Outdoor Ontario
Birding Reports => Backyard Birding => Topic started by: Howieh on May 07, 2013, 11:20:28 AM
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Finally(?), I think it was a female but it took off when I got close to the window.
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I hope it wa sa big fat bumblebee!! :wink:
you better not be getting hummers before me Howie!
:lol:
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I hope it wa sa big fat bumblebee!! :wink:
you better not be getting hummers before me Howie!
:lol:
Sorry Meghan, the morning sighting was quick so I couldn't 'sex' it but after being out all day I came home at 5pm and about thirty seconds later a male showed up. Yours can't be far away! :)
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Sorry Meghan, the morning sighting was quick so I couldn't 'sex' it but after being out all day I came home at 5pm and about thirty seconds later a male showed up. Yours can't be far away! :)
They better show up soon. We don't get enough time with them as it is.
Now don't horde them from me...send them along.
:lol:
Meghan
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Very interesting - no hummers since the last male left(?) Tuesday evening; I must be waiting for the females that nest in the park across the street (Bestview Park). Anything to report, Meghan?
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Anything to report, Meghan?
Nothing yet Howie..you'll be the first to know.
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So Meghan, where are the 'girls'? I'm starting to worry about them, do you think they got lost?
Oh, well, at least I'm getting some great white crowned sparrow shots with my SX50, much easier than trying to get close with my 400mm!
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I just had another male hummer visit my feeder. He fed for a few seconds and then perched in the tree above before taking off and heading north. It's been about an hour and he hasn't returned so I presume he was just passing through! :)
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Still nothing Howie. :cry:
I keep trying to remember when I had my first sighting last year. I suppose I could look back through the board but the 19th of May rings a bell.
I really need to start writing this stuff down :roll:
What is your "arrival date" from last year?
In the meantime I have lots of Orioles to keep me occupied, and my dog once again is helping to test the nectar to make sure it is fresh. :!:
They have been reported near me so I know they are around.
I keep waiting..and waiting..
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Hi Meghan,
According to last years posts my first male arrived on May 4, yours on May 5, but, after a one day flurry on May 10, neither of us had regulars until after May 16. It looks like the winds will become more favorable by Wednesday (May 15) afternoon so I really hope to see some activity during the next few days. Btw, I will be close to the GBH rookery this weekend; is it still worth visiting?
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Thanks for looking that up Howie. I was going to do that today.
Soooo..that means any day now for regular visits. I may have had some around lately but I have been working a lot of hours and might have missed them. I hope this weekend will bring them in to our backyards for the summer.
As or the Rookery, I don't know. I actually haven't been up this Spring. I always go up every year, don't know why I missed this year. It's like my yearly tradition.
I would say by now the leaves will have pretty much filled in most of the viewing field except for the few nest that are higher up.. If you are in the area I would still say check it out. Especially if you are around first thing in the morning or later in the evening. When they leave for the day or return. Any other time I would think your best bet is down at the pond. I hear they are in there most of the time.But again I haven't been, just going by what I remember from past years.
There is also a pair of Great Horned Owls in there so you may even luck out with them.
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You're welcome and thanks for the rookery info. I probably won't get there but if I do I'll let you know what's happening!
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Still nothing Howie :cry:
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I just had another male visit my feeder, but still no females!?
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I just had another male visit my feeder, but still no females!?
HMMM...weird Howie is quoting himself, anyway I spoke too soon! I returned home from a visit to Rosetta MG (pretty quiet but a few orioles put on a good show!) and went to the back in time to see a female up in the lilacs. She came down to check me out and headed back to the woods across the street so I presume she will be hanging around. Also had another male well after sunset. Anything doing yet at your place, Meghan?
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Still nothing!!
What is going on..
I suggest to you Howie, that you and I go sit in that park across the street from you and find that nest.
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I see one or two males a day and yesterday at about 6pm a female appeared but she left before I could take a shot through my window, so I went outside and waited and sure enough she returned about ten minutes later. I grabbed a quick shot at the feeder and she flew into the bushes and posed for a few more lousy shots, but I haven't seen her since!! Another male appeared once this morning but so far that's it for today. One good thing about my recent visitors - they all headed for the woods across the street after visiting so maybe they're hanging around? Lots of honeysuckle now blooming, is that good or bad? :)
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Lots of honeysuckle now blooming, is that good or bad? :)
It's great!
Is that Honeysuckle from the garden or wild?
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Lots of honeysuckle now blooming, is that good or bad? :)
It's great!
Is that Honeysuckle from the garden or wild?
Both, in my neighbours yard and in Bestview Park, across the street. Anyway, I think she's finally here to stay; we got home after 8pm and she came back to the feeder at least 3 times before dark. Not enough light for stills so I tried the video on my SX50, used manual focus to prevent 'hunting' which worked ok but the video is underexposed. It will be interesting to see if she comes early tomorrow like she did all last summer.
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Finally!!!!
Female sighted off and on all day yesterday. :D
Welcome back I said. It's about bloody time.
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Congrats both of you!! I bugged my friend who has a garden to get some flowers that may attract Hummingbirds lol :D He listened to me and got some Foxgloves and some other ones I can't remember right now. We couldn't find the Jewelweed/Forget me nots. Perhaps those aren't readily sold at the big box store garden centres.
Well we'll see if we can spot some Hummers on those peach Foxgloves. That sounds delicious, doesn't it?
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I saw my first hummer today at 6:15 am. Happy Birding! mike
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got my, err, first hummer yesterday. as i told Meghan, i was outside potting tomato plants and i was using my AC fan as my table. my hummingbird feeder is positioned 5 feet away (so i can look out my kitchen window with false hope of a visitor). i was down to my last plant and it was 8:10 PM, when suddenly ZOOOOOMMMMM!, a hummer flies 4 feet from me and is sizing up my feeder. i stand perfectly still, not wanting to make eye contact. he hovered for a good 5 seconds, stared at me, flew off to the columbine i have near my fence, looked at it and left.
so....either i scared the shit out of it and he'll never come back or he knows i make the sweetest nectar in town and will be a regular.
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I looked out at about 6pm and there were two(!) females at my feeder; I was hoping 'Mad Max' (my regular male) would show up while they were there but no dice! But he did show up a few minutes later and made several visits until I lost sight of him in the darkness at exactly 9pm. When he hangs around he usually sits on the perches (broken branches) that I've set up for photographing other birds and the only way I can see him after sunset is when his gorget 'glows' in the dark! Yesterday I set up a chair about six feet from his perch and started taking flash pictures with my sx50. The first shot spooked him but he soon returned and sat like Mister Cool while I took several more shots!
It's really interesting watching how they behave depending on circumstance; if a female is at the feeder when he arrives she usually ignores him till she's finished, but if he's feeding when a female arrives he chases her away and then goes crazy, flying back and forth like a pendulum bob until he runs out of steam!! A few days ago he and a female were feeding at the same time at opposite flowers 'cause he obviously didn't see her (she was there first) when he arrived. Of course when she left first he took off after her like the macho guy he is! :)
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I stand corrected (I think?). Apparently that flying back and forth is part of the mating ritual and is supposed to impress the female - works for me! :) well, ok, not really - I had to promise her a ring before anything good happened!
So Mad Max was back on his perch before 6am this morning and again this evening (too cold to go outside so I just watched from my window). He must have had a tough day because a couple of females came to feed while he was there and he just ignored them...or maybe he already had his way with them!!
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where do such small fragile birds sleep at night .. and preserve body heat? I only ever saw 1 in Canada in my time but spent my entire life out n about before I could walk. and computers were sold.
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haven't had a returnee (as far as I'm aware of) since the initial visit.
jerks
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haven't had a returnee (as far as I'm aware of) since the initial visit.
jerks
During the day Mad Max (my male) is on a ten minute schedule so I don't really see him much until close to sunset but he tends to hang around after dark so last evening I took some (lousy) flash pictures. He's getting used to me being close to the feeder and he still comes over to chirp at me before feeding!
Females are another story; they are few and far between so I hope they are just busy raising the kids! Don't give up hope 'cause I'm sure yours will show up and remember - there's always Rosetta MG in September! :)
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haven't had a returnee (as far as I'm aware of) since the initial visit.
jerks
During the day Mad Max (my male) is on a ten minute schedule so I don't really see him much until close to sunset but he tends to hang around after dark so last evening I took some (lousy) flash pictures. He's getting used to me being close to the feeder and he still comes over to chirp at me before feeding!
Females are another story; they are few and far between so I hope they are just busy raising the kids! Don't give up hope 'cause I'm sure yours will show up and remember - there's always Rosetta MG in September! :)
i even bought 3 salvia plants and spread them around the back yard. going for more tomorrow. stupid birds, wasting my money....
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It's raining cats and dogs and I think there's a tiny duck at my hummingbird feeder - no, wait, it's Mad Max! - crazy bird - would you fly in this weather? Obviously he has an IFR rating! :)
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The female has been around since sunrise but absolutely NO sign of the male. Go figure?! :)
I stand corrected - Mad Max finally showed up at 7:30am.
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i even bought 3 salvia plants and spread them around the back yard. going for more tomorrow. stupid birds, wasting my money....
Maybe not but you might have to wait until late August or September before they hang around all the time - been thinking (not something I normally do for more than a few seconds at a time!) and after watching hummingbird behavior for a couple of years I've come to the conclusion that unless you live near a place where they can find 'safe haven' between feedings (I'm across the street from a wooded area that they always go to after feeding ), they won't hang around all the time until they start fattening up for the trip south (remember Rosetta in Sept last year?). (so called) expert opinions on this are welcomed!