I'm in Levittown, just about smack in the middle of the Island. Can anyone tell me if there's any point in trying to attract, umm, Hummingbirds? Any info appreciated...

Thanks -
Karin H

Good luck.

I agree, Nature Girl, I'd much rather lure them with real live flowers. For one thing, the feeders don't grow *nearly* fast enough to cover an arbor!!

Thanks, folks. You've given me something to strive for...

Good luck with it!

Anyway, if they have (ahem) Hummers upstate, where do they get off not coming here?? We do have falcons now, though! A family of peregrines has been nesting in the Medical Center for a few years now. Hey... maybe that's where all the hummingbirds went... eeew.

Also, they LIKE MIST, one person posted her experience(Lynne?). They will not ordinarilly use a bird bath. If you have a shade tree with a low enough bough , hang an umbrella mister around off it, and have feed near it. They like to fly in and out of the mist to cool off in summer. I am in wunderful wantagh, so I am in middle of area that apparently has them.

My wife's wild flowers have brought us a good number of dragon flies, and next year we are going for hummers and butterflies.

Please see my post begging for pieces of Willow tree(pussy willow) and catalpa trees .

have a great day

chris

Valerie

I bought my misters at Genovese Drug last year on clearence, they run 12 bucks or so , I paid 3.75. I have yet to use them, they are to drape around a place we people sit and connect to a hose. Saw a "mist tent" in either Six Flags or Canobie Lake (in New Hampshre). I was awed how it cooled you off , no wonder hummers love it!

Maybe you buy this year for next year?

chris

Last week I saw a hummer in my garden after I returned home, being out all day and today saw one late afternoon feeding at various hummer flowers. It just ignorned the feeders. Trouble is they don't seem to sick around. Very frustrating!!!

I am on the north shore in Nassau County. I can see LI Sound from my front window (actually I can see Hempsted Bay).

Valerie

Those misters are the ones to buy. If I see them at Geno this week or next I will post here. I was thinking you could make a big halo with the tubing and a small resevoir with a battery operated pump.

When you use it in full sun you will get

1) cooler
2) have a Halo
3) the mist will make RAINBOWS
4) you will be chased by Hummers, AND little kids either thinking you are an angel or wanting to get yer Pot'o Gold.

chuckle

chris

Valerie

Plants that are blooming in my garden now to attract hummingbirds include:
Bee Balm
Salvia Indigo Spires
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Mexican Sunflower
Butterfly Bush (5)
White Swamp Milkweed
Columbine
Agastache Hummingbird Mint (5 varieties)
Zinnias
Abelia shrub
Hummingbird and Red Sweet pepper or summersweet bushes
Morning Glory
African Morning Glory vine
Tropical red flowered Mandavilla vine
Cypress Vine
Cardinal climber vine
Pentas
lantana
Lady in Red Salvia
Common bedding Salvia
Annual blue salvia
Salvia Greggi- 2 species
Scarlet Hedgnettle
Mexican Cigars
Heliotrope
Flowering Tobacco
Hairy Vetch
Four O'Clocks
Petunias
mini petunias
million bells
trumpet flowering fuchsia
common fuchsia
nasturtium
verbena
cannas
Trumpet Vine
penstemmons
impatients
Zauschneria
Rose of Sharon
Scarlett Runner Beans

They are attracted to orange and red flowers but also tube shaped flowers and other colors.

I took my feeder down weeks ago as I figgured if they did not go for all these flowers, they would not go for the feeder.

Before she appeared I had seen afew stop at my feeder during the spring migration and nothing since then.

yes, read the above posts, in Bellmore, and on North Shore. The closer you are to a preserve the better your chances of getting hummers.

Also Geno's is Genovese Drug Store, Taken over by Eckerts.

They may no longer have them, I got mine last year on clearence.

If no luck try Kmart, or Walmart.

chris

~~Nancy

~~Nancy

Yes, you're right-the East Village Green is the one on Jerusalem right by you. And no, I don't think there's a South Village Green either!

My sister's ex-boyfriend used to live in a house on Orchid, maybe 5 houses in from the end by Jerusalem. He had all sorts of strange creatures in his backyard... A peacock, racoon, ducks, etc. I don't know how long you've been living in Levittown but back in the early 80's, he had a flock of doves that used to circle the sky right above his house. Day in, day out, they would not leave-they just circled and circled.

Now that I think about it, it was kind of cruel. As you know, Levittown yards aren't very big. Anyway, they don't live there anymore.

I used to volunteer for the Wantagh Levittown Ambulance Corps and know the ER of NCMC well. Where are the falcons? I saw a few in Orient Point last month and there's a nest on the Preserve in Merrick but I didn't see any there.

If you ever want to chat:
ICQ: 46194822
MSN: greenfreak87@hotmail.com
email: trish@greenfreak.net

=^)

Where on Long Island are you? I know that attracting hummers on Long Island seems to be a very hit or miss proposition, depending on ones location.

I used to see them buzz thru the yard afew times a year for the years I lived here but last Fall I decided to really plant my yard with lots of Hummer attractive flowers and vines. I continued my planting this spring and my yard really is a little hummer paradise but few find it. At least I have (or had) some!

Valerie

Valerie

When living in Colorado my wife and I had a hummer follow us for a half hour or more while hiking. We were down by the Beuna-Vista / Salida area hiking the 14'ers. There are lots of them there but never had one follow like that. Maybe it was my bright red backpack. He made many close fly-bys like a bee buzzing your ear. Even when we stopped for a break he would just hum there looking at us.

Someone above commented about bats on LI. They are everywhere. I put up a bat house and it is now full every season. Go to any body of fresh water, Nassau or Sufflok and look up towards the moonlight over the water and you will see them swooping back and forth. I use to catch them as a teenager at Tudor park in Hicksville with a basketball and t-shirt.

I plan to visit the Sanctuary in Riverhead as soon as its open in August!!!

It's not as if there is nothing here to attract them. The Trumpet Hunneysuckle alone, growing all over the place in my yard, should be bringing them in.

BTW,do they stay around during the winter? Hope so.

We moved up here five years ago from Long Island. So it's a treat to finally get to see them up close and personal...:-) Their simply adorable and amusing to watch.

Please don't hate me, I hope you get the opportunity to see them...:-)

Also, in reply to a 7 year old comment, yes there are definitely bats on Long Island. I see them all the time during the summer. I have some in the small strip of trees behind my house. If you ever see birds flying in circles at dusk, take a closer look. They might be bats!

Regarding bats, we do indeed have them in our area. We love them, as they feed on the numerous mosquitoes we have in our area near the Bay. Also, we were privileged a few years ago to have an osprey come flying through our backyard, and we were visited by a red tail hawk about a month ago.