2004hummo3A

Our Personal Hummingbird Moments

I have always loved dirt, seeds, gardening, flowers and plants. I have a hard time throwing any of them away. I rather put them in a new location. I have them giving back to me.
But when I see a hummingbird come over the fence into my yard, I get a wonderful feeling inside of LOVE. That hummingbird picked my yard because I grew or bought the right flower to give the little bird what it needed to survive.
I have feed any animal that comes to my yard to matter what it is. I have bugs, critters and all kinds of pets here and some not too good.
I'm allergic to bees and still have lots of bees and wasps around here. I found out that you cannot rid your yard of the pests, if you do, then the beautiful birds that God made will not visit your yard.
I was quite upset about moving but if I do I know the birds will miss me and still survive. The hummingbirds have honeysuckle around and trumpet vines. The other birds always seem to find some bugs and seeds to eat.
When I see a hummingbird fly into my yard, I sit and watch them. My kids watch them, my granddaughter has seen them. I've watched my dog watch them. My neighbor looks for them. I've introduced them to several people over the years. They love the boys of course because of their red necks.
I love the boys too, but think I prefer the females. They are here longer and really amuse me. I watch one trying to get nectar yesterday from a slightly blowing trumpet vine. I laughed my head off watching her and still felt sad because she was hungry. She did manage to get some nectar anyway. I got a few photos of her trying.
And that's why I love hummingbirds. They are Fantastic.
Vicki (NJ)

Members' feelings and thoughts about their hummingbirds.

There were several such moments in my years with hummingbirds.
The first would have to be the day a hummer came right up to my face, checked out my red lipstick and then decided that lipstick wasn�t anything it wanted, so it flew away. There and then I decided rather than watching the hummingbirds at a distance in the gardens, I would put out feeders and lure them in closer so I could really get to know them.
The second moment was the one that got me thinking about doing a better job feeding hummers. I noticed a small, very puffed up female hummingbird sitting on my roses close to the position one of my feeders had been in all summer. Now, this was about October 6th or 8th and I had taken my feeders down in early September after not seeing a hummer for about 10 days. I rushed downstairs, got the feeders out of storage, quickly made some nectar without even taking the time to boil it, so I could get the feeders out as quickly as I could so the little hummer could get something to warm it up and give it strength. That occasion is what first brought me to the HLC. The little female was so puffed up I didn�t think she was a ruby-throat so I was surfing the net looking for answers to its identity. Once a member in the HLC, I found out why my feeders had not been used very often that summer; I had been making the nectar too strong.
The last moment would have to be this summer when Lily found the tiny dead male hummer. He was so perfect, wings outstretched as if he were still flying. His feet were so tiny and when I turned him so the sun hit his iridescent feathers just right, his gorget was still red. He weighed nothing. It was like holding a couple cotton balls! His tiny, perfect little body was buried with honors and he has a beautiful quartz stone marking his grave.
Marcia (PA)

Although I think just about any moment when I am watching hummingbirds is an amazing moment, one of the most memorable ones was the first time I had to save a hummer that had become trapped on our screened-in back porch.
I was in the kitchen doing dishes when I noticed something fluttering around out in the back porch. My first thought was a moth or butterfly, but upon watching more carefully I saw that it was a male ruby throat hummingbird. I raced to the back door and out on the porch and watched a moment as it flew along the ceiling back and forth. I didn't know how long it had been trapped but I knew that it would die searching for a way out if not assisted in its escape.
Slowly I slipped over near it, but it flew beyond my reach. We danced from one side of the screened in room to the other with little progress. Finally I stood back trying to come up with a different plan of action. He flew down to the screen and grabbed on with his tiny feet. Carefully I eased up to him and cupped my hands around him, softly telling him that it was okay and I was there to help him.
At first he didn't want to release the screen but when I lifted by thumbs to look inside my cupped hands at him, I think he though he could make an escape. Gently I carried this nearly weightless treasure to the open door, whispering words of my devotion to him. I stopped a moment to experience the moment before opening my hands and watching him fly to his freedom, amazed that such a tiny thing of beauty could be so feisty and move so gracefully.
Lizz (AR)

I have loved hummingbirds for so many years. I can not hardly remember how long I have had feeders and enjoyed my summer with these beautiful jewels. I know that I had feeders when I was married to my first husband and that was more than 25 years ago.
I have twice in the last few years had some very special friends in my hummingbird population here. The first time was about 4 years ago when I was changing the feeders and as I reached for the feeder hanging under our carport a little female I had learned to know as Miss Priss came up to the carport and sat down right on my hand as I was reaching for the feeder. I just froze and of all times to not have my camera there as my daughter and grandson were both sitting on the swing. I always had the camera with me but not that day as I was just going to feed them and go in to put dinner on the table for us.
Then last year I got the thrill of a life time. I had for many years hoped to have a hummingbird come and feed from a feeder as I was holding it. I can not tell you all the things I had done to attract them from dressing all in red, wearing a hat with red flowers glued all over it and sitting for hours under the tree they frequent a lot. Nothing worked and I was about to give it up as a lost cause. Well last spring after my hummers returned I decided to give it another try. I went out on the deck and took the feeder from the flowers and sat down. I had not been there for 5 minutes when a young male came up and hovered in front of my face checking me out. Then down to the feeder in my hand and he drank and drank from it. I was sure that my heart beat would scare him it was beating so fast and loud. From that day on every day he would come to the feeder I was holding and when I was out in the flowers weeding or just walking through them he would hover in front of my face. It was like he expected me to have a feeder in my hand at all times.
This year I have had all new hummers. My little friend did not return and I have not been so lucky to have them feed at a feeder I was holding. But I do have to say that I will always remember the little guy as I have a close up picture of him feeding from my hand feeder. I will never forget him and the love and beauty that he brought into my life last summer.

Karan MI