2024 Update
Hanna, UtahThe 2024 "Hanna
Hummingbird Haven" year is continuing at the cabin of Dena & Jim Reid in Hanna, Utah,. The
Rufus hummingbirds are in great numbers now (15th of July) and
usually start leaving after the 1st week of August, so they are
still here for a while. Dena was in the hospital for 2
months but is back at the cabin. Jim is taking good care of
the hummingbirds and the doctors are taking good care of Dena.
We're glad she is back home - she's still on oxygen but is doing
well. . Visitors are
welcome!
Information from Dena (14 July 2024)
[Blog]
An update on
this April 2021.
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Pic is of one male here today. (30
April 2021)
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So far my hummers are starting late. I
usually start seeing male broadtails about april 15 and by may 1
need10 heated feeders out. This year i only have 4 heated feeders
out and it seems like i only have 3 or 4 male broadtails here. I
sure hope they are just late and it will be a good hummingbird
year. Last year the crazy upside down 2020 world ..hooray the
hummers came .. bringing some normalcy to the world... I am glad
to say.. I do think it It was a good hummingbird year. It had been
a difficult year for me .. first of all because of panic ....I was
unable to find the c and h CANE sugar that is required for my
birds. I use a good 800+ lbs a season. The birds were coming and I
had no cane sugar to be found. Finally , I was able to have a few
friends and me to find a 10 lb. or 25 lb bag and of course limit
one.. grab a bag for me. But I had troubles and did not have my
supply of what I what needed for the season ..I still had a few
visitor that read the article and came. .I am hoping hummingbirds
will have a prosperous year this 2021 and my unique experience of
being up close and hands on with hummers delight people again from
all over the world….Though still because of covid……things have
changed how we all look at things differently... we still social
distance and wear masks just to be on the safe side.. due to
variants and the unknowns..
I am still hoping this year maybe we can get the utah bander to
come since last year we weren't able.... Looking forward to your
visit and better years ahead of sharing and educating these unique
creatures to the world.
Thanks
The Reids
* Two slow-motion videos by Paul Hunsaker:
Video 1,
Video 2
Summer
2015
Hanna, Utah
There's a place in Utah where all
hummingbirds are welcome. It's the mountain home of Dena & Jim Reid
in Hanna, Utah.
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Deck near the river in
Hanna, Utah
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They fill 30 feeders
with 9 gallons of nectar a day.
[See calculations below]
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When hummingbirds have
to wait, they buy a new feeder.
(The feeders have gradually gotten larger and more numerous).
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Sub-adult?
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Sometimes they "run
into things" and are injured,
but the are taken care of until they can fly.
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Male Rufous
Hummingbird, alone at a feeder -- imagine that!
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Front Porch
-- have you ever seen larger feeders?!
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Visitors are welcome!
This year Dena & Jim Reid sent this message: (in case you find yourself on State Road 35
between Wolf Creek Pass and Tabiona).
17 May 2019
... Here is an update for 2019..The hummers arrived just a
touch later this year.. which was good as we had still snow on the
ground. It was a bad snow year and stayed way longer…. So then
they came about April 21 this year and keep coming. I have made 10
heated feeders luckily this spring..as when they first came it was
freezing here. I have been struggling the last few day...s as I
only have 30 feeders out and each port seems to have a hummer on
it. I am up to at least 3 gallons a day the last few days... I
kinda let my heated feeders go.. as it had warmed up so…. but last
night and today is windy and cold…Now I am taking a break from
fixing those heated ones and getting them back up for tonight what
I have…It is only 40 degrees and the hummers all seem to be in
panic mode.The heated ones just help me from bringing so many in
at night and back out at 5:30 in the morning so they don't freeze.
My grosbeaks along with other species have all returned and are
really using my suet and cake feeders…so my chickadees and juncos
and stellar jays and all are like... hey we were here first.. I am
worried about our river the next couple weeks.. we will see how
much we flood…Better get back to fixing these and filling feeders
...I hope you have a great day and a great birding day. ~
Dena (Note: ."I need
to remind people I do not have public restrooms available and that
they need to visit the Hanna store at
mile post 37 for those necessities.…I do not let anyone inside our
home. And the river at the moment is fast , strong, and cold
dangerous…")
Here's a view from above:
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"It is just west of where you turn up north fork to go to defas
or granddaddy lake. Just before
the bridge where the west fork and north fork meet to make the
duchesne river."Short Cut from SLC:
Take I-80 going east past Park City to the junction of US 40 (US
189) going toward Heber and Vernal. Travel about 4 miles to
UT 248 and go left (east) towards Kamas. When you get to UT
32 (just south of Kamas) turn right and go a couple of mile to
Francis. At the main intersection take UT 35 which will go
through Woodland, then over Wolf Creek Pass and down toward the
Hummingbird Haven (at mile marker 31 3/4).
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* Calculations:
Enough Nectar to feed about 850 average-sized hummingbirds a day!
(Orioles and other bird that might spill or drink some nectar not
included)
- A
hummingbird will drink about 12 time its body weight in nectar
every day. (saturation: 4 parts water to 1 part sugar)
- Average Black-chinned Hummingbird weight = 3.2 gram
(assuming that this is an average hummingbird at the feeders)
- Grams in 1 oz. of water = 28.3 grams
- Ounces in 9 gallons of nectar = 1152 oz.
12 x
3.2 = 38.4 grams of nectar per day per hummingbird
38.4
grams ÷ 28.3 grams = 1.36 oz. of nectar consumed per day per
hummingbird
1152
oz. ÷ 1.36 oz./bird = 847 hummingbirds would consume 9 gallons of
nectar per day
Article with the above information:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/hainsworth.html
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All photos above are by Dena Reid
©Dena Reid
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