Hummingbirds?

[me on 28th Ave SW]

I had 3 hummingbirds this winter that just seemingly vanished a few months ago after having one or two for years, even through freezing cold weather. I live in Westwood. My friend had hers disappear a month ago, she lives in Schmitz Park.

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[kayo]

Just saw the little hummingbird (Anna’s?) that visits our yard daily this afternoon in North Delridge (by golf course). This bird is a frequent visitor to our blooming rosemary bushes throughout late winter and early spring. Also seeing tons of other birds at our backyard feeder. My kids are loving it. Hope yours come back to visit. They are fun to watch.

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[Irukandji]

Our charm has moved off the feeders and back into the early flowers in the yard. They seem to feed at dawn and dusk, then sit on the wires out front making their metallic screeching sounds all day.

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[hammerhead]

I was blessed to a nesting female and the red headed male on 42 sw a couple of weeks ago.

Got a picture of it but can’t find it to send it to TR. I will keep looking

HH

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[inactive]

As HH mentions, they are likely busy gettin’ bizzy, making nests etc. efc. etc.

Lucky you HH!! Hope you find the pic!

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[hammerhead]

I did find it and I sent it to TR. I know she is busy, plus it may not ‘come’ out it depends on the pixels?

Some one told me they make their nests our of spider’s webs.

HH

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[WSB]

I’m sorry, I don’t get to read all the threads and had no idea when this came in earlier that it was an “as mentioned in the forum” photo as opposed to “if you want to use it for a daily calendar highlight” photo, but I just came in to check and make sure everything’s OK so here’s the pic:

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[anonyme]

Pam, you’re right about the spider webs. The silk is ideal for nests – strong, sticky, and insulating. Great pic, btw.

I think Irukandji is correct; they’ve moved on from feeders to the abundant, real nectar that is available in spring flowers now. There are also lots of winter bloomers in our area. I had hummers feeding on mahonia, sarcococca, and pieris all winter. Has anyone seen their ‘dive & pop’ mating ritual? Pretty cool.

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[amalia]

That’s right, they move on to abundant natural resources as they become available. I’m always sad to see them go (from my feeders).

I would be very interested to hear whether anyone gets rufous hummers in West Seattle. They show up in spring but are pretty particular about breeding habitat. They are pretty easy to tell from Anna’s (just look up a few photos). Thanks for any info on this!

Anna’s are common and it’s sort of easy to find their nests (unfortunately, the cats find them too), and they are super-early nesters, so keep a watch! Should already be fledglings around.

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[Barry2012]

We live in Gatewood as well and my feeders have been untouched for a while as well. Am hoping that the warmer weather will bring them around more?

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[anonyme]

Barry, it’s just the opposite. Hummers come to feeders in the winter, when nectar is not available elsewhere. They tend to ignore feeders in warm weather. Look for them in your garden, or plant some things that hummers love. They’re pretty easy to please.

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[Fiddlehead]

Thanks for all the thoughtful posts. I’ve always had hummers at my feeders regardless of the season or availability of nectar through natural sources. However, this is my first spring in WS, and I suspect my neighbors have more hummer-pleasing plants than were present in my old ‘hood. Another reason to like it here!

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