Hi Alan, no feeder here except for plants like the Erythrina x bidwillii and Hibiscus coccineus which the hummers love. Also the Manettia inflata vine with tiny red-orange bloom. Lots of other plants are visited but these seem favorites and bloom constantly from June to frost. I do see an aerial battle now and then but it's brief and they soon go to their respective garden corners...LOL

When I'm out each morning watering my containers I'll often take a break, prop the wand atop the gate and turn it to "mist" just to see the foliage sparkle. That's when I can really enjoy the hummers...invariably one will fly thru the mist one or more times.

Now where can I find this plant reference you mentioned? I remember your extraordinary photos and want to see your latest.

josh (your old Cycad friend)

I have enjoyed hummers for years, and just the other day was pleasantly surprise to hear one sing! There were two of them playing around, chasing each other, hovering over my head, and suddenly of them started singing as he/she was feeding on a canna lily's flower nectar. That made my day!
Natalie

gaalan, if the throat is red, it's a male. Most of the hoarding and guarding of feeders is done by males. The are fun to watch, but sometimes (usually in late summer) it can be dangerous to go outside with them zipping around.

You should put up multiple feeders. Even the most aggressive hummer can't guard more than 2 feeders.

I love when the hover. Sometimes if I'm out in the garden with a bright colored shirt on, they will buzz right up to me and stare as if they think I'm a big flower.

I have a huge pink shrimp plant in a pot and it is loaded with blossoms this year. The hummers love the tubular white flowers that are enclosed in the pink bracts. And now that my bright red plumleaf azalea is blooming, they have yet another target. When the cardinal flower blooms later this summer, they'll be back again. They love it!

I love my hummers too. In my garden they are drawn to the butterfly bushes, the large red salvias, and the pink gauras predominantly. That's so funny you should mention about the singing Natalie....I heard one sing for the first time this afternoon! I may have heard that high squeaking chirp before but didn't realize it was a hummer until today when I saw who it was coming from.

This year was also the first time I had ever seen one perched rather than zooming around. Sometimes they buzz right past my head and I swear one day they're going to smack right into it!

Danielle

Buford, the bird I was talking about has a green back and head, with white from its beak to its feet. If I am reading right that is the way a female ruby throat is colored. I was watching a few hours ago and didn't see her. I did see a male with beautiful red throat! He sat in the holly a long time, that the female had been using as a post all last week. I also saw another with green from head to tail on its back, but a black face with white from breast to feet. Perhaps this was an immature male?

Now y'all talk about their singing. I actually hear them way more than I see them when I'm not at home. They definitely have a distinctive call.

Jo, really good to hear from you. I'll PM a little later.

could be an immature. I never considered their 'chirping' singing, but it is distinct. I like when I can hear them buzz when they zip in and out.

The other day, after we had a heavy rain, we spotted hummers going on my roses from plant to plant. We couldn't figure it out until we say that there was raindrops on the leaves and the hummers were drinking the water on the leaves!