Hummers

[angmf2233]

Hummers are really mini birds right? they do not sting do they? This may sound really stupid but I really am not sure, I only ever saw them a couple times when I was really young at my grandparent and I remember they sound like bees.

[gardeningmom]

They are birds, they don't sting or attack or anything like that. If you get near they will fly away. They are quite amazing as they hover while drinking - they don't actually land like a regular bird does. I believe the sound you hear is their wings.

[AlphaDog]

On the contrary... sometimes they do land if there's a perch present. I've seen it a million times.

Not trying to one-up ya. Just stating the facts.

[gardeningmom]

Not one-upping at all. This site is to learn and share. So you are saying that they sometimes will land to "eat" or is it just for "resting"?

[jdkline]

Last year I bought the hummer feeders that have a little ring around the bottom of them. The purpose of that ring or base at the bottom of some of the feeders is for the birds to land on it while they eat. Sometimes they dont stay there for long but it gives you a better chance to get a good look at them. They are beautiful little guys. At my house they didnt use that perch much but at my mom's house they use it all the time. They have several feeders on their property in WV and they all have the perches for them. They have so many hummers down there its unreal. I couldnt believe it!! Constantly 4 or 5 birds on one feeder. That's what prompted me to get the ones with the perch for them at my house. While I was at moms I loved sitting on the back porch watching them feed. One of them even got territorial and tried running all the others off the feeder. I just love to watch them.
Deb

[AlphaDog]

Yup... there you go.

My mother and grandmother have all kinds of pictures, books, figurines, etc. of these birds. I put a feeder out last year for the first time and was surprised. I actually had 2-3 to feed from it. I'm going to put 2-3 feeders out this year and see what happens.

[ok_nurse]

If you want to see one up close-
It gives you a good idea how small they really are. My husband has large hands and the pictures were a little out of focus but they are real. The hummer couldn't geet out of our garage so we had to catch him with the pool cleaning net. We do this seasonal activity quite frequently cuz hubby works in the garage alot and has the door open all the time-but this bird sure was hard to exhaust-not nearly as easy as a sparrow or a wren!

[angmf2233]

I mixed up my first batch of hummer juice 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water added a bit of red. Will lets yins no. I am gonna fill another feeder in a few days. Wish me luck!

[jessiebella677]

No they do not sting. If you can get them to your yard they are a treat to watch! I live in a very rural area and have had a few come arund. We have wild honey suckle every where! They love honey suckle so try and get one. If you live in the city it may take awhile for them to find your garden but the more you put out fro them the more likely they will be to come.
Jessie

[ok_nurse]

They eat more than half of their body weight in food each day, and a big part of that is insects. They need the protein, minerals and fats which are essential to their health. I think that's an extra advantage to having these lil guys around!