Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Bruce]

I'm hoping to see the babies (if there are any), I ASSUME the parents will bring them to the feeder. Saw both genders while eating dinner tonight though not at the same time.

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm hoping to see the babies (if there are any), I ASSUME the parents will bring them to the feeder. Saw both genders while eating dinner tonight though not at the same time.

From what I understand by the time the babies are old enough to fledge and be on their own they are the same size as the adults, so it would be hard to know if it was a "baby" drinking from a feeder.
I just assume that at this time of year the skittish drinkers are the new generation. The others are very used to us and will even come and drink from a hand held hose spray within arms reach.
I was watering the clematis on the chicken pen last week and a female came and drank from the spray then sat on the fence wire and bathed herself in the spray mist. I could have reached out and touched her. That clematis vine got a lot more watering than it needed, I was so transfixed by the hummer.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

OK, ignorant question -- how do yu distinguish a male from a female hummingbird? I know in some species of birds the male is often quite colorful while the female is usually more drab (or camouflaged). I haven't noticed much if any difference among the hummingbirds that we see here at our feeders.

 

[Mike CHS]

The males here have some bright feathers on their necks but I have read that immature males don't have any color. None of those here have really colored feathers.

 

[Mike CHS]

Teresa's favorite aunt passed early this morning in Hospice. She has said she has been ready for quite awhile and just had her 104th birthday.

 

[thistlebloom]

OK, ignorant question -- how do yu distinguish a male from a female hummingbird? I know in some species of birds the male is often quite colorful while the female is usually more drab (or camouflaged). I haven't noticed much if any difference among the hummingbirds that we see here at our feeders.

You're right about the males being more colorful. Males always have a patch of colored feathers at their throat, differing by species. Our four varieties have red, orange, or black. The feathers are iridescent, brilliant when the sun catches them just right.
You may have a lot of females coming to your feeder, though obviously where the females are the males will be around also.
Juvenile males are colored more like females, they haven't developed the neck feathers yet.

 

[thistlebloom]

Teresa's favorite aunt passed early this morning in Hospice. She has said she has been ready for quite awhile and just had her 104th birthday.

Wow, 104, that's amazing. My condolences to Teresa.

 

[thistlebloom]

I didn't see your hummingbird answer Mike, I was freshening my coffee cup. I basically repeated what you said.

 

[Bruce]

Teresa's favorite aunt passed early this morning

Sad but not. After 104 years she was ready to move on. Hard to lose them in any case. DW's aunt will be 103 in November.

We only have Ruby Throated hummingbirds here. The shiny red throat is only on the adult males, sure does shimmer in the sunlight.

 

[Mike CHS]

Sad but not. After 104 years she was ready to move on. Hard to lose them in any case. DW's aunt will be 103 in November.

We only have Ruby Throated hummingbirds here. The shiny red throat is only on the adult males, sure does shimmer in the sunlight.

She had been saying she was ready to go for the last year and she was at peace.