The Uncaged Bird - December Birds

What winged creatures are in your garden?

Thank you for the reminder!

Sweetsnuggles said:

Thank you for the reminder!

They rejected my feeder last year because I tried that pre-mixed red nectar. I'm going back to sugar and water. As well I'm growing honeysuckle and I have some red flowers planted already ! Wish I knew what kind of music they liked!

I used sugar water last year and didn't have a single visitor - as far as I know.  The prior year we had lots of hummingbirds and even those huge moths.  I think I forgot to put out my feeder early enough.  Here's hoping they show up and like your honeysuckle! 

What's frustrating is taking the feeder in to clean and then seeing one outside your window leaving in confusion. So now the elaborate plan is 2 feeders. I put out the filled second before I remove the first!

There is a species that I have a little too much luck with!

What a wonderful pic!  The turkeys around here really have an attitude.  They chased a friend of ours when he was walking to Mountain Station and once surrounded my car on Wyoming Avenue and started pecking it.  

ETA - the two feeder approach sounds smart. 

Is it too late to put hummingbird feeders out this year?

sac said:

Is it too late to put hummingbird feeders out this year?

No  you can put it out now. I haven't seen them yet and I'm trying to check the sighting maps in our areas! I've read people put up red flags to get their attention! I want to warn people that the red commercial nectar that I bought once did not have an expiration date so I called Petco and asked about it. They told me that it actually does expire so don't use unfinished bottles and I had no luck with it. I'd be interested to know it anyone lucks out with it. You'll be changing it everyday as it gets moldy. Here's a tip. You can fill it halfway for awhile till you get a visitor. You will be throwing out quite regularly till you get your first bird.

I'll try to post some links!

I cut and pasted this recipe.

For a simple hummingbird nectar, boil 1 cup tap water over low to medium heat. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the hot burner. Stir in 1/4 cup granulated sugar, mixing until the sugar dissolves completely. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature; then add it to a clean hummingbird feeder. Make a larger quantity by keeping the same proportions: 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. If you make too much to put into the feeder at one time, store the excess in the refrigerator in a clean bottle or container with a lid, where it will keep for up to two weeks. This recipe without variation is recommended by the Audubon Society and businesses that sell hummingbird feeders because it is a tried-and-true formula. Adding extra sugar may be harmful to the birds.

Hummingbird Migration. 2016 Migration Map.

www.hummingbird-guide.com/hummingbird-migration.html

cut and pasted from ASK

Other natural sweeteners, such as honey, molasses and brown sugar, should never be fed to a hummingbird, who is unable to digest them efficiently. These sweeteners also ferment more rapidly than white sugar, which can lead to mold and other contamination issues. Artificial sweeteners lack the calories that a hummingbird requires to survive.
Although studies have demonstrated that hummingbirds are attracted to red objects and flowers, red food dye has also been linked to toxicity in humans and animals. The recipe for red dye has since been updated, but it is not needed to attract a hummingbird. Instead, flowers such as columbines, petunias and foxglove naturally attract hummingbirds, as do gently moving sprays of water that allow them to bathe quickly. Painting a feeder red can also attract a hummingbird without exposing it to unnecessary food dyes.
On average, a hummingbird burns 12,000 calories per day. A hummingbird spends the entire day visiting different plants, sometimes eating from over a thousand daily.

Morganna said:

Hummingbird Migration. 2016 Migration Map.

www.hummingbird-guide.com/hummingbird-migration.html

Thanks so much for posting this link! It answers my questions and provides validity to my comments to doubting friends about the wonderous journey of this remarkable bird!  

mtierney said:

Morganna said:

Hummingbird Migration. 2016 Migration Map.

www.hummingbird-guide.com/hummingbird-migration.html

Thanks so much for posting this link! It answers my questions and provides validity to my comments to doubting friends about the wonderous journey of this remarkable bird! " src="/res/static/common/plugins/redactor/emoticons/1.0/images/1.gif" unselectable="on"> 

They are amazing! Do you put out a feeder? I'm also thrilled that one of the bird houses that I put up last year finally has a nester! And I hear tiny voices. She is an elegant Starling, (actually I'm calling her Agent Starling.) She is eating the suet cake and bathing in the bird bath every day. I'll see if I have a picture of her.

my bird feeder had an unwelcomed guest this morning-- but darn cute to watch!

Yay! My first Hummingbird guest this years! I worried yesterday that I did not have enough red trumpet shaped flowers yet to entice my hoped for visitors, so I set out some red Mandevilla hybrids and hung my red Begonias high near my feeder. Well they may have gotten his attention but he chose to drink nectar from my purple Columbines. I'm going to list my siting on the interactive Hummingbird map! Keep your eyes open bird watchers!. They're here!

Top 10 Hummingbird Flowers

Best Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds
-Mayntz-53495.htm"> -Mayntz-53495.htm">By Melissa Mayntz
Birding/Wild Birds Expert

It pays to attract them with flowers and then with luck you will get them to use your feeders. I'm going to add more variety to my garden today. I never knew they would drink from bleeding hearts.

Is that sugar water good for them?

yes as prepared above. It's like nectar for the birds. I heard it is safer than store bought but really not sure.

lizziecat said:

Is that sugar water good for them?

Its recommended by all sorts of bird sites. The nectar that is sold is apparently OK and of course convenient but I had no luck last year, so this year I'm back to the sugar and water mixture. Its important to stick to the correct proportion. The birds need to learn to use the feeder. My visitor today sipped from the Columbines and didn't try the feeder. Its suggested that you hang it near the appealing flowers. Once they learn that you are serving meals they will visit regularly. I ran out and added 2 hanging baskets of red petunias. as red is their favorite color and petunias are on the top 10 list. Most of us have deer problems so you can chose flowers that the birds like but the deer don't care for. I couldn't remember if the petunias appealed to my woodchucks, so I have them hanging rather high, just above comfortable deer height.

I'm going to order this nesting material to see if I can coax them into nesting on my property. Check this out!

https://youtu.be/oVMcRGLmgu8

If you could only go with a hanging plant or two of flowers, what would you get to have the best chance of attracting hummingbirds?  I tried red geraniums and purple petunias (two baskets) last year, one on each side of the feeder.  I saw exactly one hummingbird all year.  I hoped she would go tell her friends and come back, but I never saw any more. 

Saw two today, also.

sac said:

If you could only go with a hanging plant or two of flowers, what would you get to have the best chance of attracting hummingbirds?  I tried red geraniums and purple petunias (two baskets) last year, one on each side of the feeder.  I saw exactly one hummingbird all year.  I hoped she would go tell her friends and come back, but I never saw any more. 

I'm going to post a link to a feeder that sits in a hanging basket which might be your best bet. I'm looking over lists and although I knew that red is the hot and happening color for them, I found out that some flowers have a high nectar content which makes them contenders. I found petunias on the top ten lists, so red petunias should attract them for color, shape, (they like trumpet or tubular) and if you want another top ten pick add red salvia both easy to find right now. I picked up both at Metropolitan Plants. A large basket of the red petunias were about $18.  I think the trick is to satisfy their hunger, so I'm guessing the feeder if they go for it would give them more nectar. I've read they eat all day long, visiting hundreds of flowers.

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Our Hanging Basket Planter Hummingbird Feeder:

Basket Planter Hummingbird Feeder.

Features:
A convenient wide-mouth design bottle that is easy to clean and fill.
Includes a bee guard on the feeding station.
Hanger included.
3-ounce capacity.

^ Those are the feeders I use.

I'm out in Western Morris County and while out dividing plants on Saturday heard a loud whirring sound behind me. Looked up and had 2 hummers buzzing around my head. Ran inside to make some sugar water and got the feeders out later when the mixture cooled. 

I keep it in the frig in one of the free water bottles we pick up at fairs. 

And yes, they have been known to hover near the back door if the feeders are empty. I used to keep the feeders in the hanging basket at the back near the kitchen so we could watch them while having breakfast. Too many ants discovered it so we moved them a bit further from the house. 

blackcat said:

^ Those are the feeders I use.

I'm out in Western Morris County and while out dividing plants on Saturday heard a loud whirring sound behind me. Looked up and had 2 hummers buzzing around my head. Ran inside to make some sugar water and got the feeders out later when the mixture cooled. 

I keep it in the frig in one of the free water bottles we pick up at fairs. 

And yes, they have been known to hover near the back door if the feeders are empty. I used to keep the feeders in the hanging basket at the back near the kitchen so we could watch them while having breakfast. Too many ants discovered it so we moved them a bit further from the house. 

Wow, its interesting that they come so close to us. After feeding on my Columbines, my guy flew under the canopy of my patio umbrella towards me and hovered then darted off.  I've read the males arrive first.

Do you have any plantings that make your yard attractive to them? I'm planting for a variety of birds but taking into consideration the deer and woodchuck.

Join the 2nd Global Big Day on Saturday, May 14! You can participate from your backyard or go out into the wild. Last year 14,000 people from 135 countries reported 6,085 species!

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/gbd1wk2016/

I found this live bird cam on Wild Birds Unlimited. Barred Owls nesting!

https://youtu.be/1cH9SkBVnWE

Wow, @dave! A Greater Sulfur Crested Cockatoo! I had adopted the smaller version. I am crazy about them! Great shot.

OK, I tried a new bird cake for my Woodpeckers. It was a hit. Here's the Red Bellied.