to help band hummingbirds. The house had a lot of huge pine trees lining the property, which they love to nest in. They had several lilac bushes, many flowering plants & 38 quart size feeders hang under the roof line of their long L shaped porch. There were hundreds of hummingbirds. I got to hold a few during release. It was an amazing experience.

Can't suggest a forum. Just google Hummingbird forum & several come up.

[rrmartins]

Thank you guys for responding. We also added a monarch butterfly garden as well last year. What a sight, front yard with hummers and monarchs, backyard full of martins.
Our martins usually show up in about three weeks but, only three reported down on the gulf coast, guess we’ll see what happens!!!

[C.C.Martins]

We are constantly setting out our feeders for hummers, amazing birds. They won't forget your place once they find it and remember during their migrations. During the heat well change their water every 3 days sometimes less. If you get swarmed with bees don't be discouraged, there are feeders you can buy that stops them...they cannot get to the sugar water. Called an Aspects hummingbird feeder. The feeder isn't big but hummingbirds like it.
The hummingbird website isn't user friendly, but you can post your sightings.
One thing I learned down here in Corpus is to keep a feeder out long after iv seen the last one. They may be wintering in your area, black chinned hummingbirds winter here.
last year we had 2 rufus hummingbirds stay all winter. One died in the cold I think, it stopped coming around....but the other stuck around until march. Something to think about.
Tom

[rrmartins]

How about domination of feeders? We have all kinds of hummingbird plants but not vey much room to space out the feeders. Also our main flower beds are full sun, do we use the little umbrellas or just leave them in sun and change nectar twice a day. We do have the small shallow feeders with the bee proof pedals? We make our own nectar. Also adding a water attraction, is a mister or fountain better?

[C.C.Martins]

Hey, well Toy had some good suggestions about the domination, place them in front and back or out of sight of each other. Spacing them out is harder as they like to sit near their feeder to defend. I won't repeat toys or others suggestions as they were spot on.

Your flowers will attract and bring in the hummingbirds, the feeders will assist in helping them along their migration and keep them coming back.
Don't sweat having to cover your feeder, put it in some shade if you can, doesnt need to be close to the flowers they will find it. But don't move it around too much, they are pretty good about "their spot". Ours is in full sun in the morning and shade during mid day. One in front is opposite sun and shade but the hummingbirds don't mind. Just keep changing their water....it spoils.
Good question on the water feature....I don't know! We have a small disappearing water feature in front, have seen them bathe in the mist and land on the wet rocks for a bath. Too fun!!!

[rrmartins]

That’s our problem with feeders, we have no shade from ten until late evening. We have no place to hide them from each other. The only tree in our front yard split and died last year in the freeze, it’s all wide open now with lots of flower beds with hummingbird plants and milkweed for the monarch’s. We will go ahead and get a shallow fountain as Toy had advised. Thank you guys for all the great info!!!

[C.C.Martins]

Dont worry about the shade too much just change their water every 2 days during the hottest days. I like what your doing, its a nice transition. monarchs need the help too.

[G Saner]

Tom,

You are correct that the hummers remember your location. I usually put our feeder out in early March for the first time. I fill it, hang it and then go in the house. Almost every year, after I am finished, I go inside and look at the feeder and a hummer is already on it. Less than a minute so I guess they are waiting.

[Birdiegirl]

Agreed! The one spring I didn't have my feeder out yet- I happened to look out my window to see a female hummer hovering in the location where the feeder should have been. The guilt set in instantaneously, and I'm pretty sure I broke the world record speed for nectar-making that day! How amazing and wonderful to see how far they travel, and the precision accuracy with which they return. Hoping to have some martins do that this year too.

One thing to add in this thread- hummingbirds seem to like to have perches in the vicinity of feeders. We used to have an above ground electric line running to our house. The hummingbirds would line up on that line overlooking the feeder. When we remodeled and buried that line, we didn't see as many birds. My husband 'fixed' the problem by stringing a wire lead from the porch to a nearby tree... in roughly the same general location. Not pretty by any means, but we had takers right away.

[G Saner]

Birdie Girl,

We attach a Pyracantha limb to our deck railing under the feeder. It has 7 or 8 hummingbird-sized horizontal limbs that they perch on. The problem is, the dominate hummer (Attila the Humm) uses it to protect "his" feeder. The other hummingbirds use the cedar trees about 50 feet away to watch for an opening when Attila is absent.

[C.C.Martins]

Thats great! I know that guilt feeling, poor old guys, hahahaha!
The hummers in front have no perches to guard the feeder, during the day they go to a neighbors tree 2 doors down to watch over it. Soon as another comes in they zoom over but by then the intruder got its drink.
They used to sit on the very tips of a big blue Agave we had in front (freeze killed it), would be 2 or 3 on the spines vying for a spot.
One thing you could do (but that leads to domination big time) is use 10 gage coated copper wire as a perch for your Shepard hooks. I twist a bit of it on there, make a loop so they can sit. They seem to like it.

[Thomas Maddox]

I left my feeders (well 1) up this winter and have had several winter hummers pass by occasionally. I put up a swing for them that I bought at Lowe's last summer in front of my kitchen window. It took a while for them to use it, but they eventually did. They are the coolest little birds.