[humminbird]

Just looked up to find a very unusual site at my hummingbird feeder - a Carolina Wren was hanging from the feeder wire and trying to use one of the ports. Has anyone else experienced this with a wren? I have heard of House Finches, Sparrow spp., woodpeckers and orioles attempting to use a hummingbird feeder, but this wren is a first for me.

Mark

[erizzo]

Wierd. I've never heard of a Wren on Hummer Feeder before. I've never seen any other bird at my Hummer Feeder eept my little Green Backed Firecrowns.

[humminbird]

Thanks Eric. We have seen photos of other birds, most often woodpeckers, at the feeders, but this was a first for me.

[KCFoggin]

Originally Posted by humminbird

Just looked up to find a very unusual site at my hummingbird feeder - a Carolina Wren was hanging from the feeder wire and trying to use one of the ports. Has anyone else experienced this with a wren? I have heard of House Finches, Sparrow spp., woodpeckers and orioles attempting to use a hummingbird feeder, but this wren is a first for me.

Mark

Hi Mark. Never seen a wren, but have seen all the others. This winter, I am leaving a couple of hummer feeders up and I have specifically removed a couple of flower inserts from one of them to see if I can get more Oriole action.

[humminbird]

Originally Posted by KCFoggin

Hi Mark. Never seen a wren, but have seen all the others. This winter, I am leaving a couple of hummer feeders up and I have specifically removed a couple of flower inserts from one of them to see if I can get more Oriole action.

A friend of mine in the Carolinas reports hummingbirds there all winter almost every year. Maybe they will find you too!

[KCFoggin]

I'm hoping for the rufous this winter that has taken up residence in a friend's yard 3 miles away.

[humminbird]

Rufous are certainly beautiful and interesting birds, but a resident winter Rufous often means only a resident winter Rufous, where some of the other overwintering birds here in the south will often mean several winter hummingbirds.

[KCFoggin]

Good point Mark.

[Missy]

It seems like ever bird in my yard likes the hummingbird feeder except the doves. Woodpeckers, sparrows, finches and what I think is a thrasher. My cactus wrens love the feeder too. The humminbird actually followed the wren up into the tree and buzzed it for a few seconds just to let it know it didn't want it around.

[humminbird]

Originally Posted by Missy

It seems like ever bird in my yard likes the hummingbird feeder except the doves. Woodpeckers, sparrows, finches and what I think is a thrasher. My cactus wrens love the feeder too. The humminbird actually followed the wren up into the tree and buzzed it for a few seconds just to let it know it didn't want it around.

Thanks for the input Missy. I would watch a Cactus Wren at or around a hummingbird feeder. While I have never heard of a Cactus Wren doing it, I have read blow by blow accounts of Rock Wrens killing and consuming a hummingbird in west Texas.

Mark

[Missy]

I've never heard of that Mark. Hopefully my cactus wrens are well-fed enough that they won't do that.

[humminbird]

Originally Posted by Missy

I've never heard of that Mark. Hopefully my cactus wrens are well-fed enough that they won't do that.

To my knowledge Missy, Rock Wrens are the only species I have a written account of, but you may want to keep an eye on other large species.

[Chris D]

all I get is ants (other than the 6 species of hummers I get). Wouldn't mind knowing what species of hummer was taken in Texas. Or how it happened. I'm used to Rufous chasing everything, not the other way around.

[humminbird]

The hummingbird taken by the Rock Wren was a juvenile Black-chinned no gender given.

[Chuck A. Walla]

Originally Posted by humminbird

Just looked up to find a very unusual site at my hummingbird feeder - a Carolina Wren was hanging from the feeder wire and trying to use one of the ports. Has anyone else experienced this with a wren? I have heard of House Finches, Sparrow spp., woodpeckers and orioles attempting to use a hummingbird feeder, but this wren is a first for me.

Mark

I commonly get House Finches also, but today I saw a couple of Lesser Golfinches trying to feed off a hummer feeder. That was a first for me.

bob

[craig whitmore]

Originally Posted by humminbird

Just looked up to find a very unusual site at my hummingbird feeder - a Carolina Wren was hanging from the feeder wire and trying to use one of the ports. Has anyone else experienced this with a wren? I have heard of House Finches, Sparrow spp., woodpeckers and orioles attempting to use a hummingbird feeder, but this wren is a first for me.

Mark

Mark: at our campo in Baja California Sur in Mexico 4 or 5 of us each had 2 or 3 large, 6 station feeders. Hooded Orioles were a real problem. Ideal habitat for oriole. Date palms gave them nesting material, nesting sites, and plenty of food, and we were up to our armpits with the beautiful pests. They'd bump the feeders to get drops out and the whole place would be covered with ants.
My neighbor rigged up a rube goldberg device with a perch next to the feeder, connected to a pulley and lever, and when the oriole landed on the perch he got a gentle swat in the butt with a fly swatter.
Tip for you guys and gals: Read somewhere that 60 per cent of hummingbird diet is insects. (makes sense, very little protien in carbohydrate)
Placed a hollowed orange peel under the feeders. In 3 days had a bunch of drisophla. Hummingbird wings would stir up the fruit flys, and the birds would have a field day nailing them.

Craig

[Jampots]

"our" raccoon used to pick off the yellow plastic flowers covering the ports and drink the syrup himself. we'd find the yellow flowers bits all over the yard - well chewed too!

P>S> just a thought - would butterflies feed from a hummingbird feeder? Not sure why I packed our feeder and brought it back to England!!

[humminbird]

[quote=Jampots
P>S> just a thought - would butterflies feed from a hummingbird feeder? Not sure why I packed our feeder and brought it back to England!![/QUOTE]

Yes, racoons are well known as raiders of hummingbird feeders. I guess everyone likes a sweet drink once in a while.

Don't know about the butterflies. In my experience, every butterfly feeder I have ever seen has worked on a wick action. I don't know if the ports would be too deep for their poboscis.

Mark
Bastrop, TX

[humminbird]

Originally Posted by Chuck A. Walla

I commonly get House Finches also, but today I saw a couple of Lesser Golfinches trying to feed off a hummer feeder. That was a first for me.

bob

House Finch are well documented but Lesser Goldfinch, now that is another first for me!

[billhiltonjr]

Originally Posted by humminbird

Just looked up to find a very unusual site at my hummingbird feeder - a Carolina Wren was hanging from the feeder wire and trying to use one of the ports. Has anyone else experienced this with a wren? I have heard of House Finches, Sparrow spp., woodpeckers and orioles attempting to use a hummingbird feeder, but this wren is a first for me.

Mark

One source I encountered says that well over 100 different species of birds besides hummingbirds have been known to frequent sugar water feeders.

And then there are the lizards, squirrels, and ubiquitous ants and yellow jackets.

Cheers,

BILL

[wellredd]

Tucson is having a hard freeze and there's lots of competition for the hummingbird feeder. I just watched a woodpecker peck a hummingbird, pin it to the tree and carry it off. Has anyone witnessed this before?
Redd

[Lisa W]

No, haven't seen that! I've seen woodpeckers on the hummingbird feeders, when they come in the hummers usually move and wait them out.
Oh, welcome to the forum.

[aveschapines]

Lately I have noticed warblers (Yellow and Wilson's) hanging out near y hummingbird feeder, although I haven't seen them try to drink. My feeder seems to have enticed a single female Ruby-throated to say here instead of going on to lower elevations for the winter. She spends her days hunting insects and preening in a tree behing the house, and visiting the feeder on my front terrace. I can always fnd her withing a few minutes during the day. I will miss her when she goes back up north!

Helen

[Geni3]

Originally Posted by Jampots

"our" raccoon used to pick off the yellow plastic flowers covering the ports and drink the syrup himself. we'd find the yellow flowers bits all over the yard - well chewed too!

P>S> just a thought - would butterflies feed from a hummingbird feeder? Not sure why I packed our feeder and brought it back to England!!

I've seen butterflies on one of the hummingbird feeders, but only once. (Usually they're on on the lantanas or citrus blossoms.) I don't remember which kind it was, but probably one of the swallowtails. The pics I have of it aren't on this computer, but when I find them (on one of the backup DVDs) I'll try to remember to post one for you.

[Geni3]

Originally Posted by wellredd

Tucson is having a hard freeze and there's lots of competition for the hummingbird feeder. I just watched a woodpecker peck a hummingbird, pin it to the tree and carry it off. Has anyone witnessed this before?
Redd

Welcome, wellredd. I have never seen this happen! (Thank goodness!) The two "resident" Gila woodpeckers in my yard visit the hummer feeders at least once or twice a day, but since I have quite a few feeders, the hummingbirds just move over to a different feeder and there's never been any conflict.

These woodpeckers also like the orange halves that I put out for the verdins and share those without any problems -- so far.

Have you had slushy / frozen feeders the past couple of mornings?