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First Hummingbird of the Season

May 3rd, 2010

I’ve been watching for the first hummingbird for the last month. I put out the feeder on April 1, knowing that they don’t usually come back until April 15, but I wanted to be ready. I’ve been faithfully changing the nectar (homemade of course) every couple days to keep it fresh and I’ve been keeping an eye on the feeders. Every so often I catch something zooming by but haven’t officially spotted one until last night!

Mr Chiots and I were eating dinner and I saw one at the feeder by the back door. Fortunately my camera was right there and managed to get a quick photo before he zoomed off.

Do you have a hummingbird feeder?

25 Comments to “First Hummingbird of the Season”
  1. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mark mile, Susy Morris. Susy Morris said: First #Hummingbird of the Season http://goo.gl/fb/mR62L #birds #wildlife […]

    Reply to Tweets that mention First Hummingbird of the Season | Chiot’s Run — Topsy.com's comment

  2. marcyincny on May 3, 2010 at 7:51 am

    You betcha.
    .-= marcyincny´s last blog ..Back in Business =-.

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  3. marcyincny on May 3, 2010 at 8:09 am

    …and now it’s filled and hung! Thanks for the reminder!
    .-= marcyincny´s last blog ..Back in Business =-.

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  4. Sense of Home on May 3, 2010 at 8:54 am

    Unfortunately no humming bird feeders here. They are amazing birds though, so fun to watch.
    .-= Sense of Home´s last blog ..Saturday Evening Dinner =-.

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  5. Sara on May 3, 2010 at 9:05 am

    Ooh, it’s on my list. I haven’t seen one yet but should get the feeder up, thanks for the reminder!
    .-= Sara´s last blog ..Strata =-.

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  6. Miranda on May 3, 2010 at 9:54 am

    Yay – and how interesting that we both got our first hummingbirds at the same time despite how far we live from each other. I saw our first hummer last week and busted out the feeder and filled it with homemade nectar. I wasn’t sure if he/she’d found it, but yesterday i saw it buzzing about and drinking from the little false flower, makign little “pip pip”s while it drank. so cute!
    .-= Miranda´s last blog ..Pickled Eggs and a Kimchee State of Mind =-.

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    • Susy on May 3, 2010 at 10:45 am

      It is amazing isn’t it. I so love seeing these little guys in the garden. They nest right around here in the woods and I love when the little ones start coming to the feeder, they chip and squeak and zoom around.

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  7. Lynn on May 3, 2010 at 10:27 am

    No feeders just lots of Hummingbirds.

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  8. Chris on May 3, 2010 at 10:51 am

    I was planning to fill my feeders this past weekend, but my husband called me at work last Wednesday sounding like he was in a panic. “Honey, you don’t have your feeders filled yet! Our hummingbird is back, and he just checked his usual spot and found no feeder, and he looks MAD!” :) It was so funny. I’m the one around here who usually gets such a kick out of the birds, but it’s obviously rubbing off on him. He didn’t want to wait until I got hom from work, I think he was afraid our hummingbird would get seriously miffed and leave never to come back. He mixed up a quick batch of nectar himself to put outside in ALL the feeders ASAP. The hummingbirds, along with the goldfinches, are one of my favorite birds.

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    • Susy on May 3, 2010 at 10:56 am

      That is tooooo funny. We really enjoy watching them and the wrens as well. I love watching the wrens when their chicks hatch. They seem to be pretty tame around people and don’t mind me watching them feed their young. /2009/06/13/wrens-the-tiny-workhorse-in-the-garden/

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  9. Diane@Peaceful Acres on May 3, 2010 at 11:06 am

    Amazing that you got him sitting still.
    .-= Diane@Peaceful Acres´s last blog ..2010 Dirty Dozen List =-.

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    • Susy on May 3, 2010 at 11:11 am

      They really like these little hooks I have, they sit on them often. I also have a shepherds hook outside the kitchen window that they like to sit on, and the bamboo poles that I use for supporting peas & tomatoes in the pots on the back porch.

      I told Mr Chiots he was very tired from his flight from South America.

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  10. MAYBELLINE on May 3, 2010 at 11:29 am

    2 feeders.
    Those little guys are in the garden year round either nesting or migrating. Some can be very aggressive. Those are immediately named Napoleon.
    .-= MAYBELLINE´s last blog ..Summer Crops – Part III =-.

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    • Susy on May 3, 2010 at 12:12 pm

      Yes, we have a few aggressive males. In early fall they start sitting on top of the feeders like this one is and chasing away all the others. I’ve read it’s their way to telling the young ones it’s time to migrate south.

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  11. DJK on May 3, 2010 at 12:30 pm

    I do…but I’ve just been using the junk nectar from the hardware store..

    I haven’t seen any birds on it, though. But I have seen some birds on the seed feeder.

    what’s your nectar recipe?
    .-= DJK´s last blog ..Obama – A Scary Dude =-.

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    • Susy on May 3, 2010 at 12:53 pm

      It’s one part sugar to 4 parts water. I usually use 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup water (I often add an extra Tablespoon of sugar to make it extra sweet). I simply add to an old bottle and shake until the sugar is dissolved, then fill the feeders. I make a fresh batch every 2-3 days, dumping out any that was left in the feeders, washing them, and adding fresh for them. You can boil the sugar/water mixture and then it’s supposed to last longer without spoiling, but I find that I prefer to make small batches every couple days. You can make a quart and keep it in the fridge so you only have to make it every week or two, bring to room temp before filling feeders.

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  12. tj on May 3, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    …Yes – several feeders! :o) Our hb’s arrived two days ago, such an exciting event!

    …I know you probably have a ton of posts lined up but I was wonderin’ if you could do a post on strawberries. I am intrigued with your raised strawberry bed and would like to know more about growing them in a raised bed, the different types of strawberry plants, the early/mid/late types, mulching, etc…etc…etc… Please and thank you! :o)

    …Blessings too…

    Reply to tj's comment

    • Chris on May 3, 2010 at 8:31 pm

      I would love a post on this too! I am not having much luck with them so far, and I’m getting a little confused by all the different possibilities. I’ve only bought them as bare root stock so far (you get like 10 “plants” in a box). They haven’t developed any leaves or anything. I don’t know what I did wrong.

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      • Susy on May 3, 2010 at 8:37 pm

        I’ll have to try to write one up. I definitely would do a few things differently if I were to do it over again.

        to Susy's comment

  13. Melissa on May 3, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    I love hummingbirds. My mom always puts feeders out, but I don’t. I always seem to forget to put out fresh nectar. I do have an abundance of blooms for them. It really is a treat to see them. : ) Melissa
    .-= Melissa´s last blog ..A time to relax =-.

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  14. Sarah on May 3, 2010 at 4:00 pm

    My grandma has always had one! She has a few that return faithfully every year and it’s so nice to watch them come and go. They are such wonderful guests to have!

    Reply to Sarah's comment

  15. Allie on May 3, 2010 at 5:48 pm

    Wow! We don’t have a hummingbird feeder. I really want to get one. I’ve never seen a hummingbird.
    .-= Allie´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – My Book Jacket!!! =-.

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  16. Rebecca @RootsAndWingsCo on May 3, 2010 at 6:49 pm

    I know these birds can be quite mean…but I love them. For some reason this house and our last one, attracted quite a few of them. Or at least the same one would come around all the time. It loved a plant right by the window in the room I am in the most! How lucky!
    .-= Rebecca @RootsAndWingsCo´s last blog ..Thanks For Giving A Hoot-Teacher Appreciation Day Gift =-.

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  17. Michiko on May 5, 2010 at 4:15 am

    Sadly no Hummingbirds here in the UK :(
    I wait eagerly for the arrival of the Swallows to the farm every spring, they were late this year and I was horrified to think that maybe they had left me….
    We have at least 3 pairs nesting in the buildings…yay

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  18. Reid on March 7, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    DO you know about the pre 1981 penny trick to eliminate algae?

    Reply to Reid's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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