OSUT 258: Better late than never....Summer Days are Near

[GregD]

Howdy Cannon

 

[bcannon]

Howdy Greg, DD, Expat, BD, dad, V8, and anyone I missed.

 

[Expat]

Hello bc

 

[BeDome]

Good morning all.

Chilled with the hummys for a few. They were very testy with each other. They're not a fan of 40° temps in June either. Had a gaggle(?) of orioles at the feeder too.

Hey, Bc

Since I went to straight sugar water at your suggestion, I have more hummies than usual.

I've been seeing some that are very dark, almost black and larger than the greenish which I mostly see here.
They seem to go for thistles, too.

Now I'm torn.
Kill thistles on sight or let them bloom for the black hummies?

 

[bcannon]

Hey, Bc

Since I went to straight sugar water at your suggestion, I have more hummies that usual.

I've been seeing some that are very dark, almost black and larger than the greenish which I mostly see here.
They seem to go for thistles, too.

Now I'm torn.
Kill thistles on sight or let them bloom for the black hummies?

Very cool the sugar/water combo is working for you, glad I could help.
The hummys here like the thistle flowers and just about any other weed that flowers. I leave the thistles and flowering weeds alone on the property perimeter.
The darker blackheaded one are males. They will have the ruby neck and pointy black tail feathers too. The females are normally lighter green, have rounded white tipped tale feathers, and do not have the ruby neck. As far as the sizes, I have very small to pretty big, for hummingbirds anyway, and many in-between. Normally the very small ones are fledglings.
Glad to hear your hummy population is growing.

 

[klausm]

good morning everyone got the little dog to the groomers, trying to eat a bagel while the big dog drools on my leg

 

[klausm]

great sleeping weather, nice and cold in the bedroom, got up at 5:30 and promptly went for a resleep that went till almost 9

 

[bcannon]

Howdy klausm

 

[OneBadV8]

Morning bcannon, klausm

 

[klausm]

seems that our 1/2 feral outside cat has not been seen for 5 days but a black cat and a brown one have moved in on his territory. We managed to trap him and get him fixed about 3 years ago. 5 years ago this happened and we ended up with 16 cats at one point in time.
Time to see about convincing the new ones to move along, not allowing that situation again

 

[OneBadV8]

seems that our 1/2 feral outside cat has not been seen for 5 days but a black cat and a brown one have moved in on his territory. We managed to trap him and get him fixed about 3 years ago. 5 years ago this happened and we ended up with 16 cats at one point in time.
Time to see about convincing the new ones to move along, not allowing that situation again

that's a lot of cats... whoa

 

[GregD]

Howdy klausm

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Guess where we're going?

 

[bcannon]

Guess where we're going?

Disneyland?

 

[BeDome]

Very cool the sugar/water combo is working for you, glad I could help.
The hummys here like the thistle flowers and just about any other weed that flowers. I leave the thistles and flowering weeds alone on the property perimeter.
The darker blackheaded one are males. They will have the ruby neck and pointy black tail feathers too. The females are normally lighter green, have rounded white tipped tale feathers, and do not have the ruby neck. As far as the sizes, I have very small to pretty big, for hummingbirds anyway, and many in-between. Normally the very small ones are fledglings.
Glad to hear your hummy population is growing.

I would love to get some pics, but if you don't have a camera around your neck and finger on the shutter button, prefocused to one flower zone, forget it.

Deep south where I grew up we had all colors of crests and beaks, large variety of color, but they were all smaller than my thumb.
Hummingbird moths were larger!

These black guys are twice the size of my thumb, or more.

Never saw any hummies down by Mexico this big.

They always hit my butterfly bushes (Buddleia). I wish I could get them more healthy and flowery. Killed back pretty bad this past winter.

 

[BeDome]

Guess where we're going?

Fishing. It HAS to be fishing.

 

[klausm]

that's a lot of cats... whoa

never again

 

[bcannon]

I would love to get some pics, but if you don't have a camera around your neck and finger on the shutter button, prefocused to one flower zone, forget it.

Deep south where I grew up we had all colors of crests and beaks, large variety of color, but they were all smaller than my thumb.
Hummingbird moths were larger!

These black guys are twice the size of my thumb, or more.

Never saw any hummies down by Mexico this big.

They always hit my butterfly bushes (Buddleia). I wish I could get them more healthy and flowery.

I totally agree. Was fighting with the same issue earlier this year with the eagles. Had a friend set up her tripod trying to get some good pics but they seem to not like having their picture taken. With the hummys I just pick their favorite feeder and focus on it or I'd be taking and editing hundreds of pics.
I know my cousins in Colorado have different species of hummys there. They have big ones and even some of the long tailed ones. They didn't put out feeders for them til the last time I was out there. Taught them how to properly mix the food, clean and fill the feeders, and within a hour they were covered in hummys. Now their children are old enough to do it and I get pics of hummys periodically with big smiles on the kids.

 

[OneBadV8]

Guess where we're going?

Black powder festival thingy in Friendship, IN

 

[Lpherr]

Guess where we're going?

Quilting championships.