RockportFulton Hummerbird Festival

[RockportDave]

Every year we have a Hummerbird Festival celebrating the hummingbirds that come through this time of year to fill up and make the journey across the Gulf of Mexico to Central and South America.
Last year the festival was canceled because of Hurricane Harvey, but the birds didn’t get the memo and showed up as usual. We usually have about 10 feeders out and will get up to 50 birds in our yard fighting over the feeders. Last year we lost a storage building during the storm and only had 3 feeders to put up. Had about 10-15 at a time in our yard.
This year we were able to put out 5 and have 25-30 birds fighting over them. They are fun to watch.
Dave

[Sadanorakman]

That is SO cool... I'd love to have just one hummingbird visit my garden, but that's never going to happen where I live; although maybe eventually with global warming! ... Best I've managed this year is a goldcrest.

[WingAdmin]

Never seen so many at one feeder! Their hunger must have overcome their fighting instinct. They are vicious little things! I love watching them dive bomb each other when one dares to go too near to what another decides is "his territory."

[RockportDave]

We have 5 feeders up and they swarm 2. The others are guarded by 1 bird each. They drive our 3 cats crazy.
They drank down that feeder in 8 hours. The wife held it up after filling it and two came to it.
Dave

[gipsy42]

That’s great for you to have a hummingbird festival as it is none here, but what I do have is the pleasure to bread several nestling of hummingbird every year in my house.
As you may see in the attached pict are two empty (for now) nests hanging from twigs of a soon sprouting vine that grows on the walls and under the 2nd floor of the house, open space used as a rest area.
The actual nest is no bigger than ½ of a small chicken egg shell, but they redo it one atop the old one up to twice in one season, that’s way they’re so tall.
In little time the vine will grow leaves and hid the nest, the bird will come, clean and rebuild them, soon later will be chickens in it (two or three), and that’s when I will take picts and post them for you, especially when mother is feeding the little ones.
They’re actually year around here and feed on flowers grown in my park, once I had a feeder in a tree branch but apparently they didn’t liked to much so I left it there alone.
PS: Sorry for bad picts, just got out and took them w/ flash.

[RockportDave]

Looking forward to seeing the little ones when they hatch.
We have a few year round, but this time of the year they all come to our area to fill up and head to South America. They are fun to watch.
Dave

[gipsy42]

Hi Dave:
Ok, As promised time ago here we go…with a pict of the roofed gallery where the birds are having their chicks.

I’ve had set up my camera on a tripod and took several 20 minutes videos, later I edited and trimmed them to about 1,5 minutes, also saved some pictures from it.

Here is reaching a leaf out of the nest:

Then a few pictures of mother feeding:

Then a link to my videos posted in Fb.
https://www.facebook.com/mario.lovato.3 ... Nl7VJ18d6i

https://www.facebook.com/mario.lovato.3 ... tponb602GZ

Now there is another nest with soon to be chicks; this time I'll do my best and try to capture the first fly off of the chicks.
Hope you enjoy the videos.
Mario

[RockportDave]

Great pics Mario. Thanks for sending them.
We had a couple stick around until the end of October, but it cooled off and they went south.
Dave

[dingdong]

Thanks for the report and vids.