Well.. I thought it is best to wait when the flowers blooms then you can go ahead to put out the hummingbird feeder. BUT.. now, I am wondering Is the hummingbirds will come in that cool with no flower blooms yet? I am feeding my wildbirds in my yard. I loved to watches wildbirds. Yeah.. The dove is hard to welcome to visiting the yard. I dunno why?? BUT.. my few doves came and visited our yard. Those doves ate our cedar tree (little green or red round fruits). I am not sure if Dove will likes eat scrables of corn or nuts?? We need to look at the wildbird book! Kat

Hi Christie, No it's to early to hang your hummingbird feeder. I usually hang ours on the first of April. Last year, we saw our first on the fourteenth of April. No real clue why you are not seeing doves. We have lots coming here in Dixon. Doves are ground feeders primarily, they usually clean up under the feeders. Good luck, Russ.

I have a note on my message board that humming birds are due back April 18. Surely I got it from a good source. Probably right here. :)
oakleif

The birds are eating like greedy little pigs today-must mean we are going to get colder weather.Your hummingbird feeder will freeze and break if you put it out now or the woodpeckers will tear it up.They sometimes like the sugar water too.Thanks for letting us know when the hummingbirds will be back.Oh,spring!Posy Pet

April 18 is a solid date here for the hummers..some come a litle earlier and you can catch them feeding by hanging the feeders a bit earlier. I reported on April 1 last year, saw my first hummer. It's on the map.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummingbird Migration Map

I've noticed that when I clean out my thistle feeder for the finches I usually throw the old seed in the flat bird feeder with a sprinkle on the ground. Doves seem to like whatever seed they can find on the ground, but for some reason I "think" they like to find the thistle seeds. The finches (that includes goldfinches) will even go to the "general" bird feeders for those thistle seeds....they don't seem to be picky about that...

I have to admit, though, that I don't ever remember seeing doves around here this time of the year, but hubby says dove-hunting season starts at Thanksgiving so he thinks they are are still around our parts...why I don't see them, I don't know....

We occasionally see a pair.They eat on the ground.(doves)We have lots of woodpeckers,finches,Jays,Cardinals,titmice,etc. but very few doves.Posy Pet

Fourseasons - You may have been right about the doves liking thistle seeds. I put some out yesterday and saw the first dove I've seen all winter.

I remember reading that some people put up hummingbird feeders early (maybe February) to attract the scouts which come first before the other hummingbirds come back, but maybe that's just a myth.

Almost every time I walk around the end of the house where the bird feeders are a bunch of 15-20 doves flush like a covey of quail. I toss out hen scratch that I buy at Atwoods along with odd bits of sunflower seed and, consequently, see doves every day. They definitely will not go to the hanging feeders. We are also in close proximity to a creek and that may be some attraction in the Winter.

Bob

earliest i've ever seen hummingbirds is april 1, here in south-central mo. so i always maker sure to have at least 1 feeder out then, as for the doves, i have the same 4 pair that i did last year (i think )they enjoy cracked corn, sunflower seeds, nuts, and cornbread here. glad to see others love the graceful birds for something other than how they taste !

Christie, I haven't seen any doves, either, but wondered if it was a stray cat that came to live with us. All the other birds seem to just pick their times to avoid him. We did have to raise the bird feeder higher, though. We normally have a whole flock of doves around.

When you see the first tiny leaves on redbud trees....that's when the first hummers arrive.

For the 1st time this year I've had a pair of doves feeding beneath the hanging feeders. We've always had a couple of feeders but this year we've put out some more and have had flocks of birds and several squirrels. We're having to fill the feeders at least once a day and sometimes twice. Jerry has been putting cracked corn that he buys for the deer on the ground under the feeders and sprinkling seed around too so that's probably why the doves have appeared. Thanks for the thrumbs up on when to put up the hummingbird feeders. Nancy

We have a couple of doves on the ground under the feeders which contain thistle and black sun flower seeds. My mother has been seeing a mockingbird and wondered what he was eating. The mystery was solved the other day when he was tugging on a worm so hard he almost fell over. The grass under my feeders is dead and the debris has made kind of mound of loose organic material. There is a mole tunnel there and maybe voles too. It would be a good place for worms and insects.

Robins have been here since late Jan. saw a blue bird this week at my Mom's in Bella Vista, three weeks ago in the bad storms, she found bird eggs splattered on her driveway too. The birds think it's spring, so better get ready.

Kat

We are now throwing apple cores out for the mockingbird and he likes them.

I'm putting out apple cores and peels for a mockingbird too. He showed up about a week ago. They will let you get very close sometimes so hoping this one will. This is the first year I've ever had nuthatches coming to my feeders. I there are two and I've been seeing them for several days. They're fun to watch and they're letting me get pretty close too when I go out to fill the feeders.

After I posted to this,I have noticed doves by their unusual cry and they have come to my feeder when I put seed on the ground.Don't do this often as I feel it attracts rodents.Anyway,we have at least one pair around all the time.Last time we had a few really warm days,the bluebirds were real active at the bluebird house.All the birds have been eating lots again today.Our feeders are near the back door and our local birds don't fly off when we are nearby but the visitors do.Posy Pet