Just started feeding the hummingbirds (1 Viewer)

[PumaMan]

I was sitting in my garage last week and a hummingbird flew in and first investigated the red plastic square on the bottom of the emergency garage door release cord. Then he went to the back of the garage and investigated a box that had small red pictures on the side. Then he flew off. I decided to start feeding them again. This time I did a little investigation of my own and decided to buy an Aspects Hummzinger, the 16-oz, 6 port version. I mixed up a bunch of sugar water (1 part sugar, 4 parts water), filled the feeder, put the remainder in the frig, hung the feeder, and not more than an hour later a hummingbird visited it. What an excellent design - the Hummzinger. A few years ago I purchased a cheap feeder and tried to feed them. They came of course. But so did the ants, bees, woodpeckers, etc. And that feeder was a nightmare to keep clean and it leaked. I hate to sound like a commercial but the Hummzinger is an excellent design. I ordered a second one.

Question to any AZ birders: Do the hummers stay here (in the Sonoran Desert) all year round?

 

[Lisa W]

Hi PumaMan,
I've had Hummingbirds down here about 10 months out of the year - one year I had an overwintering Black-chinned. I've heard of hummingbirds staying up in the Tucson area all year long, not many but a few. You should have them until at least late October.
BTW, great avatar!
Lisa

 

[PumaMan]

Thanks Lisa. I can't recall if I've seen hummingbirds here in the winter but there's no harm in keeping the feeder full all year round. I have the feeder mounted on the corner of the house, right next to the back porch where my wife and I sit in the evenings so it is quite entertaining - along with all the other wildlife I feed out by the statues of Buddha and St. Francis - a wonderful pair by the way. Now, I'll have to get out the books and see if I can identify the species. Thanks again.

Oh, one more thing: My wife LOVES Bisbee!

 

[PumaMan]

Well, a Gila Woodpecker landed on my new hummingbird feeder and attempted to extract some nectar and I think he was somewhat successful since I had just filled the feeder and the level was high. I've seen this before with my old hummingbird feeders. I know that woodpeckers are primarily insect eaters and, after a little investigation, I find that hummingbirds are also primarily small insect eaters. There is a similarity of form between the two species.

 

[Lisa W]

I've seen both Gila's and Orioles on my hummingbird feeders. Oh, and I have to change them out every morning in October because the long-nose bats are migrating and come in every evening to feed on the nectar.

 

[Tz'unun]

Hi, PumaMan,

I don't think there's any place within the Tucson city limits that's inhospitable to wintering hummingbirds. Anna's will be your main year-round species, and Black-chinned should be a fairly common summer resident in most neighborhoods (I heard several yesterday while doing the Tucson City Chicken Coop Tour), but you may also be lucky enough to host Costa's and occasional individuals of other species (Rufous, Broad-billed, Broad-tailed, maybe even Magnificent or Violet-crowned).

Woodpeckers have more in common with hummingbirds than meets the eye: their tongue anatomy. In the longer-tongued members of both families, the tongue structure is anchored at the front of the skull, wraps over the top and back where the muscles attach, splits to go around the neck, and rejoins in the back of the mouth. In hummingbirds, the tongue splits again at the tip with a fine fringe to mop up nectar, while in woodpeckers the tip is edged in spines to snag grubs hiding under bark and inside rotting wood. Cool, huh?

 

[PumaMan]

Lisa and Sheri,

Thanks for the info. I will have to start IDing the hummingbirds that come to my feeders. I'm pretty sure that I've seen the Black-Chinned species but not sure about the others.

I read somewhere that southeastern AZ is Hummingbird HQ of the whole USA . . .

Sheri,

BTW, what is the Tucson City Chicken Coop Tour?

ETA: Never mind. Found it:

City Chicken Coop Tour

A self-guided tour of Tucson's backyard chicken coops with a goal of introducing more people to the joys of chicken rearing and allowing chicken keepers to share their knowledge of good chicken husbandry.

 

[Lisa W]

I've heard some visitors call it the Hummingbird capital of the US. We do tend to get a lot of species here. If you've never been to Paton's in Patagonia for the Violet-crowned, or to Mary Jo Ballater's (sp?) at Ash Canyon B&B, opened everyday to birders, south of Sierra Vista for the Lucifer's you need to go if you ever get a chance. Both are amazing places and not that far from Tucson.

 

[PumaMan]

If you've never been to Paton's in Patagonia for the Violet-crowned, or to Mary Jo Ballater's (sp?) at Ash Canyon B&B, opened everyday to birders, south of Sierra Vista for the Lucifer's you need to go if you ever get a chance. Both are amazing places and not that far from Tucson.

I think I read something in the newspaper about both those places. I'll have to make it down there . . .

Paton's Hummingbirds

For decades, the Paton's have opened their yard to visitors who wish to see the variety of birds found along Sonoita Creek. Marion Paton is extremely knowledgeable about local species and has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine and National Wildlife. International visitors return year after year, and novice birders will find it easier to spot and identify birds here than in the wild.

Mary Jo's Ash Canyon B & B

is arguably the best location for viewing unique species of hummingbirds right outside your room. The room is a modern straw bale casita which is very comfortable in a beautiful natural setting. Mary Jo is a welcoming innkeeper. The location is off the beaten path for tourists, but is a perfect location for birds, especially rare hummers. There are numerous feeders, but the main attraction to me is the natural plants and the birds feeding in the natural setting. It is a wonderful location for photographers. While there are numerous excellent locations for viewing hummers in SE Arizona, Ash Canyon B&B is our favorite for viewing in a natural setting

 

[Lisa W]

Mary Jo's is my favorite place to just sit and view birds down here (well besides my own back yard). Not only does she have a large variety of hummingbirds, with the Lucifer's being a local rarity, she also has a great diversity coming to the feeders and water on her west lawn area. She's a great lady, very welcoming and as I said opens her yard to birders daily from sunup to sundown with a nominal $5 donation to help offset the feed price. And in the summer it is nice and shady.

 

[PumaMan]

Thanks for the suggestions. My wife and I love to watch birds in our backyard (I feed ALL the wildlife) and she's been bugging me about going somewhere for a day trip - it's perfect.

I found their website: http://ashcanyonbandb.com/

 

[PumaMan]

I hung my second hummingbird feeder last night, on the other side of the house, and it wasn't 15 minutes before it had a two visitors: a hummingbird and a woodpecker. Both bird types are observant when it comes to the feeders.

 

[smoothmotion]

We had to cover the red thingy that hangs on the cord for the garage door opener. The hummingbirds kept coming in to investigate and then got stuck in the garage. We just wrapped the red thingy with white tape. When they get stuck in our garage (after they are there for awhile) and just a tad tired out....we then get a fan rake for them to land on...then we have to duck down so they can find the opening and slowly walk to the door opening (with the hummer still on the rake) so they can fly back out.
They are magical to watch aren't they!

 

[PumaMan]

They are magical to watch aren't they!

Yes they are.

Even though we have the two feeders (on opposite corners of the house) they still come into the garage to investigate the red plastic handle on the bottom of the emergency close cord. Good idea to put white tape on it - I'm going to do that right away. Thanks.