Birding!

[RD.]

Hope this works…

 

[RD.]

Hard to get a clear shot in this location.

 

[PhishMon84]

In your area the hummingbirds would be the same species as the above, i.e. Rubythroated. Their nests are pretty delicate and flimsy, held together basically with spider silk, and made flexible so they expand as the nestlings grow. The nest closest to our deck...which is only about 30 feet away from where we sit, but completely invisible in foliage...falls apart and disappears every year, and then is re-built in the same spot every spring. By the time the young fledge and abandon the nest, it's about twice the size it was when the eggs were laid.

The nest, in my case, is on the end of a long branch that’s about 12-15 feet off the ground and level. It’s odd that it’s out in the open but I saw them using it all summer.
If they don’t return I’ll cut it with my polesaw and catch it with a towel.

To RDs comment, there’s a store in Bar Harbor, ME that all they sell is taxidermy, pinned insects, skulls and skeletons. It’s pretty incredible and every time I’ve been, it was packed

 

[Sassafras]

They used to arrive in June in my New Jersey backyard.

Here in N. MS hummingbirds are pretty predictable. When the Red Buckeye trees bloom, hummingbirds will show up about a week later. This is usually in the third week of March. As they move north, we get an early surge the first couple weeks of April, followed by a lull during breeding. Things pick up in July and really boom the last two weeks of August into early Sept. as birds are heading back south. I put out 14 feeders and typically can count 15-20 birds at the feeders at any one time late April-August. during migration, 50-60 birds at the feeders at one time is not unusual. Last birds are usually gone by mid-October. 2023 was a big year, last year not so much. Got to love 'em. I often have to pause while hanging up a refilled feeder as a bird comes to it while still in my hand. I guess they have great confidence in their ability avoid trouble with their awesome flying abilities.

 

[RD.]

Wow, that sounds amazing! The last time I saw that many hummers in one spot was when we were crossing down into MT years ago. Border agents had several feeders up, and the hummers were everywhere. Lucky you!

 

[tiger15]

I live in a highly urbanized neighborhood with few flowers to attract hummers, so I never saw more than two hummers visit my feeder simultaneously. When the hummers leave my feeder is predictable, always the first week of September. When they arrive is variable. Some years they arrived in early May, but in the last couple years, they didn't show up until late Summer. It's good to know that hummers arrive as early as the third week of March in northern Mass, meaning they have already passed my region then. It's possible that hummers were already present in my yard in early summer but the density was too low to be noticeable at my feeder.

If 15 to 20 hummers can visit one feeder in Mass, the density is as high as I saw in Costa Rica.

 

[PhishMon84]

The only time I’ve ever seen that many was at a winery in Nova Scotia.

They had a patio surrounded by hedges of flowers and the entire thing was buzzing!

They really are a treat to see