On 8/9/2010 9:49 AM, Frank Marenghi wrote:

> Lastly, I had a female Ruby-throated
> Hummingbird at the feeder this morning.
> Surprisingly, this is the first hummer I have
> had at the feeder all summer! What's up with
> this? I have had a feeder up since the spring,
> cleaned it regularly and changed the sugar
> water about once a week at the most. It is
> located about 3 ft off the ground hanging on a
> pole next to the house. It is by a window but
> there are some 2-3ft tall Nandina bushes around
> it and a red cedar ~ 10 ft away so it is not
> totally exposed. I changed the sugar water last
> night. I know it being near a window should not
> matter. It was great to see her here this
> morning but I was wondering if folks had any
> clue why I haven't seen one earlier. There are
> many native and horticultural flowers and trees
> in the yard so there should be plenty to
> attract them. The metal "flowers" on the feeder
> that were painted red have faded so we added
> red felt cutouts behind them about a week ago
> to add some color to the feeder. Is this a sign
> there is a dearth of hummers in the
> neighborhood or I am not changing the fluid
> frequently enough? Other suggestions?

Frank,

What kind of habitat do you have? If there is no 
breeding habitat around then you probably won't 
see any hummers during breeding season. Now that 
migration has begun, you might get a few strays.

Have you had hummers in past years? If so, is 
there anything different?

It sounds like your feeder is a decorative feeder 
- 'The metal "flowers" on the feeder that were 
painted red.' My hummers will not touch a 
decorative feeder. They look good to people but 
not to hummers. Get yourself some Perky Pet 4 
flower feeders (model # 203CP). Those are the 
favorite at my house. I keep trying new types of 
feeders but the 203CP is always the winner. Put 
several feeders up at different locations to see 
if that helps attract the hummers.

Bruce Peterjohn has banded over 750 hummers at my 
house since 2007 and we are nearing 200 for this 
year, so I have some experience attracting hummers.

Clean the feeder and change the sugar water when 
the solution starts to get cloudy. In the heat of 
summer that may be every couple of days. Since you 
are not getting many birds, you do not have to 
completely fill the feeder. If the numbers pick 
up, you can adjust accordingly.

Good luck in your hummer quest. They are great fun 
to watch.

Les

===========
Les Eastman
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Havre de Grace, MD

The eagle looked down on the river below
And he wrapped his wings round him and he fell
like a stone
And the big salmon fought but the talons held true
And he shuddered as the world turned from silver
to blue
                               Steve Earle