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Quoted: Well…. it certainly “sounds” like it does… Here’s Wiki’s explanation…. View Quote A supersonic hummingbird would knock you off your ass. Not from the impulse of the shock wave, but certainly by your reaction to it. Think about the sound of a bullet passing overhead while sitting in target pits. And a hummingbird is way bigger than that. |
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Glad I’m not the only one fascinated by them.
Last year, my wife and I were walking on the sidewalk and found two baby hummingbirds that had fallen out of their nest on a windy day. We put them in a shoebox but soon found out that they needed to eat really frequently. My wife found an empty Starbucks cup, filled it with grass, lashed it to the tree branch above where we found the baby hummingbirds, and put the birds inside. Sure enough, mother hummingbird came around a couple minutes later and began feeding them. We came back the next day and they were still in the cup. |
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I waited patiently to try and catch one in flight but the rain this morning has them a little less active, so this is what you get.
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Quoted: Yep, they are fun to watch. My feeder not only attracts Hummingbirds, but it also seems to attract Ladderback Woodpeckers... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/20962/Hummingbird_jpg-2877408.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/20962/Ladderback_2022-02-26_0011_jpg-2877409.JPG View Quote Mine as well. In fact I’ve had to reinforce the feeder on the hook with wire because they keep getting knocked and fall off because of the birds. Fortunately they’ve fallen into the soft landscaping and don’t break. |
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We get two different migration flights thru here, Ruby Throats early in the year and the fall and black chins year round. There can be hundreds at a time.
The feeder or food does not have to be red by the way, we get just as many at the yellow and purple feeders as we do the red ones. It helps to have a yard full of Esperanza and various other trumpet style plants. They pretty much set up a permanent home. When I gather the feeders for cleaning/refill they'll follow me to the door and wait till I come back out with a new feeder. The sugar water never lasts long enough to get old. |
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Quoted: Yeap I add a bit of Potassium Sorbate to stop the liquid fermenting and going cloudy. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Only feed them white sugar. 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil to dissolve the sugar. Yeap I add a bit of Potassium Sorbate to stop the liquid fermenting and going cloudy. @Skydivesnake. I learned something new. Thanks. I’m going to start using this. What’s the mix ratio for a regular sized feeder? Teaspoon? This is a great thread. Both my feeders are empty. Mixing up some fresh nectar while i peruse the comments. |
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Not my thread, but it’s a classic hummingbird tale..
UGH!!! HUMMINGBIRD VIOLATED MY MANHOOD!!! UPDATE: Now With 0% Diabeetus! |
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Quoted: @Skydivesnake. I learned something new. Thanks. I’m going to start using this. What’s the mix ratio for a regular sized feeder? Teaspoon? This is a great thread. Both my feeders are empty. Mixing up some fresh nectar while i peruse the comments. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Only feed them white sugar. 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil to dissolve the sugar. Yeap I add a bit of Potassium Sorbate to stop the liquid fermenting and going cloudy. @Skydivesnake. I learned something new. Thanks. I’m going to start using this. What’s the mix ratio for a regular sized feeder? Teaspoon? This is a great thread. Both my feeders are empty. Mixing up some fresh nectar while i peruse the comments. @RustyKnifeUSMC I use 2grams per 2 litres of solution, which I guess is about 1/4 teaspoon a quart. |
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Quoted: Sounds like it does? A supersonic hummingbird would knock you off your ass. Not from the impulse of the shock wave, but certainly by your reaction to it. Think about the sound of a bullet passing overhead while sitting in target pits. And a hummingbird is way bigger than that. View Quote Thanks, I learn something new every day….Never thought of that…. |
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Quoted: Thanks, I learn something new every day….Never thought of that…. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Sounds like it does? A supersonic hummingbird would knock you off your ass. Not from the impulse of the shock wave, but certainly by your reaction to it. Think about the sound of a bullet passing overhead while sitting in target pits. And a hummingbird is way bigger than that. Thanks, I learn something new every day….Never thought of that…. I bet a bullet weighs much more than a humming bird. Cool that your hummers don’t mind being around you. Mine are VERY skittish. If more my hand a few inches they’re gone from the feeder 10 feet away. Oh, and I call it helicopter wars. Because that’s what it looks like. |
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Quoted: @RustyKnifeUSMC I use 2grams per 2 litres of solution, which I guess is about 1/4 teaspoon a quart. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Only feed them white sugar. 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil to dissolve the sugar. Yeap I add a bit of Potassium Sorbate to stop the liquid fermenting and going cloudy. @Skydivesnake. I learned something new. Thanks. I’m going to start using this. What’s the mix ratio for a regular sized feeder? Teaspoon? This is a great thread. Both my feeders are empty. Mixing up some fresh nectar while i peruse the comments. @RustyKnifeUSMC I use 2grams per 2 litres of solution, which I guess is about 1/4 teaspoon a quart. How do you know that this isn't bad for the birds? |
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Nice to see this thread resurrected . Spent an hour this evening entertained by my little friends.
Interesting fact, they can beat their wings 20 to 200 times a second and fly up to 60mph. |
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Quoted: Nice to see this thread resurrected . Spent an hour this evening entertained by my little friends. Interesting fact, they can beat their wings 20 to 200 times a second and fly up to 60mph. View Quote https://youtube.com/shorts/GagyI5lFoAk?feature=share |
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Sitting on my back porch drinking a beer, it's a 100+ here. There is a hummingbird guard that sits up on a branch in the tree
and as soon as another bird approaches the feeder, he/she swoops down, chases it away and returns to the guard tower. Funny as fuck. |
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Quoted: As soon as these plants start to bud its a humming bird thunder dome death match all day. I don't know what it is but these plants just set these guys off. https://i.imgur.com/2I0SO5g.jpeg View Quote We now know what the feeders were emulated after. Those flowers are identical to the plastic ones on feeders. |
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hummingbird |
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Failed To Load Title Was able to capture a hummingbird fight in slowmo |
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I tried putting out the Perky Pet or whatever hummingbird food, and the hummingbirds ignored it. This year tried again with 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup filtered water, and they're all over it. A Broad Tailed found it first, but was bullied off by 2-3 Anna's Hummingbirds. A Rufus will come around, but will ignore the hummingbird feeder if any real flowers are blooming in the yard
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My buddies are back. They had to wait an entire hour for me to mow the grass before they could come back to the feeder.
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Quoted: My buddies are back. They had to wait an entire hour for me to mow the grass before they could come back to the feeder. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/135766/D6FE5A02-B465-4D2F-BA9C-33B4FCFF70B3_jpe-2924203.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/135766/9E6EB23A-48D1-4E1D-9994-5ABD952B1B94_jpe-2924208.JPG View Quote the two in the first picture are trying to hug eachother. such friendly birds. |
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Here's Ze Frank's video on the hummingbird. Always worth a watch.
Cue it up to about 8:54 for section about the mating dives. True Facts: The Hummingbird Warrior |
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Had 3 feeders going in Texas. Was like O'Hare or LaGuardia. Not unusual to have a dozen or more at the same time. Funny watching one chase another one away while 3 more would come in to feed.
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I enjoy the shit out of watching those little fuckers. I wish mine didn’t fight so damn much. I have more “food” for them
In my fridge than they could possibly imagine. |
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Quoted: I enjoy the shit out of watching those little fuckers. I wish mine didn’t fight so damn much. I have more “food” for them In my fridge than they could possibly imagine. View Quote They’re territorial buggers. Multiple feeders spaced apart can help. Then again I like the helicopter wars. May the best copter win. There can be only one. You coming to MY feeder? Oh hell naw! It’s on! |
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My neighbor had one in his garage he couldn't coax out a week or 2 ago and he called me over to help. He ended up so tired he was hanging upside down from the garage opener hardware. I cupped my hands around him and he let me carry him outside where he immediately flew to the top of the nearest oak tree to rest. That to me was a very cool opportunity. I hope he hangs around a while.
A pic from a few years ago of the most territorial one we had that year. DSC_7709tightcrop by Flcrutch, on Flickr" /> |
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Quoted: I bet a bullet weighs much more than a humming bird. Cool that your hummers don’t mind being around you. Mine are VERY skittish. If more my hand a few inches they’re gone from the feeder 10 feet away. Oh, and I call it helicopter wars. Because that’s what it looks like. View Quote My in-laws have a couple feeders at their cottage on the lake. Occasionally the birds will come up and feed but it's the same thing, if you move at all they fly off immediately. I'm guessing the guys that get the cool pictures either have a really long lens or the birds have seen enough humans that it doesn't bother them. |
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Quoted: I love the hummingbirds that hang around my feeders. There's one that will sometimes perch on my shoulder while I'm watering down my trees. The coolest creatures in back yard are these guys. https://www.farmersalmanac.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/hummingbird-moth-AdobeStock_271173842-944x630.jpeg View Quote |
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Youtube.com/@livehummingbirds
instagram.com/hummingbirdssky the wifes hobby |
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Quoted: My neighbor had one in his garage he couldn't coax out a week or 2 ago and he called me over to help. He ended up so tired he was hanging upside down from the garage opener hardware. I cupped my hands around him and he let me carry him outside where he immediately flew to the top of the nearest oak tree to rest. That to me was a very cool opportunity. I hope he hangs around a while. A pic from a few years ago of the most territorial one we had that year. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49852821141_af9a3f9ff4_h.jpgDSC_7709tightcrop by Flcrutch, on Flickr" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49852821141_af9a3f9ff4_h.jpgDSC_7709tightcrop by Flcrutch, on Flickr View Quote Awesome photo. In the summer ours are skittish and won’t get too close. Winter time however, they will mob me the moment I walk out the door with a refilled feeder, and start feeding off it while I am trying to walk with it…. Then they will guard it closely…basically sitting on top of it if they can. The colder it gets, the more ornery they get to each other, and the less they care about people. |
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Quoted: They’re territorial buggers. Multiple feeders spaced apart can help. Then again I like the helicopter wars. May the best copter win. There can be only one. You coming to MY feeder? Oh hell naw! It’s on! View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I enjoy the shit out of watching those little fuckers. I wish mine didn’t fight so damn much. I have more “food” for them In my fridge than they could possibly imagine. They’re territorial buggers. Multiple feeders spaced apart can help. Then again I like the helicopter wars. May the best copter win. There can be only one. You coming to MY feeder? Oh hell naw! It’s on! Per @John-In-Austin, and he's absolutely right, in E Texas, you need to distinguish between Ruby-Throated "Die!Die!DIEIFUCKINGHATEYOU!!! Starve!!!, and Black-chinned. I've video of swarms of 8 patiently waiting their turn on our 4 spout feeder (with 5 birds on it. The flowers will, ahem, accommodate two shafts....) Ruby's, and I understand Rufous's are worse, don't do that as much. We had a dying basil plant, with woody stem, immediately below our feeder. Ruby-throat male perched on it, like a Patriot battery, to absolutely ruin the day of any other bird---including females!!!---that tried to feed. Live action Joust! the video game. |
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My parents used to keep several feeders up but stopped after dad retired. I remember they had swarms of the little guys.
I put my first one up this year, I only have three or four birds and they absolutely will not share it. Do they ever stop fighting over it? |
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View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: During mating season, they actually fly up extremely high, then, swoop straight down to the ground, breaking the sound barrier, with a high pitch chirp. Amazing to watch. /media/mediaFiles/sharedAlbum/dont_believe_you_anchorman_zps267e5cbb_GIF-108.gif No shit I believe the peregrine is the fastest bird in a dive and nowhere near the speed of sound. |
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One hovered in front of my deck in late June, I thought it was cool, so I bought a feeder. He now comes regularly, and perches in a tree about 20 feet away. Whenever another comes by he flys up and runs them off.
I sit about 5 feet away and watch them all the time. Sometimes they zip right over my head dog fighting. Last week I was talking to a colleague on the phone and walked out on the deck. I left the sliding door wide open because it was cool out. Sat down and was watching him at the feeder. Next thing I know another one shows up and it’s game on. But instead of flying off the little fucker flew right into my dining room. Hovered for a second and then wriggled in between the blinds trying to get out the closed window. I raised the blinds and stuck my hand under him. He landed on my hand but then when I moved he flew off again. Took me three tries, but by that time he just sat there on my hand with his beak open panting. Must have been tired. I waited a minute and slowly walked to the door. He saw the feeder and flew to it. I tried to get a picture but couldn’t open the camera on my phone with my left hand… lol |
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We've got a couple feeders off the back porch. They're aggressive as heck towards each other. Fun to watch.
Strangely I've never heard one hum. |
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Hummingbirds are awesome. Dad used to sit motionless in the backyard and feed them while holding the feeder. He taught me and my siblings the technique, and we had them sitting on our fingers while feeding. They generate an incredible amount of heat!
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This camera work is incredible.
See Hummingbirds Fly, Shake, Drink in Amazing Slow Motion | National Geographic |
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