Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[hedwig]

That's a good pic Hedwig! Those things are hard to catch clearly!

Thank you. I've learned a great deal about "patience" from trying to get good pictures of those little birds. I've got a few that are a lot better than the one I posted, but about 99% of the others aren't that good.

My brother has a better camera than I do, and he's gotten some really good (and I do mean good) pictures of them. That was after I got him hooked on feeding them in the first place.

[Skydiver]

last summer when i was puttering in the yard, I saw one, and went straight out and got the feeder. After spending labor day weekend 'stalking' them, I got a few pics....even had one practically land on my head and I got a great video of one of them flying within inches of my camera.

This summer.....I have 3 feeders i'm gonna put around the yard and I've stocked up on some sugar to make my own syrup....alll I need is it to be April so I can put them out and see if they come back. I hear if you make a habit of feeding them, they make a habit of returning. ANd they do tend to 'tame' better than regular birds...as in they're almost curious about us instead of being afraid of us.

[lame moose (mocha)]

my mother would love to have humming birds feed here. i saw some about 1/2 mile from here, so i know they're in the area. the only thing she tried was suet cakes-no birds

[hedwig]

I read that a good ratio of water to sugar is 1/4 cup sugar to one cup water. Boil the water, then add the sugar and stir till dissolved, let cool and put in feeder(s). That's what I do, and they seem to love it. It doesn't even have to have food coloring in it to attract them.

I also see numerous feeders around the neighborhood where I live, so I'm guessing there are quite a lot of them around. They probably make the rounds of the various feeders to see who has the best "juice".

[Skydiver]

the 4:1 is the ratio. and yes, no coloring, no koolade, just sugar and water.
and, depending on the weather, change it every few days to once a week (unless they drink it all)

if it starts to get cloudy then change it.

they also sell little 'anti pest' thingies to keep the ants from getting all over it.

[suse]

the 4:1 is the ratio. and yes, no coloring, no koolade, just sugar and water.
and, depending on the weather, change it every few days to once a week (unless they drink it all)

if it starts to get cloudy then change it.

they also sell little 'anti pest' thingies to keep the ants from getting all over it.

And who couldn't use anti-pest thingies at one time or another.

[lame moose (mocha)]

where's the best place to hang it? we have a small tree in the front and a seed feeder right next to it. the squirrels are funny to watch when they try to climb up and get the seeds. will it do well on a high pole. it would be great if i put it near my mother's bedroom window so she could see them. what say ye?

[hedwig]

where's the best place to hang it? we have a small tree in the front and a seed feeder right next to it. the squirrels are funny to watch when they try to climb up and get the seeds. will it do well on a high pole. it would be great if i put it near my mother's bedroom window so she could see them. what say ye?

Poles and trees are good places. You could also put a hook on a plant hanger on the eaves of your house or apartment and hang the feeder from that. Both of my feeders on on poles that could work as well for plants as they do for feeders. They should also be hung up high enough that a cat can't get at them. so far, I've had no problems with other critters trying to get them; though my cat does get frustrated at seeing them and not being able to get at them.

[Nolamom]

the funniest thing I ever had happen with a hummer was when one flew inside the house! We had the back door open because it was such a nice day. Poor little birdy was so frightened. I caught him and let him go outside. Such a tiny thing!

[lame moose (mocha)]

we have feral cats in our neighborhood. i've found chunks of feathers near the bird feeder. i could put it on a pole with a curved part on top. hopefully the cats can't jump that high. i'll give it a try when it warms up, thanks all.

[hedwig]

we have feral cats in our neighborhood. i've found chunks of feathers near the bird feeder. i could put it on a pole with a curved part on top. hopefully the cats can't jump that high. i'll give it a try when it warms up, thanks all.

Keep the pole away from any sort of railing, too. Cats and other critters would use the railing to get closer to something on a pole. If there's nothing for them to climb on to get to the feeder, it should be okay.

[lame moose (mocha)]

that eliminates the front porch. i'd put a pole next to the bushes in front of mom's window. i don't think the cat could walk on the top of the bushes without falling thru. i hope at least.

[rderoch]

Yea, not knowing what to do with their nuts.

probably

few years ago had one that ate out of my hand.

My mission this summer will be to see how many humming birds i can get around the house.

I had a baby squirrel run up my body and onto my shoulder. Don't know if it fell out of the nest or got abandoned, but the next day it was laying almost lifeless under the tree. So I brought it in the house and started making phone calls until I found a squirrel rehabilitator. Yes, there is such a thing. (I've taken a few baby birds to bird rehabilitators) The cats went bananas, but I was able to keep it safe. Also, found out that they don't create their own body heat at that age. It would perk up when I was holding it, but get very listless when I just had it in it's little towel bed. Learn something new every day.

And who couldn't use anti-pest thingies at one time or another.

Hopefully I won't have a third annual ant invasion this year. I've had to battle them in my kitchen the last two springs. Grrr. The first year they snuck up on me. Hadn't seen a single ant, opened a cupboard door and found hundreds of the bloody little things. Took a couple of weeks to get rid of them. Last year, I saw they were coming in along the bottom of the sliding door. So, I caulked around the sliding door. Then they moved across the wall and started coming in around the window over the sink. So, I caulked around the window. Then they moved around the corner and started coming in somewhere around my stove. So, I pulled the stove out and sprayed the crap out of everything with bug spray. That finally seemed to do the trick. Damn smart little pests.

[Celandine]

I read that a good ratio of water to sugar is 1/4 cup sugar to one cup water. Boil the water, then add the sugar and stir till dissolved, let cool and put in feeder(s). That's what I do, and they seem to love it. It doesn't even have to have food coloring in it to attract them.

I also see numerous feeders around the neighborhood where I live, so I'm guessing there are quite a lot of them around. They probably make the rounds of the various feeders to see who has the best "juice".

the 4:1 is the ratio. and yes, no coloring, no koolade, just sugar and water.
and, depending on the weather, change it every few days to once a week (unless they drink it all)

if it starts to get cloudy then change it.

they also sell little 'anti pest' thingies to keep the ants from getting all over it.

Last year, for the first time, I noticed a hummingbird while I was sitting outside reading. It would come to feed on the flowers I had growing in pots on my deck, beating it's little wings so furiously. Very exciting to see and I loved how brave they were, especially with my cat watching it from the other side of the screen.

Did you ever notice the little chirp they make? I fell instantly in love with it. Almost bought a mix to put up a feeder last year so it would continue to come back but elected not to. This recipe will be much easier to do. Thanks!

I had a baby squirrel run up my body and onto my shoulder. Don't know if it fell out of the nest or got abandoned, but the next day it was laying almost lifeless under the tree. So I brought it in the house and started making phone calls until I found a squirrel rehabilitator. Yes, there is such a thing. (I've taken a few baby birds to bird rehabilitators) The cats went bananas, but I was able to keep it safe. Also, found out that they don't create their own body heat at that age. It would perk up when I was holding it, but get very listless when I just had it in it's little towel bed. Learn something new every day.

When I was little, my parents helped out the local Animal Control in our area. They would get calls from them to see if they were able to take care of baby orphaned animals. Once they were older, my parents would release them out in a Nature Preserve by our house. I can't remember how many sets of squirrels and baby racoons we had over the years and we have so many pictures of them; Squirrels so tame they would climb up on our shoulders to take a nut and racoons that would sit next to you or roam about your feet like nothing. Very interesting childhood, to say the least!

[selene0789]

Hopefully I won't have a third annual ant invasion this year. I've had to battle them in my kitchen the last two springs. Grrr. The first year they snuck up on me. Hadn't seen a single ant, opened a cupboard door and found hundreds of the bloody little things. Took a couple of weeks to get rid of them. Last year, I saw they were coming in along the bottom of the sliding door. So, I caulked around the sliding door. Then they moved across the wall and started coming in around the window over the sink. So, I caulked around the window. Then they moved around the corner and started coming in somewhere around my stove. So, I pulled the stove out and sprayed the crap out of everything with bug spray. That finally seemed to do the trick. Damn smart little pests.

Do you guys have construction going on near/around your neighborhood? We had ants in my old house, but only after they put a new big road up front that ended up stretching across the town. What happens is that many times during construction, ants get displaced from their hills and then need to find a new home-- the pity is that they seem to think that our homes are theirs for the taking. That, or it's just plain spite.