Something is noticeably missing from the usual Summer activity around our yard..... Hummingbirds
Despite having the feeders filled and ready for the "scouts" this Spring, we have yet to see our first Hummingbird. Most unusual since previous years they have been so prolific in numbers.
I have dedicatedly washed the feeder, and filled with new "elixir" every three days, but no takers !
The Rose of Sharon shrubs are bursting with blooms, and are usually bustling with feeding Hummingbirds......yet nary a one has come visiting.
Are there any fellow bird-lovers out there, experiencing this same degree of "no-shows" ?
Curiouser and curiouser...
15 comments:
Well, I thought it was just me or maybe my feeders! We saw the hummers earlier in the season but none lately! I just refilled this morning......hopefully they will return. A friend of mine has had no trouble attracting the little ones? Kinda peculiar.
Okay, this is interesting. My Godmother is feeling this same sense of missing humming birds. Now the research is on. . . we shall have to discover where those little guys have all gone to.
Nope! Not a one has shown up here either. Last year we rarely saw a bee or ant & we have massive gardens ... this year no hummer's. Durn it! I so look forward to them. TTFN ~Marydon
here in Michigan we had hummingbirds show up earlier than usual,especially with the cool spring we've had, and have seen few since. My yard is filled with flowers they love which is usually enough to keep there here most of the summer. hmmmmmm. I wonder if they migrated early and went elsewhere???
Well as you know we don't get these lovely little birds. WHat a shame they are missing they look so pretty.
I keep meaning to say I love your music.
I love birds. I just can't get them to come near me ;)
Jo...they're all at my place! Just kidding! I have several Hummingbirds, lots of Bees but NO Butterflies! :(
Well I'm glad to hear that it isn't just our area. I have had four feeders out since the end of April and continue to change them regularly. NO hummingbirds here --NONE!!! This will be the first year since we moved here in 2003 that we haven't had LOTS of hummers. I'm so sad. Wonder where they are?????
Hugs,
Betsy
Knoxville here and NO hummingbirds either. I've never seen one in real life either. We put our feeder up weeks ago and not a sniff!!! I tell my Larry, "I don't believe you, there aren't any hummingbirds here", but he says there are and we always have them here, but not this year, not yet! Shall we do a watch and let each other know when they turn up, IF???
Blessings, Star
Well this is quite interesting, we always have hummingbirds even when the feeders are not out, they show up, but none so far.....
I have written to the TWRA (wildlife association) to ask if they can shed a little light on the subject, and I'll keep everyone posted !
Being my first year, I didn't realize how often you need to change the elixer, and I think they came by (we had three) and went "yuck!" and didn't come back. So I put out some enticing plants under my feeder, and they are gradually coming back, but they don't seem to like my elixer (4 parts water, 1 part sugar) but they sure don't stay long! I love those guys, they are so beautiful and fragile. I have friends who have so many they can't keep up, the feeders are empty every day, so I'm jealous!!
Jo, they came a week earlier this April. I live in southeastern OK. I did a trial this week I'll share. I put a stronger sugar/elixir in their feeder to see their reaction to it and lo and behold there were sure a lot of little birdie fights going on. They were much more protective of the feeder.
I am glad to know I am not the only one! Speaking to hummer fanatics around here there seems to be the same opinion...Where are all our hummers? Put my feeders out in march..never saw one...finally in may I saw one. I have very few birds this year and I am wondering could all the rain and cooler weather affected them? Possibly a calamity of some sort has happened in their wintering area?
Maybe they migrated further north this year because I have had a TON of them here at my feeder...we live in the upper most part of Michigan in the Upper Peninsula (if you look on the map we are on Lake Superior, across from Canada). They are drinking so much I have to make a new batch of nectar every 6-7 days....I see more females than males tho...almost 4 or 5 to one male...
We thought we weren't going to have that many but on the day we got the first bloom on the trumpet vine, they descended upon us en masse! We have about 20-25 coming to the three feeders we have out. We'll be putting out more. I have to constantly be making food. Our rose of sharon bushes haven't bloomed yet, although they have blossoms on them that should be coming out soon I hope. The birds seem pretty happy here. I had heard that there aren't as many ruby throated hummers because their habitat in Mexico is being demolished.
Post a Comment