Archive for July, 2010

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What kind of nest do I have on my porch?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010


I think I might have a hummingbird’s nest on my front door, in a wreath. The nest is small and composed of string and other small, flexible sticks. The nest is completely covered however, so I’m not sure if it is a hummingbird or not. Are there any other birds that build small nests that are covered…and make a buzzing sound when disturbed.

Hummingbird do not use sticks..their nests look very cottony and are sometimes covered in lichens and they are not covered, they make open cup nests. Sounds more like a wren nest..they do make covered nest sometimes and they do make a buzzing noise.
Hummingbird nest:

Hummingbird and Her Nest

Wren nest:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dcarolina%2Bwren%2B%2Bnest%26ei%3Dutf-8%26y%3DSearch%26fr%3Dush-ans&w=490&h=500&imgurl=static.flickr.com%2F206%2F464137685_766730da24.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Flallee%2F464137685%2F&size=263k&name=Carolina+Wren+Ne…&p=carolina+wren++nest&oid=13e0e3fe1f8cb06a&fr2=&fusr=Lallee&hurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Flallee%2F&no=15&tt=522&sigr=11ecdkb0i&sigi=11ee6k6oo&sigb=12vrt340c&sigh=114nttetf

wren's nest

Posted in hummingbird nest | 2 Comments »

I found a pear shaped hummingbird nest – i verified it against other photos on line – hanging in my orange?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010


tree. It is empty and appears to have a "tear" from top to nearly the bottom, but was well built and still hanging. There are the remains of a second nest (older dried up but still comparable) next to it. I have hummingbirds every year. Is the tear in the newer nest natural and might it be used again, or would a predator have done that? I also saw down feathers on the ground but no dead birds. Back to my question, do these sack like hummingbird nests have natural long openings/slits?

You can try here for more help with that.

http://wild-birds.suite101.com/article.cfm/hummingbird_nests

Posted in hummingbird nest | 6 Comments »

What time of year do you stop putting out food for hummingbirds?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010


I live in Oklahoma and have been feeding hummingbirds all summer. They are still hanging out, and we’re getting into fall. When should I stop putting out food so they will go south, or do I have to stop at all?
Thanks–I just put up another 16oz or so of food, but I’ll take it down after they finish that off. We are just now getting colder weather, so maybe that will send them along.

well its strange you still have them there, usually they’ve all gone to the south. This is the time i normally i take mine down.

Posted in hummingbird food | 2 Comments »

can I make my own hummingbird feeder solution?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

What is the ratio of sugar to water for hummingbird food?

3-4 cups of water
1 cup sugar
Boil for a couple minutes to stop fermentation
Drop or two of red food coloring
Cool
Serve

Posted in hummingbird food | 5 Comments »

is hummingbird red liquid food harmful to the birds beaks?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010


There is some controversy as to whether or not the dye is harmful to hummingbirds or not. I have never heard that it might be harmful to their beaks, but it is thought that it may cause tumors or may build up in liver or kidneys. There has been no scientific studies (on birds) proving OR disproving these statements ..so I just use plain sugar water with NO coloring. It is actually not needed to attract the birds as the red color on the feeder itself is enough to get them to the feeders, so why take the chance of harming them when the red dye is not necessary. There HAVE been studies done on mammals testing red dyes (with tumors resulting), and some experts do agree that it should not be added when feeding birds.

http://www.paghat.com/reddye.html

Posted in hummingbird food | 3 Comments »

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