Fearnoevil
New member
Hello all,
So I became a hummingbird admirer/fanatic last year - well I've always admired the little guys but it just seemed like there were never any where I lived most of my life (of course if you're not actively looking it's certainly easy to miss them).
Strangely, I've lived here in Iowa going on 12 years and it was only two years ago that I actually saw my first hummingbird here visiting my neighbors flower garden, and it was then that it clicked in my head that maybe if I put some feeders out I might attract some. So I ran down and bought a cheap one at the local pet store, even bought that horrible red stuff they sell, and not surprisingly I never saw any hummers visit it.
But then I began to read up on the subject and the following year I was ready to seriously attract hummingbirds to my yard, and that's were the "fanatic" part comes in, lol. I bought 5 more feeders and those metal feeder poles and proceeded to spend a lot more time than I thought I would emptying, cleaning and filling them every 3 days, BUT I was richly rewarded with so many of the tiny feathered friends that, on a peak day, I counted almost 30 at one time.
One thing I didn't realize is how much they fight and guard "their" feeder, a behavior that at first was very off-putting to me (I have this thing about bullys, really can't stand them) and some of these guys are just downright mean. I often see one trying to guard all five feeders (btw the cheap one broke thankfully cuz 6 were just too many), although it's often hilarious to see just how much energy they waste, often not being able to stop to feed themselves as they're too busy zipping all over the place ;?).
So then I spent a lot of time trying different strategies to see if I could modify or affect this and eventually settled on locations that were as far apart as possible (but my yards not that big), and including hiding some of them from line of site one another. Though this behavior still bothers me a bit - really hate to see the smallest (often bedraggled looking ones) constantly getting chased away and I'm saddened at the thought that some may not survive.
But then I've come to terms with the fact that it's just mother nature's way of insuring survival of the fittest, and hoping that putting out my feeders will at least provide resources that help as many as possible prevail.
Well geez, I didn't expect to write more than a paragraph or two to introduce myself, lol, which I haven't even done yet. Anyway my name's Russell and I'm glad to have found someplace where I can check in from time to time and share some experiences with others who love these fascinating little creatures ;?)
So I became a hummingbird admirer/fanatic last year - well I've always admired the little guys but it just seemed like there were never any where I lived most of my life (of course if you're not actively looking it's certainly easy to miss them).
Strangely, I've lived here in Iowa going on 12 years and it was only two years ago that I actually saw my first hummingbird here visiting my neighbors flower garden, and it was then that it clicked in my head that maybe if I put some feeders out I might attract some. So I ran down and bought a cheap one at the local pet store, even bought that horrible red stuff they sell, and not surprisingly I never saw any hummers visit it.
But then I began to read up on the subject and the following year I was ready to seriously attract hummingbirds to my yard, and that's were the "fanatic" part comes in, lol. I bought 5 more feeders and those metal feeder poles and proceeded to spend a lot more time than I thought I would emptying, cleaning and filling them every 3 days, BUT I was richly rewarded with so many of the tiny feathered friends that, on a peak day, I counted almost 30 at one time.
One thing I didn't realize is how much they fight and guard "their" feeder, a behavior that at first was very off-putting to me (I have this thing about bullys, really can't stand them) and some of these guys are just downright mean. I often see one trying to guard all five feeders (btw the cheap one broke thankfully cuz 6 were just too many), although it's often hilarious to see just how much energy they waste, often not being able to stop to feed themselves as they're too busy zipping all over the place ;?).
So then I spent a lot of time trying different strategies to see if I could modify or affect this and eventually settled on locations that were as far apart as possible (but my yards not that big), and including hiding some of them from line of site one another. Though this behavior still bothers me a bit - really hate to see the smallest (often bedraggled looking ones) constantly getting chased away and I'm saddened at the thought that some may not survive.
But then I've come to terms with the fact that it's just mother nature's way of insuring survival of the fittest, and hoping that putting out my feeders will at least provide resources that help as many as possible prevail.
Well geez, I didn't expect to write more than a paragraph or two to introduce myself, lol, which I haven't even done yet. Anyway my name's Russell and I'm glad to have found someplace where I can check in from time to time and share some experiences with others who love these fascinating little creatures ;?)
