Hummingbirds in Odessa

[terri]

Hi there, my name is Terri and I am new to this site. We had feeders out a couple years ago and we took them down just due to our crazy schedule. Well, a couple weeks ago we saw some hummers in our yard and put out 4 feeders and what a little show they have put on since then. We have several different ones from what we can tell. This morning three were flying together passing through the yard. They pretty much feed from dawn to dusk and hit the feeders about ever 15-30 minutes. I was messaging Steve back and forth last night on the FB page and got some info...thanks Steve! I did want to know..do you all leave your feeders up year round or should they be taken down at some point. Also, I have been photographing them for the past couple weeks and it is quite the challenge to get a good picture of them but I have a few I am gonna try to post that I think everyone will like. I look forward to learning more about Hummers from all of you. Terri

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[Steve Backes]

Terri,

I recommend trying to keep at least one feeder up all year. Eventually, you'll learn when what's best for you.

Seasonal residents can be very local. A friend who lives a couple of miles away has them at feeders during the summer but not the winter. I see many birds during the winter and few if any during the summer. I try to keep one feeder per bird in my yard plus one (or more during peak seasons). I may hang as many as 20 feeders in the winter and only one or two during summer.

Wintering birds can, and will, show up any time in during the winter, especially within a few days of a frost or freeze. Even if you're not hosting a hummingbird at the time, make sure there's a clean feeder available in case a passing bird is looking for food after it lost it's natural food source to the weather.

Steve