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This year I’m having an unusual amount of hummingbirds,since moving here about 9 years ago I’ve never seen that many. It’s a continuous buzz fest! Got to refill feeders almost daily.
This year I’m having an unusual amount of hummingbirds,since moving here about 9 years ago I’ve never seen that many. It’s a continuous buzz fest! Got to refill feeders almost daily.
Unfortunately, we had to take our hummingbird feeder down. It is fairly close to our kitchen window and was attracting ants.
Unfortunately, we had to take our hummingbird feeder down. It is fairly close to our kitchen window and was attracting ants.
Have you ever heard about a Ant Moat? I had to look it up myself,it’s a small cup that you fill with water,it has a hook on the top and bottom. You hang it between the pole and the hummingbird feeder. On Amazon.
Our local Hummer gang(s) continue to be less, much less, than the usual previous couple of decades...
Realizing they are difficult to ID as separate individuals, and I don't spend all day on our deck doing a census, but we simply have ~ 25-30 % of the population we seem to have had in most previous years, imo.
We only have 4 houses/multi acre wooded steep mtn lots on our little road, and the other neighbor(s) that might have fed them in past, (thus, the hummers had alt sources), are rarely here this summer...
No construction on our road, lots or mtn communityarea, no clearing, etc. that might be a detriment to their usual habitat.
Also, our usual 'other bird' species are considerably down from previous years:
One female Rose Breasted Grosbeak, a few Tufted Tit Mice, a few Nuthatches, the large gangs of Juncos are half what is 'usual', same for Rufous Sided Towhees, Cardinals, Chickadees, Carolina wrens, Goldfinch et al. Even the greedy/bully usual dozen plus of Mourning Doves are just a few. And, our usual ~20+ Flying Squirrels that used to glide in and eat the left over bird seed on our deck rails have been totally absent this year.
Again, our local and wider area habitat has not changed, via building construction, etc.
I do not have an answer...Avian flu maybe? WAG, and I dunno.
My observations from Eagles Nest Mtn at almost a mile high, overlooking Waynesville.
GL, mD
Have you ever heard about a Ant Moat? I had to look it up myself,it’s a small cup that you fill with water,it has a hook on the top and bottom. You hang it between the pole and the hummingbird feeder. On Amazon.
Our local Hummer gang(s) continue to be less, much less, than the usual previous couple of decades...
Realizing they are difficult to ID as separate individuals, and I don't spend all day on our deck doing a census, but we simply have ~ 25-30 % of the population we seem to have had in most previous years, imo.
We only have 4 houses/multi acre wooded steep mtn lots on our little road, and the other neighbor(s) that might have fed them in past, (thus, the hummers had alt sources), are rarely here this summer...
No construction on our road, lots or mtn communityarea, no clearing, etc. that might be a detriment to their usual habitat.
Also, our usual 'other bird' species are considerably down from previous years:
One female Rose Breasted Grosbeak, a few Tufted Tit Mice, a few Nuthatches, the large gangs of Juncos are half what is 'usual', same for Rufous Sided Towhees, Cardinals, Chickadees, Carolina wrens, Goldfinch et al. Even the greedy/bully usual dozen plus of Mourning Doves are just a few. And, our usual ~20+ Flying Squirrels that used to glide in and eat the left over bird seed on our deck rails have been totally absent this year.
Again, our local and wider area habitat has not changed, via building construction, etc.
I do not have an answer...Avian flu maybe? WAG, and I dunno.
My observations from Eagles Nest Mtn at almost a mile high, overlooking Waynesville.
GL, mD
I think that most of yours must have migrated to my house ;-)
Our hummers started slow this year. Then an burst, then slow again. Now we have a CHARM of hummingbirds all over the place. I'm going through about 4 cups of sugar water every 2 days. They're everywhere in the bushes and trees surrounding our cabin - I even have them perched 2 at a time (or more) on the feeders - which is unusual here. They are so numerous right now that you can hardly walk around the cabin without running into 2 or 3 chasing each other. We do have ~10 very large pink hibiscus bushes down the driveway that they frequent (in addition to the feeders), but nothing new. Perhaps my numerous years of routinely feeding them is bring more return visitors in...?
Our other bird populations have been likewise busy of late... Probably have 10-12 golden finches that routinely mob the feeders all at once. The cardinals, song sparrows and tit mouses try to muscle them off...poor indigo buntings just have to wait for a break in the action to sneak in. We've had a few more eastern towhee around this year, too. No scarlet tanager this year. A couple of years ago I built a simple nesting ledge under the eave of the porch for the eastern phoebes - trying to redirect them from their prefered nesting spot over the porch gates (what a mess). They finally started using the nesting ledge this year...
We've had lots of turkeys (started with 12 chicks, recently counted only 11)...lots of deer this year and even a very large black bear (only my second live sighting - though I often found other bear "signs" in our apple orchard).
Lastly...about 5 years ago I put up a bat house in the field below our cabin. I noticed this year that the box was finally being used. I had to fix an issue with the pole where the bat house is located and the bats did not like it one bit. I counted 20 large brown bats that flew out...a little creepy, but I hope they come back.
Our hummers started slow this year. Then an burst, then slow again. Now we have a CHARM of hummingbirds all over the place. I'm going through about 4 cups of sugar water every 2 days. They're everywhere in the bushes and trees surrounding our cabin - I even have them perched 2 at a time (or more) on the feeders - which is unusual here. They are so numerous right now that you can hardly walk around the cabin without running into 2 or 3 chasing each other. We do have ~10 very large pink hibiscus bushes down the driveway that they frequent (in addition to the feeders), but nothing new. Perhaps my numerous years of routinely feeding them is bring more return visitors in...?
Our other bird populations have been likewise busy of late... Probably have 10-12 golden finches that routinely mob the feeders all at once. The cardinals, song sparrows and tit mouses try to muscle them off...poor indigo buntings just have to wait for a break in the action to sneak in. We've had a few more eastern towhee around this year, too. No scarlet tanager this year. A couple of years ago I built a simple nesting ledge under the eave of the porch for the eastern phoebes - trying to redirect them from their prefered nesting spot over the porch gates (what a mess). They finally started using the nesting ledge this year...
We've had lots of turkeys (started with 12 chicks, recently counted only 11)...lots of deer this year and even a very large black bear (only my second live sighting - though I often found other bear "signs" in our apple orchard).
Lastly...about 5 years ago I put up a bat house in the field below our cabin. I noticed this year that the box was finally being used. I had to fix an issue with the pole where the bat house is located and the bats did not like it one bit. I counted 20 large brown bats that flew out...a little creepy, but I hope they come back.
The golden finches have been like piranhas around here,they come in swarms!
I’ve also observed the hummingbirds perched at the feeders up to four at a time,very unusual indeed since in previous years they would always chase each other away.
I’ve had quite a few hummers around my pond on sunny days this summer - but it’s been rainy, in the afternoon lately, so I haven’t seen them lately. Lots of fireflies all over my yard.
I’ve had quite a few hummers around my pond on sunny days this summer - but it’s been rainy, in the afternoon lately, so I haven’t seen them lately. Lots of fireflies all over my yard.
Mine are in a frenzy even in the current rain.
Not too many fireflies yet though.
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