July 5, 2012
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A Mystery
The Mystery of the Hummingbird Feeder!
I have a mystery! I have had a hummingbird feeder up, outside of my kitchen window, since spring. We get lots of hummingbirds and I have been refilling the feeder about once a week. Last week, on Tuesday, before we left for Florida on Wednesday, I refilled the feeder. While we were gone, we had that terrible windstorm, with branches and stuff all over the yard, so I wasn't particularly surprised that when I arrived home on Sunday night, and looked at the feeder Monday morning, it was empty. I refilled it Tuesday (Monday was packed with activity around here). It was around 4:00 in the afternoon Tuesday that I finally got to it. By Wednesday morning - yesterday - at 6:00 AM, it was empty again! So, I thought that maybe since it was an old feeder, it got battered around in the windstorm and was leaking or something. I checked it, refilled it yesterday, again in the mid to late afternoon, and it was fine. It was fine until we left for the fireworks, and then it was too dark to see it. This morning at 6:00, it was EMPTY again, AND the little flowers that decorate the tiny little holes, you know?? - ALL of them are off.
Squirrels tipping it over? I see squirrels all over my bird feeders, but I have never seen one on the hummingbird feeder. Any other ideas?
Comments (7)
Spooks and Goblins? lol Do you have Orioles? They will tear into the HB feeders.
I hope you can solve it soon. I'm curious too. Let us know when you find out what is going on.
I would blame the squirrels. Once they found mine they would empty it twice a day!
are the flowers broken off? can you tell if it is spilling on the ground underneath? i don't think squirrels would drink it, but they would play with it thinking there was seed. bears will drink the sweet nectar, but usually they are pretty destructive. if it wasn't for the flowers being off of it, i would say you had a lot of hummingbirds!!!--karen
well i dont think it is hummers. i would think some sort of 4 footed varmint. squirrels or something like that. maybe you can sit and watch one day??
That is an interesting mystery. I agree with the others. If it was hummingbirds, you would see enough of them to know. We have a neighbor who has lots of hummingbirds every day, so she knows what is emptying hers.
I know my folks have had so many hummingbirds that two feeders would be emptied each day. But I have also heard that orioles will empty them quickly. I hope you find out soon!!
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