Yes Supra...

I can see the condensation on that saucer...looks cool and inviting!

The hummies out here really enjoy a sip of cool nectar too. They see me coming out with my bottle and syringe to fill up the small insulin bottle feeders I made and they start chirping and squeaking. Many times as I am trying to hang up the feeders they are trying to get at them before I'm finished.

Wonder if a hummie can get brain freeze? :o)

~ Cat

I was just thinking about this as I changed out my feeders. I always let them warm nearly to room temperature before I put them out because I was afraid the cold nectar wasn't good for the birds. In our 100 degree temps these days, though, I wondered if they would prefer it cold.

Roberta...The hummies will come to the feeders I just filled instead of going to the feeders with 'warm' nectar that I haven't gotten around to cleaning and re-filling.

I've checked on flowers around the yard and they are warm/hot to the touch from being out in the sun and 100+ temperatures...am sure the nectar inside them is hot as well.

Am quite sure they enjoy a cool sip too! This might be presumptuous of me...but I figure the hummies know what they like best.

~ Cat

Yes, it does seem to me that when I put out fresh cold nectar they sit an perch taking very l-o-n-g sips instead of sipping on the run.

A couple of summers ago, I'd actually boil my water, pour in only enough to dissolve the sugar in the measuring cup, and then dump the whole thing in the blender with an appropriate amount of ice cubes and make Hummerslushies.

And, yes, I'd say Hummies get brainfreeze too. Except it's much cuter when they shake their heads and fluff out their feathers than when I screw up my mug and end up looking like I swallowed a lemon.

I'm too lazy now and don't want to clean the blender so I just add the ice, stir it up and let it sit for a bit and stir it up again to mix the ice in thoroughly, then serve it up ice cold. They still do exactly as y'all say, they sit and sit and sit slurping up as much as they can.

They (a female and maybe the male too) knocked 3/4 of an inch out of one of my little Arline Bouquette feeders in the time it took me to put it out, go to work and come home yesterday, say...9 hours. And that's pretty quick work for 1-2 birds with 5 other cold feeders to feed from.

I was down at my Grandmother's house in the end of June and had cleaned and changed her feeder for her while I was there. I put it out each time with icy nectar and boy-howdie, did those Southern Hummers just go wild for the stuff. She said she'd not seen that level of activity before, and asked if they liked it cold when she saw me making the nectar with icecubes in it. I told her it was a trade secret and proposed a swap...her secret ingredient she uses for her oatmeal cookies, and my secret ingredient in my nectar!

I'd filled it up one day and gone out with the camera to get some closeups. As I was walking past the feeder I saw a little Ruby-throated female dart up into the tree branch above me. I began to raise the camera up and before I could focus she'd dropped down to the feeder. Which was only 3" from my left shoulder! I still had the camera pointed up at the tree branch but I squirreled my eyes around and watched her closer than I've ever seen a hummer before.

I could see every barb on every feather on her body, even around her wee little eyes. And the colors, oh, the colors are so spectacular at that range. I'm gonna have to build a feeder hat! You simply can't beat that, proximity is priceless! And she was oblivious to me as she sipped away at the frigid treat.

...If you're going to sit outside with a feeder hat on...don't wrinkle up your nose when it starts sprinkling on ya!!!

...and yes, it's quite a rush to have hummies buzzing by your ear or over your shoulder :o)

~ Cat
ps...I think King needs to share those oatmeal cookies.

What was the secret ingredient in Grandmother's Oatmeal Cookies? Inquiring minds want to know.

I heard someone say cookies.....

I have been putting cold water in my feeders too. I wonder if that is why they are getting empty faster? It really doesn't matter as long as they are just being used.

Just added my cold sugar/water this afternoon! I've noticed too that when mine does come, she initially does the sip sip but then decides to sit for a spell if it is still chilled. Assuming that the yellow jackets leave her alone. :-\

suprasport

I have an old feeder almost like the one you posted the photo of. I cleaned it really good and put nice cool water in it and hung it near the feeder. The Hummer went right to it!! I'm new at this!!