Hummers

**Jerry** · 13th June 11, 05:50 AM

These little guys are viscous when we put out the feeders each summer.

If we don't keep the feeders full, they will buzz us when we go outside until we refill them. It sounds like a swarm of the biggest bees in the world

**Coastie** · 13th June 11, 07:53 AM

My mom has a feeder and she just loves her hummingbirds. She can watch them for hours but I have never had them buzz me.

**Kiltboy** · 13th June 11, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by Coastie

My mom has a feeder and she just loves her hummingbirds. She can watch them for hours but I have never had them buzz me.

If you want them to buzz you, just wear a bright red hat. If they are hungry, they will be "in your face" looking for the nectar.

**Highlander31** · 13th June 11, 07:33 PM

We have a couple of feeders on our back deck. We've only seen three birds so far this season.

**Bugbear** · 13th June 11, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by Coastie

My mom has a feeder and she just loves her hummingbirds. She can watch them for hours but I have never had them buzz me.

Last year, I had one come up right near my face and hover for several seconds to feed on some citrus flowers. It was a very strange feeling, but my reaction was to not move. They've buzzed me a few times this year, but not that close.

**BruceK** · 13th June 11, 07:58 AM

Early in the summer when they first show up here in the NE USA it can be a bit of a shock when you're buzzed by one. I keep thinking that it's one of those bloody big carpenter bees, the ones that look about the size of B52s, but then I realize that it's a hummer. We don't see multiple birds at our feeders, though. Only one at a time. Disappoints the wife something fierce when she sees photos like the above where there are several birds per feeder...

Bruce

**JiminDC** · 13th June 11, 08:36 AM

Do you make your own syrup? My wife wants to make her own (after she heard that the red dye can cause kidney damage) but doesn't know the proportions of sugar to water.

Thanks,

**BruceK** · 13th June 11, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by JiminDC

Do you make your own syrup? My wife wants to make her own (after she heard that the red dye can cause kidney damage) but doesn't know the proportions of sugar to water.

Thanks,

We've found a brand of off-the-shelf food that's colorless from Songbird Essentials in Mexico, MO. The container even states that it's 100% finely ground sucrose so the sugar recipe would probably work just as well. YMMV...

Bruce

**Tobus** · 13th June 11, 10:34 AM

We used to put out hummingbird feeders, but they come whether we do or not. And in fact they will fight over it. So we stopped doing it, and they still come feed at the flowers in front of our porch.

I love listening to them talk to each other. They have quite a complex language, with extremely varied noises that they make. Everything from staccato chirping to a whining drone sound that they make when doing mating dances.

They really are incredible little creatures, and I love having them around.

Do you make your own syrup? My wife wants to make her own (after she heard that the red dye can cause kidney damage) but doesn't know the proportions of sugar to water.

It's really not that critical. As long as it's sweet and has a syrup consistency, they'll drink it. And the red dye is absolutely not necessary as long as the feeder itself will attract them.