Family units do tend to feed en masse - I've had my little male Anna's and his harem feed altogether many times and often he will perch nearby, standing guard while the ladies feed. He will chase off other males, though.

During migration it is not unusual for me to see hummingbirds at every feeder port, and often two or three per port stacked up trying to drive the others off so they can get a drink. Multiple ports are used.
During the summer months, I often see two or three birds sharing a feeder.

Mark
Bastrop, TX

Wow! I guess maybe it is only the ruby-throated (the only kind we see in Ontario) who can't stand any other hummer around.

Better visit a place like Rockport Texas before you say that! That is where I see some of the biggest "pile ups", and they are 99% Ruby-throated. You are on the very edge of Ruby-throated Hummingbird range and so you should not expect to see huge numbers of the birds.

Wouldn't it be nice to have so many hummingbirds that there was more than one at a feeder. However, I live in Maryland where the numbers of hummers are limited. Even so they still fight over the feeders. My solution is putting out 7 feeders spread out around my house and during August I do have more than one hummer at a time.

Richard

Shaprio,
I am in the northeast just across the border from you in NF, NY. When my hummers (Rubythroats) are at their peak, I have had 2, 3 or even 4 at a single feeder at the same time. when there are lots of hummers in a given area, it is much more difficult for one hummer to monopolize and defend a single feeder. Most of my feeders have 4 ports but I do have one that has about 8 I think. Different hummers actually seem to prefer a particular port. I have watched them go from port to port until they settle on one in particular and then they always use that port.

Penny

You haven't read Frank's posts, eh? Do a search below for "Frankj" and check out his posts from last summer. He lives in the California mountains right in the middle of the migration path. His post for Aug 18 is "225 pounds and counting", indicating the amount of sugar he's fed the hummers for the season.

He has a link to his photo album in some of his posts. It's worth checking out -- I think I counted 3 dozen birds around his feeders in one picture. It's amazing.... I rarely get more than 2 or 3.

I have seen Frank's posts and photos and WOW! Something else!

I have only the RT and on a rare occasion, they will share the same feeder. A couple of times this year I got to see FOUR together at the same feeder. But, that really is rare and what I usually see is one defending a single feeder all day long. Janie

I've often had two hummers at opposite sides of the feeders but this summer during the drought all the rules seemed to be suspended and there were four or five feeding at a time.
And that's the ruby-throated. I have three feeders up in different areas of the garden so that there's more than one territory or, at least, more than one hummer can defend at a time. Usually they'll let an immature feed and sometimes a male will let a female feed. But this August was the first time I had them in groups and I think it was because the heat and drought had burnt up natural nectar sources and the creek bed was dry too.
However I've often seen a hummer take a sip from one port, move to the next and then work all around the feeder, sampling from each port as if flitting from flower to flower. It's also interesting that some hover and some perch and some hop around.

I have been feeding the HB for many years and have never seen them share the same feeder. I guess it varies from place to place, and maybe on what else is available for them. But my experience has been one bird to a feeder.

Two years ago I had a Juvenile come to one of my feeders with I assume its mama. She was trying to teach him how to use the feeders at one point they were both sipping together from the same feeder. It took the juvie watching the adult to figure it out but it only took a minute or so.

Penny

My birds at the feeders last year.

{{gwi:974166}}

HOLY MOLY Sandy, that's awesome! I count 14 birds! WOW.

I had three visit me last year but they never ate at the same time. They would just chase eachother around.

I don'd know what I'd do if I had that many, probably fall over from excitement!!!!

I had juvies and moms feeding together right before migration last summer, but otherwise, they tend not to share. I only have saucer feeders, though - so they can see each other better than with the upright feeders.