Hummingbird Success!

Sometime last September,  we put up a Hummingbird feeder for the first time.  We hung this feeder off one corner of our screen porch, and waited.

No one came to visit!

We started thinking that perhaps it was because the feeder did not have enough red on it - it was very muted and really cool looking, but I don't think Hummingbirds are interested in cool.  They are interested in RED and the nectar that's behind it.

So, my wife made some streamers out of red vinyl, and we hung them around the feeder.  She's crafty!  A few days after doing this, we had Hummingbirds for a full week.  Then the Hummingbird season ended and they all flew off to Central America for winter.  But we were excited, because now we knew how to attract the little guys.

So this year, as soon as the migration of the Hummingbirds reached the St. Louis area, we put out our feeder, complete with red streamers, and waited.

No one came to visit!

Still, I faithfully changed the nectar every 5 days or so, but never saw a bird, or noticed the nectar level drop.

That is, until this weekend.  I still hadn't changed the nectar from before my trip to China and had forgotten to tell my wife how often it needs to be done, and how to make the nectar.  I was more concerned with my trip, honestly!  This weekend, I preparing some food in our kitchen when I noticed a Hummingbird darting around the feeder.

NATURALLY!  They show up the ONE weekend when the nectar is probably moldy after not being changed for a few weeks.  Bleh.  I was afraid I'd ruined the chances of the birds coming back, but I non-the-less grabbed the step ladder and took down the feeder in a frenzy to clean it and replace the nectar. 

It was an arduous task, due to the fact that sugar water cannot sit outside for several weeks without causing problems, but I got the feeder cleaned out and the nectar replaced.  I hung it back up and was very shortly rewarded with a Hummingbird visitor! 

Life is good!

 

Of course, if you know me at all, this whole episode doesn't really count until I also get a picture of it. So I grabbed the Nikon, and rushed back to the porch.  Amazingly, the bird was still there and I got a fairly decent shot, considering my rush and the fact that I shot through a black metal screen at a very small bird flitting about rapidly.  You can barely make out the blur of the wings above the bird as he landed on the feeder.   I'd like to see more of this blur, but this is a good start.

Comments

[Gregg's Mom]

You can also add a drop or two of red food coloring to your nectar. I don't, but my feeder is red. It took years before we got hummingbirds to come from April to Sept. Usually they'd start late July, apparently as they were migrating south.

[abunslife]

I can't believe you actually got it! Lucky duck!

[kaye]

well your patience paid off.

[Gregg's Dad]

We are convinced that the same birds come back each year. At one time we had two feeders, one of which was suction cup mounted to our breadkfast room window. The first spring that it was no longer there, we had birds coming to the window looking for that feeder!