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Hummingbirds in the Garden; and maybe elsewhere
Topic Started: Sep 17 2012, 02:38 PM (1,402 Views)
Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
Kahu, it's more to do with stealthily sneaking up on them and the manual control on the camera's focusing mechanism. I spent a little extra to be able to have the manual mode. So, it's stealth and tech plus a little patience.
The web cam is set up next to the feeder and is easy to use with the pc mouse. I like that it can also date stamp the pics it takes.

Keeping those feathers in good order is a must in these colder days. I see that all the wing feathers are there, remembering the gaps in late summer during the molt.
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The tongue being the comb.
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The bath another necessity. This was taken on the 14th Dec. They are so ornamental this time of year. A flashing bit of colour now and then.
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And now there is snow on the ground and colder so they come in for a feed every few minutes starting at first light.
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Haven't seen anyone out there yet today as it is also windy. They may be in torpor in the shelter of a tree or shrubs waiting for the wind to subside. It is a few degrees above freezing this morning though it is snowing.

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Oldsalt
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I was wondering how you keep your feeders
from freezing. I have 2 at the back under the
eaves and 1 on the front patio.
The front one seldom freezes but I take one of
the back feeders inside if theres a chance of
freezing.
Edited by Oldsalt, Dec 20 2012, 06:32 AM.
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erka
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Dana:
Amazing pictures.

This year the hummingbirds stayed away from the feeders. I think my spouse washed the feeders with dish detergent (instead of bleach). Do you have any idea how to get the detergent taste off the feeders?
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Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
I have read that the safest way to clean the hummy feeders is to use a little vinegar in some water, add a few grains of rice, then shake like mad. It works! No detergent of any kind ought to be used nor bleach, apparently.
Using the vinegar treatment would also rinse any soapy residue. I saw in your photos Erka, that you had a hummy feeding one Nov. as well.

So far, no freezing of feeders this year though I don't keep as close an eye on the one under a fir tree in the front yard. If it goes dry the birds all come to the one in the back which is beside the glass enclosing the patio, also under an overhang which includes the now blooming Jasmine nudiflorum. The nudi needs some overhead protection to keep on going after harsh winter conditions. It is a draw for the hungry little birds all winter.
I've read where some people use xmas lights under a feeder to keep it from freezing, wrapped together into a tight bundle of lights, the small type. I wonder if a place like the Backyard Birds store might have a heater specially designed for this purpose?
If it looks like the temps will go to -5 or colder I just bring the feeders in until first light next day or have one inside to switch with. I am a homebody and don't find it too much to keep track but I loathe going out at night to pull the water fountain pump out if it looks like a really cold night and worry all night if I don't!
Due to the sheltering effect of the shrubs, trees and fencing, it can be a bit frosty out there and not affect those things, here. One neighbour's yard frosts over as they have taken out most of their trees while mine remains frost free. Not today, though the melt has begun with drops coming off the patio roof.

First feeder of the day, that I've noticed that is.
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erka
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Dana: Thanks for the vinegar tip. We will give it a scrub with vinegar and rice in the spring.
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Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
Some hummies across the continent seem to be wintering where they usually do not, this year. Not returning to their normal wintering grounds, staying in places such as Wisconsin, Delaware PA, Long Island NY and Ketchikan Alaska. It doesn't sound like great numbers but it is unusual. 30 in the PA region is quite a few, though.

Here's one creative solution to keeping nectar from freezing and the feeder from getting covered in snow. Somewhere in Canada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKnKOqCMVtM
Edited by Dana, Dec 22 2012, 05:16 AM.
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Dana
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A bit strange looking but keep well in a box, I hope.
The idea to make them using peanut for body was scooped from the web.

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Kahu
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I tried to emulate you with your photographic wildlife skills yesterday.

A baby tauhou (Waxeye) flew inside and was sitting watching me from it's perch on the top shelf of a kitchen cupboard. It was cheeping away and I wondered where the was coming from, and then I spotted it. I climbed up on the step ladder and it sat on my finger, then jumped to my shoulder, and then back up onto the shelf. So I thought, now's my chance to get a really good bird shot for WWS. So I climbed down, got the camera, and fired off a few shots ...... then it sat on my finger as I took it outside and it flew off up into the tree ferns at the back door!

It wasn't until I transferred the pics to the computer that I realised I had the camera set to landscape and not close up ...... :crying: :roflol::

I'll post them later!
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FuzzyO
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What an experience!
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Kahu
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Waxeye - Tauhou photo
Attached to this post:
Attachments: DSCF2206.jpg (798.5 KB)
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Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
How nice that baby birds are flying somewhere.
Yes, the cameras are great. Hard to keep up with them though!

Here are three of the stalwart hummingbirds still hanging around here for Christmas. There may be a few snowflakes in the air today though we don't expect anything that will last.

There are at least two of these males.
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The girl.
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And this little guy is a bit of a puzzle for me. He has not developed the full red throat fan that the males get. I wonder if there was an accident, if he is leucistic (a variation of the feathers) or whether he is a mixed breed. I'll ask someone about that.
He is tough and has held down the front yard since the end of July.
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A very hardy one in Wisconsin!
http://www.pbase.com/rbrady/image/147943175
Edited by Dana, Dec 26 2012, 04:29 AM.
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FuzzyO
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Darn, these most recent images aren't showing for me Dana.
Oops, they're showing now, lovely.
Edited by FuzzyO, Dec 26 2012, 04:42 AM.
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Deleted User
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Dana - how do you shoot through a window with out getting glare? That first one is especially pretty with the window as a "frame."
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agate
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Awesome pictures Dana
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Dana
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Yes BJ, through a window is tricky sometimes. Last year they were sitting on a vine just outside the patio glass to stay dry in a spot that caught all sorts of reflection.
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I have been trying for a good poinsettia framed shot this year. One that doesn't have glare and doesn't show all the wiring for the lights. That one framed shot above is taken right against the cleaned double glass of a sliding door and then through the glass of the patio from an angle that doesn't get the glare from the porch light.

Not everything turns out but sometimes I keep them anyway.
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The backlit ones don't completely satisfy but some are keepers. From last year.
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And the jasmine nudiflorum is blooming again this winter, drawing them in as it did last year.
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Oh yes, here's that zombie look, as someone called it, from the camera flash being set too high.
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Not everything works out. Much gets tossed and so easy with it being digital. I can't imagine trying if there was a lot of hard copy to throw away.

Edited by Dana, Dec 28 2012, 03:52 AM.
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