Hummingbirds extra thirsty?

[christopherboffoli]

Has anyone else with a hummingbird feeder noticed that the hummers have seemed particularly thirsty as of late? I have at least three birds fighting over my feeder and I can barely keep up with them. They seem to drain it as fast as I can refill it. This is probably the third year that I’ve had the feeder and I’ve never seen it like this before. Any theories as to why this is? I wonder if the warm winter means there are more insects about and that they are expending more energy chasing after them.

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[herongrrrl]

I’ve noticed this too, and it seems curious because my feeder is about 10′ away from a forsythia that’s in full bloom. Maybe they don’t like forsythia?

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[Diana]

Right now I think of them as being hooked up to their IV. It’s an early spring and I think they are breeding early. I have two feeders, quite a distance apart to eliminate territorial fighting. Be sure to keep the feeders clean. I have small brushes and also use Q-Tips. http://www.seattleaudubon.org is a great resource for further information.

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[miws]

Christopher, are you adding a drop of Swinery bacon grease to the feeders?

If so, that would explain it! ;-)

Mike

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