We love hummingbirds and have had a lot of success attracting them the last two places we’ve lived. Carl likes the Best-1 hummingbird feeders the best because the birds will perch on them while they drink. In Auburn, we would get 3 or 4 birds at a feeder at one time, and anyone who knows hummingbirds, knows that’s unusual. We enjoy watching the birds dive and swoop and listening to their chatter and continue to be awed by their beauty and fearlessness. Well, now that we’ve moved to South Carolina, we’re not seeing many hummingbirds. We’ve got two feeders out and we have a wooded natural area in our backyard. We’ll see one from time to time, but nothing like what we saw in Charlotte or Auburn. I’ve done some reading and there are 3 species native to this area – the Ruby-throated, the Rufous and the Green Violet-ear. I sure wish some of them would fly over this way.
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July 7, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Sorry to hear that you arn’t seeing too many hummingbirds in your area. Don’t give up and just keep your feeders out and maybe the hummingbirds will find them. Afterall, hummingbirds are looking for a reliable and dependable food souce, so once they discover your feeders then they will return again and again. Hummingbirds have excellent memories and will return to the same place year after year.
Here is some information on the Ruby-throated hummingbird that you may not know. Hope you find it to be of interest.
The best way to distinguish the Ruby-throated Hummingbird from all other species of hummingbirds except Black-chinned Hummingbird is by their call.
Its efficiency as a pollinator is comparable to that of a honey bee.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird has a total estimated population of over 7 million individuals. This species of hummingbird was hunted during the nineteenth century for its beautiful plumage, but the Ruby-throated Hummingbird now enjoys protection from harvest through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This act declares unlawful the taking, killing, or possessing of migratory birds. It is also listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna of 1975.