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With apologies for the delayed reply (have been away) - and further
thanks to Bev, Cam and others; you make sensible and valid points and
I've decided to stop feeling personally responsible for the current
situation and view it as a valuable addition to my hummer feeding
learning curve!
Eleanor Lindsay
,
On 2016-07-03 8:43 AM, Bev Wigney wrote:
> All,
>
> My experience is similar to what Cam Finley describes. I used to put
> out feeders from 2010 to 2015, but over the past few years since
> buying this place, I've also been working to increase native plants
> and also non-native perennials in my gardens. I also have some
> rhodies that are getting large. There are now a lot of plants
> flowering throughout the whole spring and summer. About two summers
> ago, I noticed that the hummers were barely using the feeders,
> especially as the plants really started to bloom. Last year, after a
> couple or so weeks, I just took the feeders down as I realized that
> they birds preferred the flowers over the feeders. I don't mind as
> this was actually what I've been working toward since coming here in
> 2010. I should also mention that my next door neighbours had feeders
> on their porch for about 20 years, but at the same time as I noticed
> that hummers were ignoring my feeders, the same happened to theirs.
> However, from my upstairs room, looking down on my garden, I soon
> discovered that the hummers that customarily nested in a particular
> tree in their yard were flying back and forth into my yard to feed on
> the abundant flowers. By the way, this spring, I have been
> encountering hummers back in my forest quite regularly. I don't
> recall them being back there so much before this year. However, there
> are a lot of native plants that flower along the brook alongside my
> property, and I have a big stand of Fireweed that they love to visit.
> Maybe they've decided to make more use of the forest now. So,
> Eleanor, I'm wondering if maybe you have a neighbour somewhere who has
> been cultivating a sort of wild garden for bees and butterflies, and
> that birds are being attracted by that? I can see how the shift to
> native plant gardens may have quite an effect on bird and insect
> activity as I'm seeing it here in my own gardens where I photography
> insects every day from spring through autumn.
>
> Bev Wigney
> Round Hill
>
>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>>
>>>> From: Joy and Cam<joyandcamfinlay@shaw.ca>
>>>> Subject: Re: more on feeding hummingbirds
>>>> Date: July 2, 2016 at 8:30:32 PM ADT
>>>> To: Jim Wolford<jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
>>>>
>>>> Jim
>>>> Male arrive first and immediately search out territory and quickly
>>>> look for newly arriving females to breed them as they have just arrived.
>>>> Once females are bred, males leave to find more receptive females or else
>>>> head on the way south or search out more food sources. Males have only
>>>> one duty or function which is to copulate and get on with surviving.
>>>> They have nothing to do with nest building and raising young, only to
>>>> breed and then leave.
>>>> The lady who commented that the birds only take one sip and then
>>>> leave, probably means they have found a better source of food. We
>>>> often see that out here too when wild food sources are much more
>>>> attractive than sugar water in feeders. In fact at times when arbutus is
>>>> in full flower or other native plants are in bloom the feeders remain
>>>> totally unused for days at a time.
>>>> Hope that clears up the concern. OH yes, don’t use soap to clean or if
>>>> soap is used then thoroughly rinse out the soap.
>>>> Best wishes
>>>> Cam
>>>>
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<p><font size="+1">With apologies for the delayed reply (have been
away) - and further thanks to Bev, Cam and others; you make
sensible and valid points and I've decided to stop feeling
personally responsible for the current situation and view it as
a valuable addition to my hummer feeding learning curve! <br>
</font></p>
<p><font size="+1">Eleanor Lindsay</font><br>
</p>
,<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2016-07-03 8:43 AM, Bev Wigney
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAD_MH0P+pxbaeNjocfDL13645Uap-O56N7ECnVe8-A1eOEWdpA@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">All,
My experience is similar to what Cam Finley describes. I used to put
out feeders from 2010 to 2015, but over the past few years since
buying this place, I've also been working to increase native plants
and also non-native perennials in my gardens. I also have some
rhodies that are getting large. There are now a lot of plants
flowering throughout the whole spring and summer. About two summers
ago, I noticed that the hummers were barely using the feeders,
especially as the plants really started to bloom. Last year, after a
couple or so weeks, I just took the feeders down as I realized that
they birds preferred the flowers over the feeders. I don't mind as
this was actually what I've been working toward since coming here in
2010. I should also mention that my next door neighbours had feeders
on their porch for about 20 years, but at the same time as I noticed
that hummers were ignoring my feeders, the same happened to theirs.
However, from my upstairs room, looking down on my garden, I soon
discovered that the hummers that customarily nested in a particular
tree in their yard were flying back and forth into my yard to feed on
the abundant flowers. By the way, this spring, I have been
encountering hummers back in my forest quite regularly. I don't
recall them being back there so much before this year. However, there
are a lot of native plants that flower along the brook alongside my
property, and I have a big stand of Fireweed that they love to visit.
Maybe they've decided to make more use of the forest now. So,
Eleanor, I'm wondering if maybe you have a neighbour somewhere who has
been cultivating a sort of wild garden for bees and butterflies, and
that birds are being attracted by that? I can see how the shift to
native plant gardens may have quite an effect on bird and insect
activity as I'm seeing it here in my own gardens where I photography
insects every day from spring through autumn.
Bev Wigney
Round Hill
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Begin forwarded message:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">From: Joy and Cam <joyandcamfinlay@shaw.ca>
Subject: Re: more on feeding hummingbirds
Date: July 2, 2016 at 8:30:32 PM ADT
To: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Jim
Male arrive first and immediately search out territory and quickly
look for newly arriving females to breed them as they have just arrived.
Once females are bred, males leave to find more receptive females or else
head on the way south or search out more food sources. Males have only
one duty or function which is to copulate and get on with surviving.
They have nothing to do with nest building and raising young, only to
breed and then leave.
The lady who commented that the birds only take one sip and then
leave, probably means they have found a better source of food. We
often see that out here too when wild food sources are much more
attractive than sugar water in feeders. In fact at times when arbutus is
in full flower or other native plants are in bloom the feeders remain
totally unused for days at a time.
Hope that clears up the concern. OH yes, don’t use soap to clean or if
soap is used then thoroughly rinse out the soap.
Best wishes
Cam
</pre>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br>
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